ST Report: 30-Jan-98 #1404
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 02/20/98-05:48:16 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 30-Jan-98 #1404
Date: Fri Feb 20 17:48:16 1998
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Compaq Bids to Acquire Digital
Compaq Computer Corp. is bidding to acquire Digital Equipment Corp. of
Maynard, Massacahusetts, for $9.6 billion. The story broke Monday morning
on CNNfn, the Cable News Network's financial service, and was quickly
confirmed by the Dow Jones news service, which reports the Texas personal
computer maker has entered a definitive agreement to acquire DEC. "Under
the terms of the transaction," says Dow Jones, "shareholders of Digital
will receive $30 in cash and about 0.945 a common share of Compaq for each
share of Digital stock.
Compaq will issue about 150 million common shares and $4.8 billion of
cash." United Press International notes the merger, which still needs the
approval of stockholders and regulators, would create the second largest
computing company in the world. Financial problems at Digital have been
evident for a while. As reported earlier, for instance, the company last
November agreed to sell its troubled computer-network hardware business to
Cabletron Systems Inc. for $430 million in cash, stock and product credits.
Digital last week cut prices on its desktop PC line by 12 percent to 20
percent.
Compaq, DEC Deal Hailed
Ultimately, watch for little resistance from federal regulators to Compaq
Computer Corp.'s pricey $9.6 billion pact to acquire Digital Equipment
Corp., say Wall Street arbitragers, though they do expect the deal to get
intense antitrust scrutiny. As reported earlier, Compaq has entered a
definitive agreement to acquire Massachusetts-based DEC. Following up, the
Reuter News Service says Wall Street analysts expect the Federal Trade
Commission to request additional information on the deal but see the merger
closing in three to four months.
"The combination," adds the wire service, "will spell the end of an
independent DEC, an early pioneer in the computer industry now recovering
from missteps made in the in the early 1990s." Requesting anonymity, one
expert told Reuters the FTC likely will seek additional information, but he
sees the deal as "pro-competitive" because DEC's 64-bit Alpha chip "now has
a more viable future than it did beforehand."
Added the source, "As is typical, Compaq did not release a lot of
information on the deal, synergies or financial analysis, so there will be
a lot of uncertainty until the deal closes, but the Tandem transaction
seemed to go pretty smoothly." (As reported, Compaq acquired Tandem
Computers Inc. last year for more than $4 billion.) The source said, "DEC
would have had a very hard go without doing a transaction as time went on.
I see the deal going through without a lot of hiccups." A second source
added, "Our analyst likes the deal, though he thinks the price was a little
high. It looks like a three- to four-month, straightforward deal."
Microsoft Says It Won't Settle
Don't look for Microsoft Corp. to seek a final settlement of the Justice
Department's antitrust lawsuit, despite some surprise concessions this
week. As reported, Microsoft surprised some observers by agreeing to offer
the latest version of its Windows 95 operating system without requiring
easy access to its Internet Explorer software, thus avoiding contempt of
court. However, United Press International quotes Microsoft chief
operating officer Bob Herbold as saying his employer is not considering a
final settlement.
UPI notes yesterday's partial settlement "leaves the heart of the
government's antitrust suit intact," adding, "In that case the Justice
Department charges the company with antitrust violations growing out of its
inclusion of the Internet browser with Windows 95." Meanwhile, Microsoft
is appealing U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's order that
the company may not force computer makers to install the Internet browser
software as a condition of licensing the Windows 95 operating system.
PC Makers Not Bolting Microsoft
Despite new legal and economic incentives for them to switch from Microsoft
Corp.'s software for browsing the Internet, personal computer makers don't
seem to be bolting for the door. On the contrary, several large PC
companies have told business writer David E. Kalish of The Associated Press
they have no plans to drop Microsoft's Internet Explorer, even though the
company agreed last week to let them erase the browser software from
computer screens. Kalish adds, "The PC makers also said that Netscape's
decision that same day to give away its Navigator browser for free --
matching Microsoft's giveaway of its Internet Explorer-- was not enough to
sway them."
Editor Note:
While Microsoft's IE 4.01 (the complete package) is free... Netscape is
only offering the skeletal package for free. To legally obtain the
complete Netscape package one MUST PAY. Netscape is STILL charging for it.
$27.00 ...RFM
"Analysts said the industry intransigence was a sign Microsoft's power and
influence in the computer market has scarcely waned despite its concession
in the government's antitrust case," he reports. AP finds PC makers
unconvinced that offering Netscape's browser could attract enough new
computer customers to offset several potential downsides. "After furiously
streamlining their systems for making and selling PCs to cut costs," says
the wire service, "the manufacturers are hesitant to complicate those
processes and possibly drive up costs by switching to another browser."
U.S. Split on Microsoft Control
Microsoft Corp.'s dominant role in the computer software industry is good
for consumers, say 46 percent of Americans responding to a new Time
Magazine/CNN. However, in the same survey, 45 percent say they think it
would be bad for consumers if Microsoft were to become the dominant company
providing Internet services.
United Press International reports these additional poll results:
z 32 percent agree the government should take steps to reduce
Microsoft's advantage over other computer companies, while 51 percent think
it should not.
z Only 28 percent say Microsoft's dominance in the computer industry is
due mostly to the quality of its software, while 42 percent say its sheer
size makes it dominant. Thirty percent say they are not sure.
Microsoft Brings a Dozen Suits
A dozen lawsuits against computer resellers in the New York City, Boston
and San Francisco areas have been filed by Microsoft Corp., alleging the
defendants installed unlicensed software and distributed counterfeit
Microsoft products. Microsoft officials told The Associated Press the
suits stem from a campaign launched by the company last year aimed at
stopping "hard disk loading," or the installation of pirated software on
computers sold to customers.
Filed in U.S. district courts for the eastern and southern districts of New
York, district of Massachusetts, and northern district of California, the
suits all allege copyright and trademark infringement of Microsoft
products, including the Windows and MS-DOS operating systems and Office
business software. In the California cases, Microsoft said, all defendants
except Umiracle had previously settled with Microsoft for similar illegal
activities.
AP reports Microsoft said it filed the lawsuits after investigating 17
companies in New York, 23 in California and 17 in Massachusetts. During the
investigation, Microsoft alleged, personal computers were bought from the
defendants that contained unauthorized software.
Those named in the New York lawsuits include:
z Prime Computers Inc. of New York City;
z Brooklyn Computer Center, also known as Eastern Micro and Golden
Technology Distribution Corp. of Brooklyn;
z Century Computer, also known as Five Star Computer Corp. of Flushing.
California suites were filed against:
z Umiracle Microsystems Inc. of Fremont;
z Hitron Systems of Santa Clara;
z Multi-Function Concept Computer Systems Inc., doing business as MCC
Systems of San Jose; Distar Inc. of San Jose;
z Songtech International Inc. of Fremont;
z MIT Inc., doing business as Laitron Computers of San Jose.
Massachusetts suits were filed against:
z MCS, doing business as Bits and Chips of Whitman;
z Perfect PC Inc. of Newton;
z Advanced Communications Technology Inc. of Natick.
AP reports Microsoft also says it reached settlements with nine other
companies in the Boston area.
AOL Targets More Spammers
America Online Inc. continued its fight against unsolicited junk e-mail
last week when it filed suit against two Michigan firms charged with the
transmission of thousands of unsolicited messages to AOL members. The
suit, filed on Jan. 22, 1998 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, seeks an injunction to prevent the companies from
"persistently aggravating AOL members with junk e-mail." The suit also
seeks damages from both companies, which are reportedly owned and operated
by the same individuals.
The companies named in the suit are LCGM Inc. and Web Promo Inc., both of
Madison Heights, Michigan. America Online charges in its suit that LCGM and
Web Promo violated federal and state laws by repeatedly spamming AOL
members with advertisements from a myriad of Internet domains, including
"live-video-sex.com," "pornjunkie.com," "hot-sex.com" and
"xxxratedsex.com." AOL says that while it demanded that both companies
stop sending unsolicited bulk e-mail, the companies persisted in using
deceptive techniques to circumvent AOL's e-mail filtering technology.
The suit also alleges that LCGM Inc. and Web Promo Inc. forged references
to AOL's domain name "aol.com" in their junk e-mail. AOL says the use of
forged references to "aol.com" is designed to hinder its ability to detect
and filter unwanted e-mail. The unauthorized use of "aol.com" by spammers
is also designed to mislead AOL members into believing that the junk e-mail
originates from AOL, and that AOL condones or tolerates it, says the online
service.
The suit also targets the practice of including hypertext links to
pornographic Web sites in junk e-mail. The e-mails with hypertext links,
which are sent indiscriminately to AOL members regardless of age, provide
direct access to pornographic Web sites. The suit alleges that LCGM and Web
Promo have made extensive use of this practice.
TI Buys Dialogic Unit
Texas Instruments Inc. has agreed to buy Spectron Microsystems from
Dialogic Corp. The Dallas firm says expects the purchase price to range
from $20 to $26 million, though specific terms are subject to closing
adjustments. The Reuter News Service notes Spectron makes and sells
advanced system software, such as real-time operating systems for use in
digital signal-processing applications, adding, "Digital signal processors
are powerful, specialized semiconductors that are used in a variety of
electronic end-equipment such as cellular phones, modems and hard disk
drives."
Netscape Reports Wider Loss
As its battle with Microsoft Corp. continues to take its toll, web browser
pioneer Netscape Communications Corp. has posted a wider loss than expected
for the fourth quarter. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning,
reporter Don Clark quotes the Mountain View, California, company as saying
the quarter loss was $82.3 million, or 92 cents a share on a diluted basis,
compared with net income of $8.2 million, or nine cents a share, for the
year-earlier period. The per-share figures are the same on a basic and
diluted basis.
Clark adds that excluding restructuring charges and other one-time items,
Netscape's loss was $20.77 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with its
Jan. 5 estimate of a loss of 15 cents to 19 cents a share and analysts'
consensus of a loss of 16 cents a share. Netscape's revenue rose 9 percent
to $125.3 million from $115.2 million, but, says Clark, "most of that
increase came from the company's popular Web site and other services;
revenue from selling software products declined 11 percent to $85.7
million."
Changes are in the wind for Netscape:
z As reported earlier (GO OLT-198), Netscape said last week it will
follow Microsoft's lead and give away its browser software, along with the
source code that could help other programmers enhance the product.
z It also has reduced its work force.
z And it has decided to scale back part of its investment in Java, the
Sun Microsystems Inc. technology that first became popular because of its
inclusion in the Netscape browser. Instead of updating that code in the
future, Netscape has decided to let Sun and International Business Machines
Corp. supply the internal software needed to play Java programs.
As a result of its moves, Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale told the paper the
company is "well positioned to return to profitability in 1998."
Compaq, Radio Shack Ink Deal
Compaq Computer Corp. and RadioShack have signed a multi-year retail sales
and service agreement that calls for Compaq Presario PCs to become the
exclusive computer line sold through RadioShack stores. Under the terms of
the agreement, beginning in March, Compaq and RadioShack will jointly
market and promote a unique line of specially configured Compaq Presario
computers and accessories. In addition, Compaq will authorize RadioShack as
an official service provider for its entire line of Compaq computers. A
statement issued by the companies notes that Compaq and RadioShack will
invest in the development of a store-within- a-store concept "that features
a unique interactive experience that will invite the consumer to touch and
learn more about Compaq products and technology."
"RadioShack enables Compaq to broaden its distribution reach into local
markets through America's most trusted consumer electronics chain," says
Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq's president and CEO. "Almost overnight, we will be
able to increase our market presence by offering our products through up to
7,000 convenient locations. We believe this competitive edge will result in
increased sales and brand awareness." "Compaq, the leading PC
manufacturer, and RadioShack, the most pervasive retailer of electronics,
are entering into a strategic marketing alliance that should be a `win-win'
for both companies and their customers," adds John V. Roach, chairman and
CEO of Tandy Corp., RadioShack's parent company.
Bell Atlantic Courts Net Ruling
The Federal Communications Commission is being asked by Bell Atlantic, the
nation's largest regional Bell phone company, to bar states from regulating
services that let people tap into the Internet. "While the FCC has no role
in regulating the price of these high-speed communications services offered
by telephone companies," notes Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa,
"Bell Atlantic wants the FCC to step in to pre-empt state rules." question
include special high-speed ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines
and a faster, lightning-quick phone line using a developing technology
called ADSL, or asymmetrical digital subscriber line.
As reported earlier, all five Bells are banking on ADSL to give them
important roles in the Internet business and help them compete against
cable TV companies that are offering their own high-speed Internet
connections. In an interview with AP, Bell Atlantic Vice President Tom
Tauke told Aversa, "As we read the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the FCC
would have the authority to remove high-speed services from regulation
completely. In essence, the FCC would be pre-empting the states from
regulating those services."
The 1996 law that deregulated the communications industries gave the FCC
power to preempt state regulations that impede competition. Spokeswoman
Susan Butta told the wire service Bell Atlantic is seeking regulatory
relief only for itself, adding the company also wants the FCC let it build
in its local phone region high-speed networks to carry Internet traffic.
Aversa says Bell Atlantic has 300 customers using ADSL, which the company
is testing. ISDN is available throughout Bell Atlantic's local phone
region, which runs from Maine to Virginia. Of Bell Atlantic's total of 39.7
million phone lines, 436,000 are ISDN, the company said.
Amelio Joins Investment Firm
Former chairman/CEO Gilbert F. Amelio of Apple Computer Inc. and of
National Semiconductor Corp., has joined The Parkside Group, a private
equity investment firm. Reporting from San Francisco, The Associated Press
says as a Parkside Group partner and member of the board of directors,
Amelio will lead the firm's high technology financing efforts. He will
focus on company buyouts and earlier-stage financing of companies.
Managing partner Barry L. Schneider says, "Gil Amelio brings Parkside 30
years of technical and executive experience in semiconductors,
telecommunications and computers. As an inventor holding 16 patents alone
or jointly and as an experienced chief executive officer, he adds
substantially to our operating credentials and balances the expertise of
our partners."
Silicon Graphics Names New CEO
Silicon Graphics Inc. has named Hewlett-Packard Co. executive Richard
Belluzzo its new chairman and CEO. Belluzzo replaces Edward McCracken, who
announced last October, under pressure from investors and company
directors, that he planned to resign. The Reuters news service reports
that the Mountain View, California, computer workstation maker has been
losing market share to Sun Microsystems Inc. and other competitors. The
company has been under pressure from powerful, lower-cost PCs running
Windows NT. Belluzzo was an HP executive vice president and general
manager of the firm's computer organization. He was responsible for HP's
computer products and systems and its software and services group.
"On Thursday, Silicon Graphics began a restructuring that will start
reducing operating expenses beginning in the third quarter," notes
Reuters. "Last October, SGI announced plans to lay off 850 of its
employees -- 250 of those layoffs were independent contractors and the rest
were regular staffers. At the time, SGI estimated that it would take a
charge of about $50 million." SGI also reported a second-quarter net loss
of $31 million, or 17 cents a share, including $53 million in restructuring
and acquisition related charges, compared with a net loss of $13 million,
or 7 cents a share, in the second quarter of fiscal 1997.
Microsoft Sets Stock Split
Microsoft Corp. reports that its board of directors has approved a 2-for-1
split of its common stock. Shareholders will receive one additional common
share for every share held on the record date of February 6. "We continue
to hear from investors that they would like the stock price to be more
accessible, and we hope this split will address that interest," says
Gregory B. Maffei, the software publisher's chief financial officer.
"We're pleased that customers continue to find our products compelling and
innovative, and we will work hard to continue focusing on building
technologies that enhance our customers' productivity, enjoyment and
creativity." As of December 31, Microsoft had approximately 1.2 billion
common shares outstanding. Upon completion of the split, the number will
increase to approximately 2.4 billion. Microsoft stock was trading at 140
1/8 early Monday afternoon.
3M Says New Cable Cuts Costs
3M Corp. has unveiled a next-generation fiber optic local area network
(LAN) cabling system. The company says its Volition Fiber Optic Cabling
System, can cut in half the cost of linking computers via optical fibers
while simplifying installation and maintenance. Volitron is 3M's first
complete LAN cabling system for the premises wiring market. "The Volition
system not only offers the performance advantages of fiber optics to large
systems users but also to smaller enterprises," says John Riccardi,
Volition program manager for 3M's telecom systems division, based in
Austin, Texas. "Now, users can economically and easily link computers
together with the unlimited data capacity of fiber optics for
data-intensive applications, such as video
conferencing, multimedia and 3D modeling."
3M claims that cost advantages accrue because once the network has been
installed optical fibers never need to be torn out of the wall to upgrade
system capacity. Computers connect to the system with a simple,
telephone-like jack. "This means you can expand the system without rewiring
and move computers around the office without calling a technician," says
Riccardi says.
Use of optical fiber cabling has been largely restricted to specialized
applications due to installation complexity and high cost, notes Craig
Johnson, a networking service analyst for Dataquest. "The global premises
wiring market is ready for a solution that will make fiber-to-the-desktop a
viable option as companies upgrade their LANs." More details are available
on the Web at www.3M.com/volition.
Intel Launches Faster Pentium
The fastest Pentium processor yet -- a 333 megahertz version of the Pentium
II family -- is being launched by Intel Corp. Reporting from San
Francisco, the Reuter News Service says more than a dozen PC makers will
begin offering new systems with the chip. Company officials told the wire
service the new Pentium II will be used in systems ranging from powerful
workstations and server computers, to corporate desktop and consumer PCs.
Previously, Intel's fastest Pentium II was a 300 megahertz version, which
was introduced last year. Reuters adds, "The latest version of the Pentium
II costs $722 each, in 1,000 unit quantities."
Apple's Claris Reorganizing
Apple Computer Inc.'s Claris software subsidiary, continuing to cut costs,
is reorganizing and laying off some 300 employees. Reporting from Apple's
Cupertino, California, headquarters, The Associated Press says Claris will
concentrate on its FileMaker Pro database software - changing its name to
FileMaker Inc. -- while Apple will now take charge of Claris' other
products. Claris president Dominique Goupil told the wire service, "As
FileMaker Inc., we can now focus all our energies on our very successful
FileMaker business.
We are totally committed to growing this business dramatically during the
coming year." Currently, the Macintosh Windows compatible program sells
about 3 million copies a year, AP says, adding,"Claris has developed and
distributed both Claris-brand and Apple-brand programs, but Apple, starting
Feb. 1, will handle development and distribution of all Apple-brand
software, including the Macintosh operating system." Also, the wire
service says, Apple will develop and support ClarisWorks,
productivity software.
HTML Proposal Moves Forward
Microsoft Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Lotus Development Corp. say they have
received acknowledgment from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) of their
HTML Threading Proposal. The proposal outlines how Extensible Markup
Language (XML) can be used to allow data-rich features in HTML e-mail
applications. According to the companies, the HTML Threading Proposal lays
the groundwork for HTML e-mail applications to provide rich, structured
data about the conversation thread in a message and about its authors. For
example, e-mail applications potentially could identify the author of each
piece of text in an e-mail thread, rearrange the segments of a thread in
chronological or hierarchical order based on user preference or display
text from each author in a distinct way.
The three companies submitted their proposal to the W3C for consideration
as an open standard. The specification is available for public review on
the W3C Web site at http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-HTMLThreading-0105.
"This proposal will enable a new class of powerful e-mail features that we
will support in future releases of the Microsoft Outlook client family,"
says John Ludwig, vice president of Microsoft's Internet client and
collaboration division. "We look forward to working with Qualcomm, Lotus
and others to advance this proposal through the W3C standards process."
Microsoft NetShow 3.0 Beta to Ship
Microsoft Corp. will release the first beta version of Microsoft NetShow
3.0 this week. The beta code will be given to 3,000 attendees of the
Microsoft Web Tech*Ed conference in Palm Springs, California, and
demonstrated at Internet Showcase '98 in San Diego. A public beta release
of NetShow 3.0 is planned for release within 60 days. Microsoft claims that
the enhanced software provides the highest-quality streaming audio and
video over the widest range of data rates. Microsoft has also announced
support for NetShow 3.0 from over 40 leading industry content providers,
solution providers and independent software vendors, including Bloomberg
Corp., Fox, MSNBC and Warner Bros. Online.
"Customers have told us they need to integrate multimedia content into
their business applications and Web-based content," says Bob Muglia, vice
president of Microsoft's server applications unit. "With the beta release
of NetShow 3.0, Microsoft is delivering the highest-quality streaming audio
and video and driving key standards such as the Advanced Streaming Format
for content providers and developers." A key enhancement in NetShow 3.0 is
the product's integration with Microsoft Office, Windows NT Server, the
BackOffice software line and third-party applications. Microsoft notes that
the integration will allow media providers to combine NetShow 3.0 with
their own expertise in content creation to build an Internet-based media
business.
Ergonomic Keyboard Ships
Darwin Keyboards Ltd. has started shipping SmartBoard, a "split" computer
keyboard that's designed to accommodate the natural movements of human
hands. According to the San Francisco company, SmartBoard incorporates a
new patented keyboard design, called the "SmartKey Layout," that aims to
make typing faster, easier, and more comfortable. SmartBoard also features
a space-saving design that's 20 percent smaller than other split keyboards,
a palm rest and a two-position adjustable wrist leveler. "The SmartBoard
is a dramatic breakthrough in keyboard design," says Allan Lichtenberg,
co-founder of Darwin Keyboards. "The SmartKey layout gives computer users
the keyboard they have been waiting for -- one that is not only more
comfortable, but actually makes typing easier and faster. The SmartBoard is
a very innovative and exciting addition to our product lineup."
SmartBoard sells for $99.95. More details are available on the Web at
Report: Scanners Now Mainstream
A new study by InfoTrends Research Group finds that 1997 was a year of
breakneck change in the scanner mass market. Almost overnight, scanners
went from obscurity to standard desktop equipment. The report forecasts
that about one in 14 computer users will have a scanner by the end of
1998. The speed at which prices fell took both vendors and users by
surprise, states the report. On the other hand, PC-bundled scanners did
not take off as expected, and sheet-fed scanners shipments slowed
dramatically mid-year when flatbed pricing suddenly became very
competitive. Scanner shipments topped 4 million in 1997 in North America,
and the market is poised to grow another 50 percent in 1998.
The report states that the scanner market remains one of the fastest
growing segments in the computer industry. The convergence of other imaging
technologies will help drive growth into the next decade. In the next few
years, scanners are expected to become a standard piece of equipment in
every PC-equipped home, notes the study. More details are available on the
Web at http://www.infotrends-rgi.com.
Japanese Ministry Spammed
>From Tokyo comes word the Ministry of International Trade and Industry has
discovered more than 200 unsolicited bulk e-mail messages clogging one of
its Internet-linked computer servers. The Associated Press quotes the
English-language messages reportedly had been sent from the United States
and advertised an investment venture, adding, "They did not penetrate an
internal system which is protected from unauthorized access." Japan's Kyodo
News reports the ministry is investigating whether or not the transmission
of the messages was intentional.
Russian Admits $3.7M Intrusion
A Russian computerist has admitted he gained access to an internal Citibank
computer system in 1994 and transferred $3.7 million worth of customers'
funds into accounts he and others controlled in five different countries.
Thirty-year-old Vladimir Leonidovich Levin faces a possible sentence of
five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced Feb. 24,
federal prosecutors told the Reuter News Service. The wire service notes
that in 1994 Citibank offered a service called the Financial Institutions
Citibank Case Manager with which customers could execute wire transfers to
other banks by accessing a computer network using an identification code
and password combination.
"The indictment," says Reuters, "charged that between June and August 1994
Levin accessed the network by using identification codes and passwords
belonging to other Citibank customers. He then executed unauthorized
transfers of funds from those customers' accounts to those that he and
others controlled at banks in Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Israel
and the United States." Prosecutors say Levin used the program at least 18
times in the summer of 1994 to gain access to other people's accounts.
New Excel Virus Found
Network Associates Inc., formerly McAfee Associates, reports that its
McAfee Labs Anti-Virus Emergency Response Team has identified a new virus
that infects Excel spreadsheets. The virus, called "XF/Paix.A," attacks
spreadsheets by installing itself into Excel. "While today this threat is
specific to French language Excel sheets, the potential of this new type of
virus could be used to attack any language of Excel within the next three
months," says Shannon Talbott, manager of McAfee Labs.
According to Network Associates, XF/Paix.A works by installing itself as an
add-in to Excel in a file called xlsheet.xla. The worksheet is hidden so
that users can't see it when they view all of their worksheets. The virus
executes each time a file is opened in the French version of Excel.
Additionally, the virus executes whenever Excel recalculates all formulas
in the document. Unlike other macro viruses, this virus specifically
infests itself in the data region and executes itself as Excel goes
through its calculations, notes the company.
Network Associates says it has developed a special update of its VirusScan
software with an antidote for the virus. A free working evaluation version
of the product can be downloaded from the Web at http://beta.nai.com.
Network Associates has also shared the virus sample with other anti-virus
researchers.
Motorola Accused of Infringement
Chip maker Motorola Inc. has been sued by General Patent Corp.
International for alleged patent infringement related to four modem
technology patents. Reporting from Monsey, N.Y., the Reuter News Service
quotes General Patent as saying the lawsuit covers patent specific aspects
of PC Card modems, the credit-card-size modems used in notebook and laptop
personal computers. General Patent Chairman/CEO Alexander Poltorak told
the wire service, "Motorola was notified of the infringement in 1995. We
did all we could to avoid litigation."
Reuters says the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of California in San Diego. The patents in question are U.S.
Patent No. 4,603,320 ("Connector Interface"), U.S. Patent No. 4,543,450
("Integrated Connector and Modem"), U.S. Patent No. 4,686,506 ("Multiple
Connector Interface"), and U.S. Patent No. 4,972,470 ("Programmable
Connector").
Judge Temporarily Blocks Navy
A federal judge says sailor Timothy R. McVeigh can remain on active duty
temporarily, while the court weighs the Navy's plans to dismiss him based
on evidence of homosexuality obtained from his profile on America Online.
The Associated Press characterizes U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin's
ruling late yesterday as "a setback for the Navy," which argued Senior
Chief Petty Officer McVeigh (unrelated to the Oklahoma bomber of the same
name) had openly declared his homosexuality on the online profile page.
McVeigh's attorneys argue the sailor's full name never appeared on those
electronic documents and that the Navy learned his identity only by
illegally pressing AOL for what should have been confidential information.
Attorney C. Dixon Osburn of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network called
Judge Sporkin's ruling "the proper decision," adding, "Public opinion
should be behind McVeigh on this."
The judge issued a preliminary injunction, saying essentially that McVeigh
would be irreparably harmed by being discharged before the court's review
of the case was complete. The Navy proposes to honorably discharge McVeigh
immediately, ending his 17-year Navy career. As reported earlier, the Navy
is contending McVeigh violated the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays
in the military by posting a "profile page" on AOL that included his first
name, his residence in Honolulu, his birth date and the listing under
marital status, "gay." The profile page also contained references
indicating a sexual interest in young men.
McVeigh acknowledged to Navy investigators that he had written the page but
only after they learned from AOL the full identity of its author. As
reported last week, AOL has said its employees should not have given the
information to the Navy investigator, that the company had been duped by
the Navy into disclosing the data. Meanwhile, McVeigh's attorneys argue
the Navy inquiry itself violated the "don't ask" portion of the policy on
gays in the military, accusing the Navy of subterfuge when the Navy
investigator who called AOL did not identify himself but said only that he
was a "good friend" of McVeigh's.
Forum a Lifeline for Canadians
With eastern Canada battling the effects of the worst ice storm in memory,
Canada (English) Forum members have used their desktop and portable
computers and CSi to share their experiences, hope and fears. "I am the
mother of a student living in Kingston (Ontario) and have heard some
harrowing tales," wrote a member named Grace on Jan. 9. "Last night, trees
were falling through the roofs. All the hotels (which surprisingly have
power) are completely full and my son along with seven others (in the
house he shares) are freezing. Please keep me posted if you hear of
anything new."
"My daughter and her family live in Kingston," noted Wolf Braun on Jan. 10.
"Their power is off at home and has been since about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday
night. Fortunately, their home is on gas hot water and so have been OK." A
member named Marian commented on Jan. 10 that "things are quite dismal"
near Ottawa. "We've had no water or phone or power since Monday and
estimates are a month before anything is restored. All the power poles are
down on every rural road and they are littered with hydro lines. Apparently
the government has put a moratorium on selling generators except to
farmers, so many people are relying on neighbors etc. Our area has banded
together to use a single generator that's making the rounds and then paying
back by doing the farm chores in each others barns."
On Jan. 8, a Montreal member named Jen worried about her Quebec neighbors'
safety. "What gets to me is the people who still insist on heating with
camping equipment or BBQs." She also expressed concern for her favorite
trees. "We have two gorgeous, huge elm trees out back. Slowly each branch
is falling off. I wonder what will be left when this is over?" On the same
day, a member named Darlene, also in Quebec, described her struggle. "Well,
my power has been off for over 48 hours. The first night I stayed at home
and froze, but last night I said enough is enough and abandoned ship and
went to a hotel."
To follow the latest crisis developments, GO CDNENG and read the messages
in Section 20, "Ontario," and the thread "Ice Storms In Ontario, and
Section 20, "Quebec," and the thread "Ice storm stories." Many other Forum
sections also contain ice storm-related threads.
Gillian Anderson Is Queen of Net
Gillian Anderson, who plays FBI agent Dana Scully on Fox television's
enigmatic "X Files," has emerged as the queen of Net surfers' hearts.
Cyberspace writer Chris Allbritton of The Associated Press finds by a
recent count on the Yahoo search engine that Anderson has 99 sites devoted
to her on the Internet's World Wide Web. That handily tops sultry Pamela
Anderson Lee, former "Baywatch" star, "who has what some might consider the
unfair advantage of being naked in many of her pictures," Allbritton
observes. Lee has 67 websites.
Rounding out the top five, says AP, are "Batman and Robin" co-star Alicia
Silverstone with 91 sites; Hanson, the three-brother teen-heartthrob band
with the catchy single "MMMBop," with 67, and "Lois & Clark's" Teri
Hatcher, with 53. "On the Web, you can obsess 24 hours a day," comments
media critic Jon Katz of HotWired, who adds the web is "a phenomenal medium
for celebrity worship." Following is Allbritton's monster list of celeb
sites, ranked after Anderson, Silverstone, Lee, Hanson and Hatcher.
With 49 to 30 sites:
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, 46
Madonna, the material mom, 45
Alanis Morissette, 45
David Duchovny, 41
Leonardo DiCaprio, 37
Michael Jackson, 31
With 29 to 10 sites:
Claire Danes, 29
Drew Barrymore, 24
Courtney Cox, 21
Jim Carrey, 20
Elton John, 18, (eight of them dedicated solely to his tribute to
Princess Diana)
Julia Roberts, 17
George Clooney, 15
Tom Cruise, 15
Nicole Kidman, 14
Fiona Apple, 13
Pierce Brosnan, 11
Janeane Garofalo, 11
Rosie O'Donnell, 11
Lucy Lawless, 11
Will Smith, 11
Demi Moore, 10
With nine to five sites:
Neve Campbell, 9
Patrick Stewart, 9
Juliette Binoche, 8
Sarah Michelle Gellar, 8
Whitney Houston, 8
Jeri Ryan, 8
Sharon Stone, 8
Uma Thurma, 8
Mel Gibson, 7
Helen Hunt, 7
Gwen Stefani, 7
Salma Hayek, 6
Kevin Sorbo, 6
John Travolta, 5
Elizabeth Hurley, 5
Kate Winslet, 5
With four sites to one site:
Helena Bonham Carter, 4
Brendan Fraser, 4
Keanu Reeves, 4
Toni Braxton, 3
Kevin Costner, 3
Ethan Hawke, 3
k.d. lang, 3
Tori Spelling, 3
Kristin Scott Thomas, 3
Mira Sorvino, 3
Tori Spelling, 3
Alec Baldwin, 2
Johnny Depp, 2
Tom Hanks, 2
Jennifer Lopez, 2
Liam Neeson, 2
Oprah Winfrey, 2
Minnie Driver, 1
Dylan McDermott, 1
Bruce Willis, 1
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
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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
FAIR? STR Focus Are the Taxpayers/Voters/Citizens Getting a Fair Deal?
Diehard Republican; Is Kenneth Starr
A Crusader for:
Truth, Justice and The American Way?
Or,
A Despicable Modern Day Inquisitor!
In HOT, if not, RABID Pursuit of a Democrat;
President William J. Clinton!
An Opinion By Ralph F. Mariano
Obsession."power to absorb one" To be "all-consumed".
One would never think that a Special Prosecutor could become
"Obsessed" with an assignment. After all, they're the epitome of Judicial
Professionalism. Or, are they? Take the matter of looking over the
activities and maze of events surrounding Kenneth Starr. Starr, admittedly
staunchly loyal Republican, has doggedly used every facet of his Special
Prosecutor office attempting to hang the current Democratic Administration
and President William Jefferson Clinton out to dry. to be left slowly
twisting in the wind of political hot air somewhere in the wastelands of
politics gone by. One thing we must all pay attention to is the time spent
in Starr's aggressively ambitious pursuit of Clinton and his wife, Hillary.
From Whitewater till present, all Starr has seemingly come up are "
alleged sex partners" "fall guys", "patsies", backstabbers playing "let's
make a deal" and. best of all; sore losers in the brownie parade at the
White House. Why is it we never saw major headlines about Dwight David
Eisenhower's affair with his wartime secretary? Why is it he wasn't
hammered into the ground by the Press Corps. At that time or, during his
Presidency? Better yet, why wasn't his extramarital affair used against
him when he ran for President? Anybody have the right answer??
How about;
z The "reporter" reporting on a politician's private life would suddenly
lose access to most events involving that politician, his friends and
fellow party members
z Such acts on the part of the press were simply not done as a matter of
the utmost respect
z Politician's private lives were kept private as a matter of course
z Any reporter probing into a public figure's private life was destined
to become unemployed
Then came JFK's Presidency. I was a young man at the time. In fact I
met JFK, RFK and Teddy at a very small Airport outside of Liberty NY
shortly before JFK's victory over Richard M. Nixon. While I was young and
impressionable. I'll never forget the TV coverage of Vietnam and especially
the Cuban Missile Crisis. The JFK Assassination coverage, the subsequent
Warren Commission findings and the years of innuendo and obvious problems
with the Warren Commission's findings. Those findings left many in this
country with numerous questions. One in particular, why hasn't the "ever
so active and righteous" National Press Corps., both hard copy and media
pursued the truth in JFK's murder? Of course, we can all look to Watergate
and Richard M. Nixon ("I am not a Crook") and say here is case where the
press' diligent investigation actually did uncover wrongdoing. Special
Note: A special prosecutor (like Starr) was not appointed until such time
as wrong doing (the smoking gun) was clearly evident.
In the matter of Starr vs Clinton. Starr was appointed to FIND wrong
doing on the part of a newly elected Democratic President by a majority
Republican House and Senate. Folks, it doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to
realize that millions upon millions of dollars have been spent (read
wasted) by Starr in his pursuit of Bill Clinton. Starr had all but given
up a year or so ago. only to be re-instigated by his Republican Cronies to
continue by becoming involved in the Paula Jones sex case. (an incident
which by the way, occurred well before Clinton was elected President) once
again though, the "special prosecutor" was sent on fact finding missions
before any wrong doing is actually proven to have occurred. (Can say
Inquisition?)
Now comes a new odorous fly in the ointment. Once again, the Press is
gleefully jumping all over this one. A White House aid. whose actual
desires and goals are high questionable, jumps up via a "backstabber" in
the Whitehouse ( a Ken Starr "Mole") who was admittedly "on her way out"
who secretly recorded Monica Lewinsky's ramblings about sex in the
Whitehouse! Incredibly, at the urging of Kenneth Starr. In all my years.
I've NEVER once heard of any law or group of laws that allowed for the
"breaking of laws to enforce the law". That my friends, would make Law
Enforcement Officials. "law-less" IE, OutLaws. Why hasn't the press looked
over Starr with his rabid Republican loyalty using "sex, dirt and money" in
every way possible to get Clinton?
Recently this week.. We all were witness to the State of the Union
Address. President Clinton had many wonderful things to present to the
Nation. Most folks appreciated what he had to say and indeed most in
attendance rose and applauded the President at every appropriate time.
That is, except the dissident Republican Representatives. The very same
"Gingrichites" who have, ever since Clinton's first Victory, done
everything in their power and some. outside of their legal power to thwart
every move, bill, decision, proposition and effort on the part of the
President to do some good for this country. Thankfully, Newt & Co. have
not been totally successful. The President's budget is working, the
Nation's budget is close to being balanced. Inflation is in check,
unemployment is at an all time low, people are making money and
profiteering in not lopsided with all the major profits going to only those
at the top. No thanks to the Republicans in both the House and Senate.
Those clowns (sorry to insult all the Emmett Kelly's out there) who
sat on their hands in the audience during the State of the Union Address
should be ashamed of themselves! How very UN-Patriotic. Better yet.
perhaps each and everyone of them are in desperate need of having their
private lives thoroughly examined by the Press. Not once but every day for
as long as they are in office. Why is it Newt got "Off the Hook" so
easily?? Why was it his "BUDDY" Bob Dole was so eager to and permitted to
loan Newt the three hundred some odd thousand dollars needed to pay his
fine for unethical profit taking behavior? Now Dole is a lobbyist for a
foreign nation?? Bet you cannot guess which nation?? Doing so while he
holds a note loan on the head of The Speaker of the House (a possible
Presidential Successor)??? What's WRONG with this picture. Easy.. The
Republicans hold the majority in the House and Senate so who's going to
holler "investigate" and get such an action through both the house and the
senate??
The nation as a whole is obviously NOT interested in Clinton's private
life. Who cares about who he is tapping and who is not on his personal,
"most favored female" list if anyone beside his wife is... WHO CARES!!
Ken Starr as a special prosecutor needs to have the appointment cancelled
and the office closed down. It has become a national disgrace that gravely
offends every responsible Citizen of this great Nation and the Constitution
of the United States of America.
So let's get on to other, far more important, matters.
President Clinton has Saddam Hussein to deal with. Along with France (very
busy vacillating .they never worried when it came to our GI's blood being
spilled to free the French of Nazi terror) worried about the money to be
lost if not able to trade with Iraq and Russia, a long time ally of Iraq
also not wanting Saddam put in his place once and for all. Hasn't anyone
realized that if any serious hostilities erupt in the Middle East the very
first victims with be the citizens of Kuwait and then without a doubt..
Israel? Meanwhile have any of the citizens and taxpayers of this country
seen the dissident Republicans directly supporting the President in his
confrontations with Iraq's Saddam Hussein? After all, didn't Clinton (a
Democrat) inherit this miserable headache and political mess from George
Bush (a Republican)? In all reality, the Republicans did not finish the
job when they should have.
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Netscape Will Give Away Source Code
PC Makers Continue Offering Explorer
Net Registrars Angered By Government's Domain-Name Plans
Bells Win Ruling Against FCC Regulation
Sony & Fujitsu Join Forces To Produce LSI Chips
Air Force Thinks Push-Pull Technology Too Risky
Software Sales Soar
Wired May Get Clipped
"I Divorce Thee." Click.
Compaq To Buy Digital
Judge Says Navy Violated Sailor's Online Privacy Rights
Motorola To Use Java In Broad Range Of Products
AT&T Slashes Workforce But Won't "Tear Up The Company"
RealNetworks Reaches For Sun
Web Users Just Want A Little Privacy
Cheaper Wireless With New GSM Chip
IT Worker Deficit Worsens
Apple To Rename Claris, Cut Workers
Compaq Deal Could Threaten Digital-Intel Pact
Extension Of R&D Corporate Tax Credit
2000 -- The Year Of The Lawyer
Egghead Closes Stores, Moves Online
Sleuth Finds Plenty Of Plagiarism On The Net
Information Revolution
Microsoft? Oh, That's Just Some New Kid On The Block.
Canadian Efforts To Ensure Privacy On Net
Novell's Netware 5.0 Beta Goes Public
NETSCAPE WILL GIVE AWAY SOURCE CODE
Netscape has decided to follow and improve upon a Microsoft's practice by
not only giving away its Communicator software for browsing the Web, but
also giving away the source code that includes original programming for
that product. One reason for the move is to encourage third-party software
companies to create improvements on its products, for submission to
Netscape and inclusion in the final product. A Microsoft executive derides
this strategy and says that corporate companies will be reluctant to use
software written by a multitude of authors; however, industry analyst
Bruce Smith believes that Netscape will police the quality of the software
that corporations buy and says: "It's a brilliant move. By giving away
their source code, they enlist an army of unpaid developers to work on
their side." (Wall Street Journal 23 Jan 98)
PC MAKERS CONTINUE OFFERING EXPLORER
Compaq, Dell and IBM say they will continue offering Microsoft's Internet
Explorer (IE) software for browsing the Web, even though Microsoft has
given in to Justice Department demands to make it easier to remove the
software. The companies presumably believe both that customers want IE and
that it would be a mistake for them to anger Microsoft. Rob Enderle of the
Giga Information Group says: "Why take the risk? There's no reason to
remove it unless you want to make a statement." (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 23 Jan 98)
NET REGISTRARS ANGERED BY GOVERNMENT'S
DOMAIN-NAME PLANS
The international organization called the Internet Council of Registrars
(CORE) is vowing to lobby against a recommendation by Ira Magaziner, the
Clinton Administration's special advisor for Internet issues, to allow only
one of seven proposed new domain names to be added immediately.
Magaziner's recommendation also would extend the existing rights of Network
Solutions Inc., which has an exclusive contract with the government to
administer the ".com," ".net," and ".org" names. Don Heath, president of
the Internet Society, says now that the government is involved with these
issues, the situation is in "chaos." (New York Times Cybertimes 23 Jan
98)
BELLS WIN RULING AGAINST FCC REGULATION
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit in St. Louis has reaffirmed
an earlier ruling that took away some of the Federal Communications
Commission's power to set prices and stimulate competition in the local
phone markets. FCC chairman William Kennard says he is "disappointed that
two years after the Telecommunications Act, yet another court decision will
delay the benefits of competition from the American public," but of course
the Bell companies are elated, and one of them, SBC Communications, says
that the ruling "reaffirms that the responsibility to regulate the prices
local exchange companies charge competitors belong to the states." (Wall
Street Journal 23 Jan 98)
SONY & FUJITSU JOIN FORCES TO PRODUCE LSI CHIPS
Japanese electronics companies Sony and Fujitsu will jointly develop
process technology for next-generation system LSI (large scale integration)
semiconductors; the companies also plan to share their intellectual
property and to build a facility in Japan for manufacturing the chips,
which reduce the size and power requirements of devices using them. LSI
chips are used in cellular phones, CD players, and many other products.
(Financial Times 24 Jan 98)
AIR FORCE THINKS PUSH-PULL TECHNOLOGY TOO RISKY
The U.S. Air Force is in the process of evaluating whether to use or ban
numerous products from PointCast, Netscape, Microsoft, and BackWeb that use
"push-pull" technology to manage information transfer between server and
client computers. In October an Air Force memo declared: "Effective
immediately, all commercially available auto push-pull data gathering
applications ... are to be disabled from all networks. Currently, these
technologies introduce security risks and impact data throughput on our
networks than cannot be tolerated." The companies involved insist their
software is secure. (News.Com 23 Jan 98)
SOFTWARE SALES SOAR
The consumer software market reached about $5.5-billion in worldwide
revenue last year, a 15% increase, buoyed by strong sales to repeat
customers and well-known brands, a new study said. Home education software
led all categories, with sales rising 17% in 1997, according to market
researcher International Data Corp. Revenue from games and entertainment,
the largest consumer software segment, grew about 15%, driven by strong
demand for games that involved a lot of graphics. IDC attributed the
growth in software sales to retailers that sold more titles at discounted
prices to veteran computer users. Software sales during the holidays also
benefited from strong brand recognition such as Mattel Inc.'s Barbie Magic
Hairstyler and game sequels including Broderbund Software's Riven, which
follows its best-selling Myst. (Toronto Financial Post 20 Jan 98)
WIRED MAY GET CLIPPED
Wired Ventures, the media organization that owns Wired magazine, an online
offering called HotWired, and a book publishing unit, is considering
selling all or part of the magazine. Although Wired co-founder Louis
Rossetto vowed last month that "Wired Digital is not for sale. Wired
magazine is not for sale. Wired Ventures is not for sale," he has been
under increasing pressure by investors to improve the financial position of
the company, which has downsized its staff from 360 employees at the end of
1996 to 250 currently. (Wall Street Journal 23 Jan 98)
"I DIVORCE THEE." CLICK.
The Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot reports that Israelis soon will
be able to file their divorce papers over the Internet, to save the
hours-long wait it normally takes to make filings with the rabbinical
courts. However, the divorce process will still require court appearances
and a waiting period before a divorce is granted. (AP 23 Jan 98)
COMPAQ TO BUY DIGITAL
Compaq Computer has made an offer to acquire struggling Digital Equipment
Corp. for $8.55 billion in cash and stock. The purchase will give Compaq
entree into the high-end computing marketing, as well as access to
Digital's computer service operations business for large businesses. The
combined company will be poised to go head-to-head with industry leaders
IBM and Hewlett-Packard: "We have now all the major pieces in place," says
Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer. Compaq's strategy is also expected to give it
more clout in future dealings with Intel and Microsoft: "Intel and
Microsoft still have a tremendous amount of power, but this will make
Compaq more equal with them," says a Dataquest analyst. (Wall Street
Journal 27 Jan 98)
JUDGE SAYS NAVY VIOLATED SAILOR'S
ONLINE PRIVACY RIGHTS
Blocking the Navy's dismissal of a senior chief petty officer for
homosexuality (see Edupage 18 & 22 Jan 98), U.S. federal judge Stanley
Sporkin says a naval investigator's actions to identify the sailor by
obtaining information from an America Online technician were "likely
illegal" under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1996. The
sailor's attorney called Sporkin's ruling a "milestone" for online privacy.
(Washington Post 27 Jan 98)
MOTOROLA TO USE JAVA IN BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS
In what Sun Chief Executive Scott McNealy says is the "largest technology
license agreement in the history of the Java platform," electronics giant
Motorola Inc. has committed to embed Sun's Java programming language in
Motorola products ranging from semiconductors, smart cards, automotive
components and wireless devices to advanced electronics systems and
computers. (New York Times 27 Jan 98)
AT&T SLASHES WORKFORCE
BUT WON'T
"TEAR UP THE COMPANY"
In a cost-cutting move, new AT&T Chief Executive C. Michael Armstrong is
freezing executive salaries, shaking up the management organization, and
eliminating 18,000 jobs (about 14% of its 128,000-person workforce).
Armstrong says the cuts will be made mostly through attrition and
retirement offers, and promises: "We won't tear up the company." AT&T is
hoping to increase its capacity to carry Internet and data traffic, offer
phone service over the Internet, and sell a new type of mobile phone
service. (Washington Post 26 Jan 98)
REALNETWORKS REACHES FOR SUN
RealNetworks, a small company that markets software that allows users to
send and receive audio, video and other multimedia content via the Web,
says it plans to work with Sun Microsystems to "optimize" the latest
versions of its software specifically to work with Sun servers running
Solaris software. "We're aiming for a dramatic improvement in performance
and scalability," says RealNetworks' CEO. "They will have the servers that
work best with RealNetworks' architecture." The company will still make
products that work with Microsoft's Windows NT, but the move is a
surprising shift away from Microsoft, which in July paid $30 million for a
10% stake in the company and another $30 million to license the source code
of its "streaming media" technology. (Wall Street Journal 26 Jan 98)
WEB USERS JUST WANT A LITTLE PRIVACY
A recent survey by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology shows
that more than 30% of respondents ranked protecting personal privacy as the
No. 1 challenge facing the Internet, up from 26% last summer. Censorship,
which had been the top issue in previous surveys, was named by 24%. The
researchers were surprised by the increase in percentage of female
respondents -- 38% this time, as opposed to 31% in the three previous
surveys. Responses were elicited from more than 10,000 Web users.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 30 Jan 98)
CHEAPER WIRELESS WITH NEW GSM CHIP
A new chip set developed by CommQuest Technologies will give smaller
cellular equipment manufacturers the opportunity to offer Global Systems
for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology in their handheld and notebook
systems, says industry analyst Andrew Seybold. The WorldPhone chip set,
which will sell for approximately $25 in production quantities, is geared
toward handset makers that do not own their own semiconductor manufacturing
capabilities, and will enable these companies to produce telephones for
about $100 -- about half the current bill-of-materials cost for a GSM
handset. (InfoWorld Electric 26 Jan 98)
IT WORKER DEFICIT WORSENS
The Information Technology Association of America says the gap between the
number of vacant positions for computer programmers, systems analysts and
computer scientists and engineers and the number of qualified workers has
widened to a 10% shortfall -- 346,000 jobs are currently unfilled. "The
problem has been getting much, much worse over the last year," says the CIO
at CompUSA in Dallas. "It's harder to find people, and when you get them,
they stay for much shorter periods." ITAA's president says companies must
consider hiring graduates with other academic qualifications or certified
skills in specific technologies. "The industry can't step back and say,
'we depend on our universities to solve the problem.' That's not working
now, and it's not going to work in the future." (Information Week 19 Jan
98)
APPLE TO RENAME CLARIS, CUT WORKERS
In a new streamlining effort, Apple Computer says it will cut 300 Claris
employees from the rolls and rename the software subsidiary "FileMaker."
The subsidiary will focus exclusively on FileMaker Pro database products.
At the same time, Apple is gearing up to offer software branded under the
Apple name, including Mac OS 8, ClarisWorks, Claris Emailer, ClarisDraw,
ClarisImpact and Claris Organizer. According to Apple, ClarisWorks is the
No. 1 productivity software used in the K-12 education market.
(TechInvestor 28 Jan 98)
COMPAQ DEAL COULD THREATEN DIGITAL-INTEL PACT
Compaq's acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp. could complicate an
agreement reached last year by Digital and Intel, which called for Intel to
pay $1.5 billion for a chip-making plant and production rights to Digital's
Alpha processor. The deal is still under review by the Federal Trade
Commission, which is already concerned that it gives Intel too much
leverage in the computer chip market. Compaq's purchase of Digital would
obviate Digital's need for the cash infusion from its Alpha chip sale, and
Compaq has said if the Digital-Intel deal doesn't go through, it would
assume responsibility for the Alpha chip plant and sell it or close it
down, according to a source close to the contract negotiations. (Wall
Street Journal 28 Jan 98)
EXTENSION OF R&D CORPORATE TAX CREDIT
Vice President Gore has announced plans by the Clinton Administration to
extend a $2.2 billion research-and-development corporate tax credit for one
year; the tax credit was first enacted in 1981 and has been extended eight
times since then. Gore also outlined details of the 21st Century Research
Fund that was announced in the State of the Union speech and which the
President said will constitute the largest financing increase in the
history of the National Institute of Health, the National Science
Foundation, and the National Cancer Institute. (New York Times 29 Jan 98)
2000 -- THE YEAR OF THE LAWYER
It looks like the Year 2000 problem is going to be good for at least one
segment of society -- the legal profession. A presentation at a recent
underwriter's conference sponsored by Lloyd's of London estimated that $1
trillion or more will be at stake in Y2K litigation. "Almost every
reputable law firm has established some Year 2000 law practice," says one
attorney, and computer companies that sell systems to local governments are
among the first vulnerable targets, says another. (Investor's Business
Daily 28 Jan 98)
EGGHEAD CLOSES STORES, MOVES ONLINE
Software seller Egghead Inc. says it will close its 80 retail outlets, lay
off 800 of its 1,000 employees, and move all its operations to the
Internet. The company will change its name to Egghead.com Inc. to reflect
its new selling strategy. Analysts say the radical move can succeed only
if Egghead.com offers very competitive prices: "On the Internet, a new
price is just a click away," says one industry analyst. (Wall Street
Journal 29 Jan 98)
SLEUTH FINDS PLENTY OF PLAGIARISM ON THE NET
Cancer researcher Marek Wronski used the National Library of Medicine's
PubMed to find instances of 30 allegedly plagiarized medical papers
ostensibly authored by a Polish chemical engineer. PubMed offers a
push-button function labeled "find related articles," which uses
statistical algorithms to identify root words in an article, and then
searches for similar instances of the root words in other articles.
Additional research by Wronski has unearthed 29 more suspect papers. The
engineer, who claimed to have authored 125 articles in a 13-year career,
now faces charges of plagiarism. (Science 23 Jan 98)
INFORMATION REVOLUTION
Canada will live and die by the information revolution, says a gloomy
federal report that came to public light yesterday. The authors of
"Growth, Human Development, Social Cohesion" say that Canada will solve
long-standing economic and social problems if it manages a clean transition
to the knowledge-based economy, but will come out divided if the transition
falters. Their main fear is that a rise in societal inequality, stemming
from the rise of computer, electronic, aerospace and other knowledge-based
industries at the expense of technological illiterates, will prevent
Canada from facing up to other challenges. The study paints a dark picture
of Canada's present, and offers dim hope for the future. It predicts that
knowledge-based industries will have a great impact on Canada's economic
and social development, adding they could help reverse the trends that
brought unemployment, debt, stagnating wages and a growing inability to
afford a welfare system since the early 1970s. The authors of the report
warn that the transition from a resource-based economy to a service economy
will be painful. (Ottawa Citizen 29 Jan 98)
MICROSOFT? OH, THAT'S JUST SOME NEW KID ON THE BLOCK.
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates emphatically rejected a questioner's suggestion
that Microsoft is engaging in a dubious use of its market power when it
chooses the name "Palm PC" for its design for new handheld devices. The
questioner's objection is that consumers might be confused with the popular
U.S. Robotics' Palm Pilot, but Gates insisted that the name simply
describes the product and that the question was "beyond bizarre." "We're
the new entrant," he said. "We have zero market share." (Washington Post
28 Jan 98)
CANADIAN EFFORTS TO ENSURE PRIVACY ON NET
The Canadian government says it will introduce legislation this fall to
protect the privacy of individuals who conduct business on the Internet.
The law, which the government wants to have in place by 2000, will also
apply to other forms of computer-based e-commerce and personal data
transfer in sectors under federal jurisdiction, including the banking
sector. The law will try to ensure that personal data collected by
businesses for one purpose are not used for other purposes without the
consent of the individual, and will prohibit managers of medical databases
from notifying insurance companies that a person had down-loaded fact
sheets about AIDS or other diseases. (Toronto Globe & Mail 27 Jan 98)
NOVELL'S NETWARE 5.0 BETA GOES PUBLIC
Novell is making the second beta version of its NetWare 5.0 software
available to the general public; the final version is expected to ship in
mid-1998. The new version adds support for IPX and the Internet Protocol,
allowing NetWare 5.0 to run applications written for previous versions.
Users can register to receive the beta CD at for $20. (InternetWeek 27
Jan 98)
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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
From Frank's Desk
Next week, I'll be reviewing Diamond's Viper 330 AGP video card. I am very
favorably impressed so far. The card was very easy to install and updating
the card's flash ROM was unbelievably simple. The 2D performance has been
astounding. This week I'll be running some 3D tests and then tying all my
impressions and data together. I've always been told that first
impressions are very important and the Viper 330 AGP made an excellent one
on me.
Featured Review
Fisher-Price Great Adventures Wild Western Town
Windows/Mac CD-ROM
ages 3 to 7
Estimated $20
Davidson Software
http://www.educaton.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.1
CPU: 486/66 CPU: 68040
HD Space: 6 MB HD Space:
6 MB
Memory: 8 MB Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 color monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 8-bit Windows compatible sound card
Other: mouse
review by Frank Sereno (fsereno@streport.com)
Howdy, pardners! Looking for a fun CD-ROM for your little tykes? Then
mosey on down to your local software store and take a gander at Fisher
Price Great Adventures Wild Western Town. It has enough action and
activities to satisfy most toddlers and pre-schoolers, plus kids will learn
some skills, too.
Wild Western Town is based on the best-selling Fisher-Price toy. The
storyline is that Bandit Bob has stolen nine gold bars and hidden them
around town. Your child's task is to find the gold bars and to capture the
despicable desperado. While he searches, he can play seven activities that
combine fun with learning. Deputy P.D. is on hand to ably assist the
youngsters.
Navigating the program is quite easy. Simply move the mouse and watch for
changes in the cursor. A dark arrow indicates that the player can leave
the current scene by clicking. An open hand allows the player to pick up
objects. A pointing hand shows the entry to an activity. If the cursor
becomes a star, it is indicating a possible location for a hidden gold bar.
In the lower right corner, you can click on P.D. to go to a town map to
quickly access any activity, adjust the volume or exit the program.
In the sheriff's office, kids can get creative by making wanted posters in
Wacky Wanted Posters and badges in Deputy Designer. Children can print
these designs for sharing with family and friends. In the general store's
Emma's Dilemma activity, children help bag groceries. The store owner will
ask the kids to find a number of items for specific task and place it in
the bag. This teaches children counting and to help them recognize the
function of various tools and other objects. If you drop into Pepe's Piano
Room, you can sing along to some famous and some not-so-famous western
songs. The computer displays the lyrics and highlights each word as the
Piano Room patrons sing. It's a great way for kids to learn some reading
skills and to enjoy some fun songs. Another learning activity is Guest
Guess. Your child must pick an item from nine that belongs to each guest.
He'll have to recognize colors, patterns and categories to find the correct
item.
Wild Western Town has two activities that are just for fun. In the Barrel
Boot, children kick barrels at various landmarks and passing characters
with hilarious results. The Town Cannon lets kids experiment by shooting a
number of characters and objects out of a cannon. You'll never know what
might happen, so anything goes! Just for everyone's peace of mind, no
characters are injured in the making of this computer game.
The graphics are not as good as I have come to expect. The biggest flaw
was the lack of synchronization between mouth movement and the speech used
in the program. Most youngsters won't even notice this shortcoming. The
program's characters are well developed with distinctive voice
characterizations. The music is delightful. The programmers have designed
these fun activities splendidly. Davidson backs this program with a 30-day
moneyback guarantee. The company also provides toll-free tech support.
Such support is becoming increasingly rare these days. This combination of
value and learning fun makes Fisher-Price Great Adventures Wild Western
Town a sure-fire, rootin' tootin' adventure for your youngsters.
Poser 2
MetaCreations
for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0
Estimated Retail Price $125
Estimated Upgrade Price $69
http://www.metacreations.com
Review by Donna Lines (dlines@uti.com)
Poser 2T is the easiest way to add people to your 3D scenes. Included are
various body types -- male, female, child, and infant, including nude,
casual dress, business dress, stick figure and mannequin. Poser 2T
includes high resolution versions with superb detail for beautiful
renderings.
Poser 2 comes with over 100 pre-defined poses to assist you in posing your
figure naturally. These include everything from walking to surfing to
karate. You can also create and save your own poses to the library.
Poser 2 uses inverse kinematics - when you move one body part, the rest of
body responds naturally -- lift a foot and the knee bends.
You can replace a body part with any object. For example, you can replace
the arms with a gun or machinery to create a cyborg, or try replacing a
human head with that of a bull to create a minotaur. The possibilities are
endless!
You can easily animate your figure in Poser 2T. Version 2 lets you specify
key frames, then Poser creates the action between the key frames to
simulate natural movement. Save the animation as an AVI movie and open it
with your favorite video application (Painter, Adobe After Effectsr, or
Adobe Premiere).
The User Guide and the two tutorials are easy to follow. Although there
are not many tools to memorize, providing pop-up or text labels for the
tools would improve user friendliness. It's difficult to keep the object
or body part you are manipulating selected. For instance, while trying to
place hair on the head, the head or neck would become selected instead of
the hair. I found the best way to manipulate the body part or object was
to use the X, Y, and Z dials on the tools palette. This is not as
"natural" as just manipulating the object with the mouse, but the dials are
much more accurate.
There are some props included on the CD-ROM such as male and female hair,
glasses, a sword, and a few others. You can create 3D props in another 3D
program and import them into your Poser scene, or purchase a software
package like MetaCreations Parts & Props. You can even find 3D props for
download on the Internet. Some are free while others have licensing fees.
Poser 2T is compatible with the most popular 3D programs, including Ray
Dream Studio T 5, Ray Dream 3D, Detailer, and Bryce 3D, and others. Poser
is also compatible with 2D paint programs such as Painter 5. Just export
your Poser figure as a TIFF, or BMP, or in 3D format - Detailer, DXF, 3DS,
Wavefrontr OBJ, and QuickDraw 3DT (3DMF).
Poser 2T is easy to learn, fun to use, and is simply the best way to get
people into your 3D and 2D programs.
System Requirements:
486 DX or better
Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0
16 MB System RAM (20 MB RAM recommended)
CD-ROM drive
File Formats Supported:
TIFF & BMP with alpha channel mask
Wavefront OBJ, RIB, DXF, 3DMF, 3DS, and Detailer
Jason's Jive
Jason Sereno, STR Staff
jsereno@streport.com
Front Page Sports
Football Pro'98
Win 95 CD-ROM
Street Price: $29.95!
sport simulation for all ages
Sierra On-Line, Inc.
3380 146th PL SE Suite 300
Bellevue, WA 98007
www.sierra.com
Sierra has released another sequel in their award winning line of sport
simulations. Football Pro '98 tries once again to come out on top against
a pretty stacked amount of competition this year. Fluid motion and play by
play analysis are the high-points in this game. Overall, however, I was
not very impressed with this football game. Here's why.
The main menu and options in this game are similar to the FPS baseball
series that I have previously reviewed. (Issue st1339) From here you can
start a quick game, which takes less time to setup and can be played every
time you start the program. You may also select to start or load a new
season. In each season, you can control the teams in your leagues and the
number of games that are played in a year. There is a lot of room for
creativity when you create the league of your preference. After you have
finished, you can start to manage.
When managing, players may be traded, signed, released, or do just about
whatever you want them to do. You can take your favorite team and give
them a roster full of Pro Bowlers so they too can defeat the Packers. (I'm
a Bears' fan.) The managing system is much like that of other NFL
simulations on various platforms. It is pretty easy to use, and fun to
play with.
If everything has sounded good so far, hold on, this is where I thought the
game went downhill. When you start to play in an actual game, you find
that all of the fun things before the kickoff do not compare with the
mediocrity between the inzones.
First of all, the graphics are decent at best. Although the animation for
the 3D captured players and the stadium are pretty fluid for the most part,
they are not very detailed. The referees that pop up now and again are
seen in a movie format that is pretty good quality though. The other half
of the equation, sound, is also the run of the mill. "Pops" from helmets
clashing and grunts from players do not seem to delay gameplay much. Some
pretty cheesy music is played through out the non-game time. One of the
pinnacles of Pro `98 is the play by play analysis by CBS radio
broadcaster, Howard David. He delivers his phrases with a very formal, yet
appropriate type of speech. BUT, the sayings do tend to be repetitive and
some times do not make sense. Example: Tyrone Hughes explodes for a gain
of three yards on the kickoff return!
The camera management system which has made the FPS series stand out in
previous years, just does not feel correct in a football sim. The default
camera setting is a side view that resembles the scene of a nationally
televised game. I could not truly feel comfortable using this angle. Many
other views may be used by the player in their customized setup. However,
none of the camera angles really pleased me. I could not always see my
oncoming opponents.
Another time that the camera system annoyed me was when you needed to pass
the ball on offense. Instead of being able to see all of your receivers
simultaneously, you must toggle between them. The highlighted receiver
will appear in a small box in the top corner of the screen. It is
frequently difficult to see where the player exactly is on the field during
this period because the range of view is so small. This was the straw that
broke the camel's back for me. It was just too hard to find the receiver
you wanted. By the time you did, you were sacked.
I found FPS Football '98 to be pretty disappointing overall. I really
expected more from this game. I can only suggest it if you liked Pro '97,
and the camera angles did not bother you too much. The price is very
reasonable and a small loss if you do not enjoy the game. Hopefully next
year, Sierra can improve on some of the flaws that I experienced during
gameplay. The camera system was simply too much of a hassle for me. In a
few weeks I will review a Driver's Ed program from Sierra that should be
much more positive then this. Until then.
See you next week!
Jason
Program Requirements
Pentium 75, 16 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM, 150 MB free hard drive space, SVGA
640x480, 256 color mouse, Windows compatible sound card with DAC
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STReport International Online Magazine
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
>From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
If there are any topics that cannot be rationally "debated", two near
the top of the list have to be religion and politics. I don't even want
to go near religion, so I'm going to go off-topic this week to leave an
opinion on today's politics. Specifically, Bill Clinton's latest alleged
indiscretion(s).
If I know Ralph, somehow he's going to have already worked this topic
in his editorial this week. I'm going to take a different path, however.
First off, I could care less what Bill Clinton does in his personal life,
including his sex life (or lack thereof, with or without Hillary). Yes,
he's the president and we'd all like our presidents to hold a higher
standard of beliefs and actions in their public and private lives. While I
would agree to the public portion of that statement, I can't agree 100%
with the private. As long as what he's doing in his private life is legal,
it should stay private.
So why the feeding frenzy? As a journalist by education, I know that
this is NEWS. If Joe Schmoe from Oshkosh, USA was doing what Clinton has
been alleged to have done, no one would care except maybe the townsfolk
from Mr. Schmoe's hometown. It may even make his local paper. But this is
the president of the United States! It's news! We may not care for it,
but it's news. And from a political view, it's tons of fuel for an already
blazing fire for Clinton's political opponents! Of course they're going to
make sure the news stays on the front burner! Here's something that
_maybe_ they can finally use to help them sway the electorate their way in
the next election. God forbid elections be won by the best person for the
job! Nowadays it's who can do a better job of causing more negativity than
the other! It's no longer the issues that affect the country, or you and
me - it's could can cover the other with more dirt. Unless it's something
being done that makes everyone in politics look good, it's all the "old
boy" network and partisanship at its best (or worst!).
If you're like me, you're tired of hearing and reading about this
subject already. All I'm really interested in learning is how it will all
turn out (will he dodge another bullet, or take it in the gut?). So let's
forget Clinton for a minute and put it into a different perspective that we
can relate to in _this_ periodical. What if it was Bill Gates we were
discussing? Or Jack Tramiel? Would we care any less, or more? My guess
is that there would be some who would now be at least a little intrigued.
Just like our Joe Schmoe example above, these two "luminaries" are a little
closer to home and we can relate better, a little more personally. And
there are still likely many of you who don't give a damn no matter who
might be in the news.
Homer Simpson and Hank Hill in 2000!!
Until next time...
Press Release - Three New Atari CD-ROM Compilations
Apologies for the late posting of this item. I have been unable to access
Usenet for several months.
Floppyshop is pleased to announce a "Trans-Atlantic cooperation" with Suzy
B Software, America's leading supplier of Public Domain and Shareware
software. The result of this will be three CD-ROM compilations of the best
Public Domain, Shareware and Freeware software ever produced for Atari
computers, now being made available in the UK and across Europe.
The first two titles are already completed and will be released at the
Atari Shows in Birmingham and London on 18th/19th October 1997. The third
title is as yet unnamed and will be available around the end of this year.
All three CDs have been compiled by Michael Burkley, proprietor of Suzy B
Software, probably best known as "The Unabashed Atariophile" of Z*Net,
STReport and Atari Explorer On-Line.
When Floppyshop announced their first CD-ROM title, DTP+Graphics, they did
not realize how large a task they were undertaking. Two more Floppyshop
"branded" titles are still in the pipeline but the sheer amount of time
needed to create a quality (rather than shovel-ware) production has meant
these will not now appear until after Christmas. Like Floppyshop, Suzy B
Software takes pride in their work, cataloguing every program on the CD.
What's more "The Unabashed Atariophile" knows what he's talking about,
unlike most CD compilers. Michael Burkley lives and breathes Atari, and
his attention to detail rivals only our own! When selling a Suzy B CD-ROM
we can be assured our customers are getting a good deal. That's why we were
so keen to work with Suzy B's.
Floppyshop will handle the manufacture, packaging and distribution of these
titles within the UK, ensuring their usual fast and efficient service on
all orders. Suzy B Software will do likewise for North America.
Distributors are likely to be announced for other European countries in due
course. In the meantime, either title may be ordered directly from Suzy
B's or Floppyshop for immediate despatch worldwide. The first two releases
are detailed below. A further press release will give information on the
third release nearer the time.
Suzy B's Atari Software Treasury #1
When it was originally released, this double CD set was hailed as the best
compilation of English language Atari software to date. The downside was
the price tag at over 50 pounds. This re-release of that popular CD
includes the complete contents of the original 2 disc set archived to fit
onto a single CD at the much lower price of 25 pounds plus P (UK 2 pounds,
Europe 3 pounds, ROW 4 pounds). Much of the software on this CD is American
in origin and has never made its way onto the Internet, BBSs or PDLs.
Categories include Games, Utilities, Children's Programs, Falcon software,
Databases, Comms software, Screen Savers, Picture Manipulation Tools,
Financial Software, MiNT Utilities, Midi Files and much more besides, with
each program catalogued on the disc. An Aladdin's Cave of Atari software at
an affordable price. No Atari CD-ROM owner can afford to be without it!
Suzy B's Software Treasury #2
With 9 years' service to the Atari community, Suzy B Software know more
about PD and Shareware than most. This followup CD-ROM contains almost 1
Gigabyte (when uncompressed) of the very latest Atari software. The CD
contains everything which could not be squeezed onto the first compilation
as well as all the new software they have collected in the past three
years. As with their first CD, much of the software is of American origin
and has not received widespread distribution outside of the States. An
absolute gold mine of top quality Atari software, this CD has the contents
of over 1400 floppies! Available now from Floppyshop for just 25 pounds
plus P (UK 2 pounds, Europe 3 pounds, ROW 4 pounds).
Payment should be by way of cheque or PO made payable to Floppyshop. Credit
card (Access, Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard) are also welcome. Overseas
customers not paying by credit card should ensure payment is in UK funds
and make payment by International Money Order, cheque drawn on a UK bank,
Eurocheque, Post Giro or Canadian Postal Order.
Send/Phone orders to:
Floppyshop,
PO Box 273,
Aberdeen,
Scotland, U.K.
AB15 8GJ
Tel/Fax: 01224 312756 (Intl +44 1224 312756)
For further information on these new Atari CDs, contact:
Steve Delaney at the above address
Email: sdelaney@zetnet.co.uk
or
Michael Burkley at
Suzy B's Software
3712 Military Road
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
Tel: 716 2981986 (Intl +1 716 298 1986)
Email: MRBURKLEY@delphi.com
Happy New Year from Floppyshop
Happy New Year from Bonnie Scotland (well it's a bit dull and drab at the
moment, but you know what I mean!). Since last October's Atari Shows, not
much has been heard from Floppyshop, so what exactly are we up to?
Hibernation's out of the question, this winter's been far too mild for
that, even this far north! Well, we've not been resting on our laurels for
starters! In fact quite the opposite if truth be told. I'm always reluctant
to discuss new products too early but there's just so much going on that I
feel it's time to let a few cats out of their respective bags. Between now
and the end of April, we are planning to release Positive Image 2, a Falcon
specific CD-ROM, two other CD-ROMs (one of which will be cross platform but
with a strong Atari bias) and three exciting new music based products.
That's in addition to the re-launch of the popular Easy Text Professional
and Easy Text Pro Vector DTP packages. As the year progresses, we will
continue to bring you exciting new products for your Atari computer.
I see 1998 as a year full of opportunities as far as the Atari market is
concerned. Many ST owners have purchased a Falcon (new or secondhand) over
the past couple of months and are ready to further enrich their computing
experiences. New Atari clones (Phenix and Milan) are set to burst forth
onto the market this year offering power beyond that ever thought possible
for Atari machines. The Hades is becoming affordable and there's a whole
lot more exciting developments going on behind the scenes. If this all
sounds a bit high end, do not dismay, all (except the Falcon CD!) of our
new releases are ST friendly and will push your faithful friend (the ST,
not me!) to its limits. Full details of our new releases will be made as
the products become available. If you are on our catalogue mailing list,
you will receive these notifications automatically, otherwise they will
make their way to comp.sys.atari.st and your favorite BBS. Our full ST and
Falcon catalogues are available for download directly from:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/sdelaney/downloads/downloads.html
Details of the first five of these products (available now) will be posted
in a few days' time. In the meantime, please remember our seasonal sale
ends on 31st January 1997. Here's a quick rundown of the special offers.
Please note all prices are in UK pounds. Overseas customers should make
payment by credit card (Access, Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard) or in UK funds
by way of a bank drawn on a UK bank, International Money order or Post
Giro.
DTP+Graphics CD-ROM #25 + P&P (#2 UK, #3 Europe, #4 ROW)
CD-ROM Bundle (DTP+G, Suzy B Vol 1 & Vol 2) #65 + P&P (#4 UK, #5 Europe,
#7 ROW)
EZ-Art Professional #5 + P&P (#1 UK, #2 Europe, #3 ROW)
Easy Stitch #5 + P&P (#1 UK, #2 Europe, #3 ROW)
Family Roots II #10 + P&P (#1 UK, #2 Europe, #3 ROW)
Steinberg Pro 24 III #10 + P&P (#2 UK, #3 Europe, #4 ROW)
Ten Star Games Pack #10 + P&P (#2 UK, #3 Europe, #4 ROW)
Masterplan Spreadsheet #10 + P&P (#2 UK, #3 Europe, #4 ROW)
I regret all other special offers in our Christmas catalogue update are now
completely sold out.
Grab these bargains while you can and keep a look out for more exciting new
developments from Floppyshop as the year progresses.
Regards
Steve Delaney
Further information:
Snail Mail: Floppyshop, PO Box 273, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. AB15 8GJ
Email: sdelaney@zetnet.co.uk
WWW: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/sdelaney/floppyshop/
Credit Card Orderline (Phone & Fax): 01224 312756
Intl. +44 1224 312756
Electronic Cow Appoints Floppyshop as UK Distributor
Floppyshop is pleased to announce the acquisition of exclusive UK
distribution rights to the entire range of Electronic Cow music products.
Electronic Cow are a small English software developer dedicated to
producing high quality applications for Atari based amateur and
professional musicians.
Apart from a few honorable mentions in Atari Computing and the music press,
Electronic Cow have gone relatively unnoticed, despite producing three
impressive packages over the past couple of years. It is with this in mind
that we at Floppyshop have set out to remedy the situation and make these
excellent products available to the masses. Our commitment to supporting
these products even extends to a free technical helpline which will be
manned by Electronic Cow to answer any questions you may have about the use
of their software.
The three packages in question are MIDI Arpeggiator (create arpeggio style
mini-sequences or use as a live sequencing tool), Sound Chip Synth (harness
the power of the Atari's soundchip for use in your MIDI compositions) and
Snippit Synth (create your own library of extraordinary sounds for Cubase
with this granular synthesizer). All three require a 640x400 display as a
minimum requirement, so you'll need a high resolution monochrome monitor if
using them on an ST. They all run in both color and mono modes on the TT
and Falcon. All products are available and in stock. Here's the full
feature list for each product.
MIDI ARPEGGIATOR by Electronic Cow
Program Type:- MIDI Sequencer
System: ST(FM), STE, Falcon and TT.
Memory Required: 1 Mb.
Display Type: Mono monitor on an ST. Any display type on TT or Falcon.
Price: 15 pounds
Postage: UK 2 pounds, Europe (including Eire) 3 pounds, ROW 4 pounds
PRODUCT INFORMATION
What does it do?
Use MIDI Arpeggiator to create arpeggio-style mini-sequences for use in
your compositions, by saving the parts as standard MIDI files (both type 0
and 1). MIDI Arpeggiator can run as either a desk accessory or normal
program, so it can be open at the same time as your favorite GEM sequencer
(memory permitting). Alternatively, use MIDI Arpeggiator on its own as a
live sequencing tool with its many real-time functions and play modes...
MIDI Arpeggiator's main features include:
z Two sixty-four step tracks, divided into four arrangeable patterns
z Built-in three channel MIDI mixer with two user-programmable
auxiliaries (preset for GM effects reverb and chorus)
z Program change, volume, pan, and MIDI channel settings for each track
z Auto-pan, track muting, and left/right markers for looping sections
z Lots of play modes: forwards, backwards, ping-pong, random, and chord
mode
z Auto-harmony part with four different algorithms
z Real-time input (using on-screen or MIDI keyboard) and MIDI output
z External MIDI clock sync (master only), and MIDI sequencer start/stop
responsive
z Save single patterns as type 1 standard MIDI files
z Record entire performances to disk in real-time as type 0 MIDI files
z Load and save arpeggio data from and to disk as an *.ALP file
z On-line help (utilising ST-Guide) and eight-page manual
z Free user support
SOUND CHIP SYNTH by Electronic Cow
Program Type:- Music (Audio and MIDI)
System: ST(FM), STE, Falcon and TT.
Memory Required: 1 Mb.
Display Type: Mono monitor on an ST. Any display type on TT or Falcon.
Price: 10 pounds
Postage: UK 2 pounds, Europe (including Eire) 3 pounds, ROW 4 pounds
PRODUCT INFORMATION
What does it do?
Use Sound Chip Synth to unlock the burbling sonic potential inside the ST's
built-in FM sound chip, and create some rasping analogue-style noises.
Sound Chip Synth's great as a monophonic sound source in a MIDI set-up, but
can equally be used as a sample generator for other software to play your
burbles with...
Sound Chip Synth's main features include:
z Square wave oscillator (30Hz to 125KHz) with two sub-oscillators
z Noise generator (4KHz - 125KHz) mappable toany oscillator
z Oscillator volume, detuning, and octave shift controls
z Amplitude modulator with depth, rate, and four waveforms
z LFO with depth, rate, and four waveforms, and pulse effector
z Four-pole envelope shaper mappable to amplitude and/or pitch
z Real-time MIDI control, with portamento and omni-mode support
z Export sounds as AVR/AIFF/SPL format samples (8 or 16-bit)
z Variable sampling rates: 16, 22, 33, 44, 48KHz and user-definable,
with digital audio playback on the STE/TT and Falcon
z Load and save patch data from and to disk as a *.SYN file
z On-lie help (utilizing ST-Guide) and eight-page manual
z Free user support
Sound Chip Synth will run on any Atari with at least one megabyte of memory
and a mono or color 640 x 400 (or better) display.
SNIPPET SYNTH by Electronic Cow
Program Type:- Music (Audio and MIDI)
System: ST(FM), STE, Falcon and TT.
Memory Required: 1 Mb.
Display Type: Mono monitor on an ST. Any display type on TT or Falcon.
Price: 16 pounds
Postage: UK 2 pounds, Europe (including Eire) 3 pounds, ROW 4 pounds
PRODUCT INFORMATION
A Granular Synthesizer - for all Ataris
What's a granular synthesizer?
Granular synthesis is a method of sound generation that uses small sonic
events to create a composite sample. In Snippit, you have complete control
over each sonic event (or grain), including the type, and its placement in
the three axes of audio: time, frequency, and amplitude. Use Snippit Synth
to create a vast library of extraordinary sounds, for use with sample
sequencers, professional audio applications (like Cubase Audio), or as a
source for your MIDI sampler.
Snippit Synth's main features include:
z Five different grain types (square, sawtooth, triangle, sine, and
custom)
z Import AIFF or AVR samples, or any raw data to use as a custom
waveform
z Up to five hundred grains per chunk, with four chunks per sound
z Mix, sequence, ring or amplitude modulate chunks
z Create samples up to 400,000 sample points (roughly 12 seconds!) long
z 20Hz to 20KHz frequency response, with pitch sweeping
z 20Hz to 20KHz frequency sweeps with various polarity settings and
shapes
z Five different amplitude envelope shapes, with relative gain setting
z On-screen waveform display with four draw modes and color options
z Variable sampling rates: 12.5, 16, 25, 33, and 50KHz, with digital
audio playback on STE/TT and Falcon
z Saves samples in eight or 16-bit AVR, AIFF, or SPL formats
z Alteratively, save the data settings as a *.SAP file for later use
z Supports MIDI sample transfer with drivers for SDS-compatible
samplers, and the Akai S900/950
z Sample auto-crop and optimize tools
z On-line help (utilizing ST-Guide) and eight-page CD-booklet style
manual
z Free user support and upgrades
Snippit Synth will run on any Atari with at least one megabyte of memory
and a mono or color 640 x 400 (or better) display.
Further information:
Snail Mail: Floppyshop, PO Box 273, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. AB15 8GJ
Email: sdelaney@zetnet.co.uk
WWW: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/sdelaney/floppyshop/
Credit Card Orderline (Phone Fax): 01224 312756
Intl. +44 1224 312756
Technical Support:- Tel: 01426 281347
Intl. +44 1426 281347
Email: electronic_cow@dial.pipex.com
WWW: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/abi91/cownet.htm
Gaming Section
"WCW Nitro"!
Sega's 'Dural'!
"Rascal"! PSX Numbers!
And more!
>From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
I haven't had much to say in this editorial section for quite a few
weeks. The reason is simple as my real interest in console gaming lies
with the Jaguar. And unless you've been living in a cave, you know that
there's nothing really going on these days on this front. Sure,
Battlesphere will likely make it out sometime this century; and there are a
few other games in some degree of progress. But overall, the Jaguar is
"what you see is what you'll get, if you can find it."
So what's this news regarding a new system from Sega, of all people?
Can Sega, who currently has the Saturn (with the success record not much
better than Atari's), come out with a new system (codenamed Dural) and
overcome Sony and Nintendo? Only if it comes out as _the_ state-of-the-
arts new console with tons of developer support, plenty of games available
at the get-go, AND Sony and Nintendo have nothing in the wings to compete
with it at the same time. If the Dural comes to fruition, it should be
interesting to see what happens. In any case, the couple of articles in
this week's issue makes for an interesting topic for discussion around the
water cooler.
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Sega Confirms Microsoft Partnership - Codenamed "Dural"
Jan 26, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 16) -- Sega's partnership with
Microsoft [MSFT] to help design the game maker's next console should make
developing games for the system less time-intensive and costly. Sega of
Japan Chairman Isao Okawa confirmed the partnership Friday night in a
speech, according to officials at Sega of America. Okawa mentioned the use
of Microsoft's Windows CE operating system in connection with the new
platform, which is set to hit the U.S. market next year (MMW, Jan. 12).
While the console, codenamed "Dural," won't run PC games, developers will
be able to use PC code to develop for Dural, Sega officials say. It will be
more efficient to develop entirely within the Windows environment, and it
should eliminate the labor of converting code to other platforms, says
George Metos, founder of developer Sculptured Software. "That makes any
developer happy."
The Microsoft connection should give Sega a boost in its uphill battle to
sell a new console in a market already dominated by Sony [SNE] and
Nintendo, says Jay Smith, CEO of Wanderlust Interactive [LUST] and its
development subsidiary Adrenalin Entertainment. Sega's "going to have
muscle their way in." The Windows compatibility may give the Dural the
chance to get in on the burgeoning multiplayer online game market, Smith
adds. Sega officials decline to comment on Dural's multiplayer online
capabilities.
Developers Want Cash To Support New Sega Console
Jan 28, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 18) -- Sega and the
entertainment software publishers who want to support its new console may
have to come up with substantial capital to lure developers who wonder
whether it can compete in an already-established market. For its part,
Sega promises a "huge blow-out" marketing campaign, to start later this
year, hyping the new platform, codenamed "Dural." Sega will commit
resources to ensure Dural software sells, an official says. "We know games
are the most important part of the equation."
Some developers aren't sure Sega can successfully introduce its new console
next year as planned in a market already dominated by N64 and PlayStation.
"Nintendo and Sony [SNE] are very, very strong," says George Metos,
president of developer Sculptured Software. Sony sold 5m units of PSX
since its launch in '95 and Nintendo 4.3m units of N64 since its roll-out
about a year later, according to recent data.
"I think [Sega is] going to have to offer developers enticements,"
including an "attractive revenue split," says Mark Kaminky, executive VP of
developer Studio e. Studio e is looking at whether to develop for Dural
and should make a decision within six months, he adds. Sega already
offered developers one big incentive to support Dural by making development
for it easier, Kaminky and Metos agree, through its partnership with
Microsoft [MSFT], which should make the code to develop on Dural
Windows-compatible (MMW, Jan. 26).
But that may not be enough. To make it feasible for Sculptured to invest
the time to develop for Dural, instead of one of the proven consoles, a
publisher would likely have to fund the title, Metos says. Sculptured has
been approached by several "top publishers," but he declines to name them.
And it's not just a matter of paying for development. Sega will have to
commit "significant marketing money" to promote Dural titles and the
developers who created them, says Mike Wilson, founder of the new
publishing venture Gathering of Developers (g.o.d.), noting g.o.d. is in
"early talks" to develop for Dural.
Record-breaking Sales of PlayStation Game Console
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 28) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 28, 1998 - After
completion of a comprehensive analysis of its year end sales data, the
PlayStation(TM) game console validated its position as the dominant leader
in the videogame industry. The following is a breakdown of fourth quarter
North American PlayStation brand sales:
Fourth Quarter 1997
-- Hardware: 3.8 million units
-- Software: 18.4 million units
-- Peripherals: 8.4 million units
During the fourth quarter, PlayStation extended its commanding lead among
next generation videogame systems, outselling its nearest competitor by a
ratio of 1.4 to one. Early reports on January sales indicate this gap
continues to widen with PlayStation outselling its nearest competitor by
approximately 2:1. As of December 31, 1997, cumulative sales since launch
for PlayStation hardware, software and peripherals are as follows:
Life-to-Date (Sept. 9, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1997)
-- Hardware: 8.7 million units
-- Software: 47.3 million units
-- Peripherals: 19.8 million units
During the month of December alone, sales of PlayStation hardware topped an
unprecedented 2.4 million units, with more than 700,000 units sold during
the single week including Christmas. Total PlayStation brand revenue for
the fourth quarter surpassed $1.5 billion dollars.
"PlayStation is not only the dominant leader in North America, but is the
undisputed system of choice worldwide," said Kaz Hirai, chief operating
officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Our phenomenal
fourth-quarter sales prove two key points. They demonstrate our growing
leadership in the burgeoning $5 billion plus videogame industry and they're
testament to the fact that we're continuing to increase the gap between
ourselves and our nearest competition as the most popular next generation
videogame system."
"With close to nine million North American households enjoying the
PlayStation game console, we've clearly established ourselves as a true
entertainment option for the mass market," said Andrew House, vice
president, marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "By delivering
the depth and breadth of software titles that consumers want, we've
expanded our user base by attracting both hard-core gamers as well as
first-time users across a wide demographic."
"One of the key contributing factors to PlayStation's success has been our
ability to deliver the hits, as promised and on time," said Jack Tretton,
vice president, sales, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "With the
abundant library of high quality PlayStation games throughout 1997, we were
able to deliver the widest range of choices to consumers at the best prices
all year long."
The PlayStation game console has an MSRP of $149 with new game titles
typically available at retail between $35 and $49. Recent software releases
from Sony Computer Entertainment America include best-selling titles in a
wide variety of game genres, such as Final Fantasy VII(TM), NFL GameDay(TM)
'98, Crash Bandicoot(TM), Cortex Strikes Back(TM), Bushido Blade(TM) and
Parappa the Rapper(TM).
"Our broad library of games and competitive pricing makes PlayStation one
of the best entertainment values anywhere," said House. "Based on our
unparalleled success in fourth quarter 1997, we expect to see PlayStation
maintain its dominant position throughout 1998 and beyond."
Resident Evil 2 Breaks Industry Records in Debut Weekend
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. (Jan. 29) BUSINESS WIRE - January 29, 1998 - Capcom
Entertainment today announced that Resident Evil 2 sold more than 380,000
units in its debut weekend, more than 60% of its initial production. Among
the best selling video games in years, Resident Evil(tm) 2 took in more
than $19 million dollars, by comparison surpassing revenue for all but one
Hollywood motion picture for the same weekend. Resident Evil 2 continues
the story of the unparalleled game that defined the survival horror genre.
Resident Evil 2 released January 21, 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. It
sells at a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is rated "M" for mature
audiences.
"In three short days, consumers purchased more than 380,000 units of
Resident Evil 2," said Robert Lindsey, senior vice president of sales and
marketing, Capcom Entertainment. "So far, Resident Evil 2 has broken
records set by some of the biggest video games in the industry including,
Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider 2, and Super Mario 64. Success in part is
due to the support we received from our retail partners.
For several retailers, this was the first time they ever participated in
consumer pre-sell programs. These programs translated into record
pre-orders for Capcom which could not have been achieved without their
support. Our major retailers have already reported sell out situations and
have re-ordered at record-breaking speed. With National television
advertising for Resident Evil 2 set to break this week, demand will only
continue to grow."
"Consumer demand for Resident Evil 2 has certainly finished off our fiscal
year with a bang," said Dan DeMatteo, president of Babbages, Etc. "We had
a tremendous number of pre-orders for this title and sales after the first
weekend were unprecedented. We have already seen an increase for memory
cards and strategy guide. We fully expect Resident Evil 2 to become one of
the best selling PlayStation titles of all time."
"The momentum for Resident Evil 2 has only begun," said Jim MacKenzie,
senior buyer, KayBee Toy & Hobby. "Expectations were that this was going
to be a record breaking seller, and we haven't been disappointed. This is
one product for the history books."
THQ Ships Newest World Championship Wrestling
CALABASAS, CALIF. (Jan. 26) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 26, 1998 - THQ Inc. is
jumping into the wrestling ring for a third time with the latest
installment in the company's successful line of WCW videogames, "WCW Nitro"
for the Sony PlayStation, available now at all major retail outlets
nationwide. THQ shipped the highly anticipated "WCW Nitro" game despite
the rival NWO's effort to deface the WCW name. The NWO organization broke
into the THQ warehouse and spray-painted a portion of "WCW Nitro" boxes
with "NWO 4 life." The bandits were able to deface only a small quantity
before they were removed from the premises.
WCW and NWO wrestlers have been longtime adversaries, duking it out on WCW
Monday Nitro on TNT, as well as on the new Thursday "Thunder" show on TBS.
"WCW Nitro," developed by Inland Productions, features more than 20 WCW and
NWO wrestling superstars, including "Hollywood" Hogan, Sting, "Macho Man"
Randy Savage, Giant, Diamond Dallas Page, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, as well
as hidden characters from the top-syndicated World Championship Wrestling
program. Players can pile drive their favorite opponent using everything
from flying kneedrops to neck-breakers. Each character performs more than
30 moves, as well as his own signature moves.
"WCW Nitro" is THQ's new addition to the successful line of WCW products.
"WCW vs. the World," which launched in March 1997, was the No. 1 selling
PlayStation title at mall-based specialty chains during the game's debut.
"WCW vs. NWO: World Tour," which launched for the Nintendo 64 game system
in November 1997, set a THQ sales record. "Bringing a new WCW title to
the loyal following of WCW and videogame fans is a continuation of our
commitment to deliver exciting and unique games to the interactive
entertainment marketplace," said Brian J. Farrell, president and chief
executive officer, THQ.
"THQ is delighted about teaming with an organization like World
Championship Wrestling, whose prominent and celebrated wrestlers give
enthusiasts a real in-your-face videogame experience." "'WCW Nitro' is
another way for fans to enjoy World Championship Wrestling," said Nicholas
Lambros, executive vice president, World Championship Wrestling.
"Enthusiasts can get in the ring with their favorite brawlers, creating
dream match ups and set tag team rivalries. THQ understands the gaming
industry and the WCW fan, seamlessly integrating the two into a videogame
filled with hot and heavy, bone-crushing wrestling action."
With hi-resolution, digitized texture-mapped characters, "WCW Nitro" is the
most photo-realistic, 3-D wrestling game available. The game features
actual ring announcers, run-in characters and action-packed wrestling in
and out of the ring. Choosing from numerous backbreaking, floor-pounding
wrestlers, gamers can witness, via live-action video, each brawler's own
rant.
"WCW Nitro" offers gamers one- and two-player game modes. Enthusiasts can
choose their favorite bad boy in one-player Tournament and then take on 10
wrestlers to win a title. One-player Exhibition lets gamers match their
wrestler against the computer. One-player Exhibition Tag Team lets
enthusiasts choose two brawlers for a Tag Team mode against any two
opponents. Two-player Vs. pits two gamers against each other for the
ultimate rumblefest. In two-player Tag Team, gamers pick two members of
their team for the liveliest in-your-face wrestling action. "WCW Nitro" is
now available at all major retail outlets for a suggested
retail price of $49.95.
Psygnosis Prepares to Launch Rascal
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 27) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 27, 1998 - Rascal(TM),
the action-packed 3D platform game designed by Travellers Tales, will
captivate young PlayStation(TM) game console enthusiasts with its blazing,
60 frames-per-second gameplay, a new mischievous Jim Henson Creature
Workshop-created character, and attention-grabbing special effects
including real time light sourcing and environmental texture mapping.
In preparation for the March 17th launch of this tightly-crafted,
non-violent adventure, Psygnosis U.S. publishing is rolling out a
comprehensive marketing campaign designed to give kids and their parents a
tantalizing early look at one of the most technically advanced 3D platform
games. Rascal will be available at U.S. retail outlets at an expected
street price of $39.95. Rascal has tremendous opportunity to lead the
8-12 year-old market, a booming new genre for the PlayStation, and
thoroughly delight young gamers as it combines the mischievous, fun-loving
qualities of Dennis the Menace with the adventuresome wholesomeness of a
young Indiana Jones.
To reach young gamers and their parents, Psygnosis' four-month marketing
program includes ad placement in network cable programming (Nikelodeon and
Disney channels) as well as national network and spot TV, including key
children's programming such as Fox Kids and WB Kids. This will be supported
by ad placements in both enthusiast magazines and mainstream children's
publications targeting 8-12 year olds with lots of game play, and other
components including a wide-scale on-line campaign and a comprehensive
distribution of playable demos that includes a direct mail campaign, and a
retailer pre-sell program. Merchandise available for retailer use includes
posters, oversized boxes and in-store videos.
The Rascal character, created in collaboration with the world-renowned Jim
Henson Creature Workshop in London, is the misbehaving son of an inventor.
On a mission to rescue his kidnapped father, Rascal travels through six
stunningly-rendered worlds in three different time zones, avoiding fiendish
traps and hostile creatures while solving puzzles that reveal hidden time
bubbles, new levels and bonus games. The game features the most true 3D
environments and maneuverability of any platform game for the PlayStation;
nonviolent gameplay, and fast loading times for a classic cartridge feel.
Game developer Travelers Tales is known for its console hits Mickey Mania
and Toy Story, as well as Sega's upcoming Sonic R.
Psygnosis Runs Wide Open for Launch of Newman/Haas Racing
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 27) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 27, 1998 - If it were
any more realistic, you'd be sitting on Christian Fittipaldi's lap...
Newman/Haas Racing(TM) pairs America's favorite racing family, the
three-time CART champion Newman/Haas team, with the spectacularly
realistic racing gameplay perfected by Psygnosis, publishers of
international best-selling racing games, including Formula 1 and Formula 1
Championship Edition.
The result is a motor-sports game for the PlayStation(TM) game console that
pushes its limits, capturing the excitement of the CART racing series with
adrenaline-pumping action and precision detail. To support the March 17,
1998 launch of Newman/Haas Racing, Psygnosis U.S. publishing is running
wide open with a $1 million marketing campaign that uses a broad range of
media to put racing enthusiasts in the Newman/Haas driver's seat.
Newman/Haas Racing will be available at U.S. retail outlets at an expected
street price of $49.95.
The tremendous history and legendary drivers of the Newman/Haas team,
includes Christian Fittipaldi and Michael Andretti, plus Psygnosis' history
with developing racing games is the basis for the themes, "We've got racing
in our blood," and "A winning indy car tradition," that Psygnosis is using
in its multi-channel marketing launch. The campaign runs throughout the
8-month racing season and includes a print campaign in racing and gaming
enthusiast magazines; a 12-city Newman/Haas show car retailer tour, and
on-site demo sampling that will begin at the start of the season in
mid-March; and competitions at CART race events.
"The campaign is designed to capture the thrill of indy car racing while
emphasizing a family feeling and a sense of fun," commented Munir Haddad,
Product Marketing Manager for Newman/Haas Racing. Accordingly, the print
campaigns focus on Christian Fittipaldi and his family to comically
exaggerate the racing heritage of the Newman/Haas team. Print ads feature
photographs from the Fittipaldi family scrapbook that illustrate the
long-term devotion to racing. A shot of mom, dad, and the little one
decorating the family Christmas tree shows all three in racing helmets with
the caption, "I sure hope Santa brings us a new turbo-charger." Even the
family dog gets into the act, sporting a racing helmet of his own, and the
caption, "Rex, our team dog." Tag lines that run with screen shots along
the bottom of the ad reinforce the family theme: "The only game designed by
America's favorite racing family - Newman/Haas Racing - Welcome to the
family."
Additional support for Newman/Haas Racing comes in the form a demo station
in the Speedgear booth at all 14 US-based CART races throughout the season.
Speedgear is the official manufacturer of licensed apparel and goods for
the Newman/Haas Racing team. Retailers will have a variety of materials to
select from including oversized boxes, posters, counter cards, storefront
mailings, video, sell-sheets and posters.
A website dedicated to Newman/Haas Racing and developed in cooperation with
Psygnosis will be released on February 17, 1998 at www.newman-haas.com.
This exciting site will contain team stats, racing venues,
behind-the-scenes news and current game information. Newman/Haas Racing
includes 11 fully licensed CART tracks including the brand new Houston road
course, sixteen individually licensed drivers, head-to-head horizontal
split-screen racing with four other cars on the track, and realistic racing
action with debris-releasing crashes. New features include an in-cockpit
view, complete with rearview mirrors and digital gauges, motion-captured
pit stops, and a unique "crash cam."
Newman/Haas Racing is the first product from Studio 33, a new development
group founded by former Psygnosis director of software development, John
White. The game embodies Psygnosis' commitment to producing games for the
U.S. market. "Sports-oriented, and multi-player games are extremely popular
with US audiences," commented Haddad. "Newman/Haas is interactive American
motor-sports racing at its best."
"Fighter's Destiny" Now Available Nationwide
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (Jan. 27) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 27, 1998 - Ocean of America
Knocks Out N64 Competition With New 3-D Fighter. Ocean of America Tuesday
announced that "Fighter's Destiny," a one- or two-player fierce 3-D
fighter for the Nintendo 64, is now available in stores nationwide. The
title has been much anticipated since being dubbed as the best third-party
game and best fighting game at the recent Nintendo Space World Exposition
in Tokyo by Imagine Games Network, creators of Next-Generation Online and
IGN64.COM.
"Combining a variety of characters, smooth motions, colorful settings and
excellent gameplay, this title ranks at the top of N64 3-D fighters, "Ray
Musci, president, Ocean of America, said. "Fans will want to play for
hours." "Fighter's Destiny" supports the Nintendo Rumble Pak and offers
five modes of play: Vs. Com, Vs. Battle, Record Attack, Master Challenge
and Training mode. The title has a unique point-scoring system and offers
several innovative features including the ability for a player to gain or
lose specific fighting skills through combat and a battle against the clock
in a race to victory. The game even pits the player vs. a mad cow with a
bad attitude. "Fighter's Destiny" for the Nintendo 64 is now available at
retail outlets nationwide, including Best Buy, Electronics Boutique,
K-Mart, Target, Toys 'R' Us, and Wal-Mart, at an estimated street price of
$59.95.
Konami of America: Nagano Winter Olympics '98
JAN 29, 1998, M2 Communications - Konami's Nagano Winter Olympics '98
Allows players to experience the thrills, chills and spills of the 1998
Olympic Winter Games. Konami of America, Inc., the leading developer of
electronic entertainment for the home video game and coin-op markets,
announces the shipping of Nagano Winter Olympics '98, an official licensed
product of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games for Sony PlayStation and Nintendo
64.
Nagano Winter Olympics '98 features the major winter sporting events with
ultra-realistic, 3D-texture, mapped, polygon athletes that provide the feel
of the '98 Olympics. Games featured include Alpine Skiing Downhill, Alpine
Skiing Giant Slalom, Speed Skating 500m, Curling, Free Style Aerial, Ski
Jump 120m, Bobsled, Luge, Snow Board Giant Slalom, Snowboard Half Pipe, Ski
Jump 90m and Speed Skating 5000m. Each event is modeled exactly after the
real Nagano competition.
"Konami is honored to offer this exciting athletic challenge," said Mark
Porwit, vice president, planning. "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 captures the
spirit and emotions that come with the high-level of competition found in
the Olympic games. We know that sports fans will enjoy the events found in
our latest title."
Randy Severin, senior product manager, notes: "Nagano Winter Olympics '98
is the ultimate video game for fans of all winter sports and the Olympics.
It's the type of game which lures players to get completely involved from
the time they turn it on and has the addictive gameplay for which Konami is
known."
Beast of the East Meets Best in the West
NEW YORK (Jan. 29) BUSINESS WIRE - Jan. 29, 1998 - 3D Realms 'Duke
Nukem'/'Shadow Warrior' Double Pak a Deadly One-Two Punch. It's a
full-metal marathon as GT Interactive Software Corp. announces the ultimate
3D shooter tandem, Duke Nukem: Atomic Edition and Shadow Warrior, together
in East Meets West. Available in March at retailers nationwide, East Meets
West offers consumers two premier first-person action games for the price
of one.
"East Meets West is the ideal package for any fan of 3D action games as it
offers two extremely popular and great-playing games for the price of one,"
said Holly Newman, vice president of Marketing for GT Interactive. "When in
comes to multiplayer mayhem, the attitude and action of both games are
nearly unparalleled in terms of sheer fun and excitement, and that
excitement is enhanced with 3D Realms' powerful level editor, which is
included free with the games."
In East Meets West, The King of Carnage, Duke Nukem, must save Los Angeles
from a terrifying alien invasion while Lo Wang, the Disciple of
Destruction, returns to the land of the rising sun to put the lights out on
his former employers. East Meets West also includes a powerful level
editor, a tool that enables players to create their own Duke Nukem and
Shadow Warrior levels which can be uploaded to the Internet and shared with
friends anywhere in the world. George Broussard, head of 3D Realms, adds,
"There is no deadlier or more outrageous pairing of PC bad boys than Duke
Nukem and Lo Wang. East Meets West is a terrifically fun way to offer fans
of action gaming two great-playing games for the price of one." Available
in March, East Meets West carries an expected retail price of $49.95.
Virtual Pinball/Video Arcade Games
Here is the basic patent info from the U.S. Patent Office abstract (poster
has deleted a lot of the references to specific attorneys, referenced
patent numbers, etc.):
Patent no. 5,700,193
"d'Achard Van Enschut
Dec. 23, 1997
Virtual pinball/video arcade games
Inventors: d'Achard Van Enschut; Johannes F. M.(Eindhoven, NL).
Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation (New York, NY).
Appl. No.: 623,646
Filed: Mar. 28, 1996
For use in multimedia or other environments, a virtual pinball/video arcade
game displays one or more computer-generated runner elements, runner inject
elements, and runner interactivity elements. It has a programmed computer
for simulating movement of the runner elements. This is interfered with by
mechanical interactions between said inject and interactivity elements, the
simulated movement of the one or more runner elements, and user actions on
a user interface. In particular, the computer is furthermore connected to
the housing as part of the user interface. A feedback actuator is
controlled by the computer for imparting low-frequency primary physical
interactions to the housing as a reaction on selected ones of the simulated
mechanical interactions."
The entire patent document has to be ordered from the U.S. Patent Office,
The fee schedule and order info are available online at:
http://www.uspto.gov/go/ptcs
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone and it's
now time to take a look at what's going on in the Atari community. As time
goes by it's becoming a smaller and smaller community. There's no denying
that. But the people who are still members of that community are happy with
what they have, and happy to share all that they've learned along the way.
Many people will tell you that the fact that Atari is no longer making
computers means that it's time to move on. While the fact that the company
is gone does tell us that times are going to get harder and harder, it
doesn't mean that our computers all of a sudden became useless.
I still use my Atari productively every day. The trick is that we
have to dig a little deeper, understand a little more, and have a bit more
patience. This short list spells doom on the PC platform. Most people who
use computers with a Microsoft operating system are not 'computerpeople'.
They simply use a computer to do the things they like to do. And that's...
okay.
The bottom line is that you can still use your Atari productively and
even do things that make run-of-the-mill PC users reach slowly down to lift
their jaws up off of the floor. Everything from Desktop Publishing to Web
Page Publishing is possible on your machine, and PC users have a hard time
fathoming that.
Really?? Who..... praytell, might one of those PC Users be???? rfm
Well, let's take a look at what's going on over at Delphi.
From Delphi's Atari Advantage Forum
On the subject of SyQuest's EZ230 230 meg removable hard drive,
Bob Matiska asks:
"Just $99 for that baby? I remember when external floppy
drives were more than that! Holy cow! But that's progress,
thankfully."
Greg Evans adds his question to Bob's:
"How much do the EZ carts cost? Just curious, is the face
plate grey or cream/white?"
Bob Trowbridge tells Greg and Bob:
" The EZ Flyer 230 is grey all over. It has brown rubber
feet, if you want to set it on its side.
As far as cost, I am still looking for a local source.
Circuit City, Office Max, Office Depot do not carry it. I
just sent off email to another local club member asking if
she knows of a Kansas City Metro source for them. The EZ
135 carts are $19. (Which the 230 can both read and write
to!). If nothing else I may snatch one of those so I can
rotate backups."
Michael Burkley of Suzy-B's Software posts:
"...Just tonight my Windoz computer crashed on me again. I
can't access any of the drives using the mouse. Most of the
programs (with icons on the desktop) won't run either. The
interesting thing is that GEMulator still runs (that's what
I'm using now) and allows me to access all of the hard
drives! Gee, even on a Windows machine TOS performs when
Windows doesn't!"
"Turbo" Nick tells Michael:
"Somehow I'm not surprised. I hear more 'horror stories'
about Whinedogs '95 than any other desktop/personal computer
OS (except maybe MacOS; well, my good friends Larry and
Lindalee installed a new version of MacOS on one of their
Macs and the printer driver went away [and they had a heck
of a time fixing it]; on the other one, a bad copy of MacOS
caused the machine to lock up so bad that Linde had to take
it in for repairs...).
Let me know about the drive. My user group's ST Librarian
(Rory McMahon, who moved back to Chicagoland from Arizona
this month - long story) happens to work at a computer store
and knows more Atari users than I ever will, even though I'm
the President of our group! 8-) He thinks he can get me a
2GB drive that's only a few months old for about $160, but he
has to check... Hey, I can be patient - one EZ135 disk will
give me enough extra space for a while (it's just that I
don't trust removables to be spun up _all_ the time, and if I
boot the TT with it spun down I need to boot it again after
spinning it up... not even ICD Pro's RELOG.PRG helps, only a
reboot... but I've been over all that before."
When someone asks about how to get to a Delphi member's home page,
Dana Jacobson tells them:
"A lot of the users here have webpages via Delphi. The
good thing to remember is that the web addresses are easy to
remember. All of the urls start off with: people.delphi.com
Just add /username and you'll be able to find them (if they
have one)."
I jump in and tell Dana:
"Actually, Delphi has another setup going now at
members.delphi.com that is set up by answering questions and
supplying graphics and text files... sort of like the web
page designers for the ST. The downside is that you are
somewhat limited by what the program itself can do.
I believe that you must have a GatesPuter in order to take
advantage of this service, so there won't be many Atari-only
folks in 'members'."
Dana replies:
"Yes, but I believe that this is _in addition_ to the
"people..." address. I also think that one address will get
to the other, but not sure. Gordie may be able to elaborate
more."
The aforementioned Gordie Meyer tells Dana:
"Actually, the two member homepage servers are being
combined. people.delphi.com is for Delphi members who
actually pay for their accounts. members.delphi.com also
includes the Web Forum members who have free accounts, but
somewhat limited privileges (minimal webspace, no telnet
access, no access to Delphi's mail server).
I'm not clear on all the details of what's going to happen,
but I do know that ftp access will be available. When I hear
more, I'll be sure to pass it along."
Michael Burkley tells us about the new Suzy B's CD:
"...the Suzy B's CD's are available right now. They are
full of ZIP compressed files, just about as much (perhaps a
bit more) than our original 2 Disk uncompressed CD. It's
almost all new stuff (with some of my favorite files included
and occasional overlap due to my not remembering -everything-
on our first CD!). I've also included uncompressed versions
of the animation, picture, and some text files.
The normal cost is $30 but I am selling it to Delphi users
('till Feb. 15th) for $25. As always shipping is free
(though if you wish second day Priority Mail add $2).
We also have re-compiled the original 2 disk Suzy B's CD in
compressed format (now one CD). The cost for that is $30 as
well, though if you want the original two disk uncompressed
version we are selling that for $20. If you get both the new
and the old CD we will sell that for $42.
I've been really lax on marketing this! I've just been so
busy."
Tony Greenwood, aka STOSSER is...
"Desperatly seeking TT Owners who also own an ST or STE and
can run there TT in ATARI low resolution and have use of a
Joystick,
This is to test at least one game (If succesfull then more
will be converted) for TT Compatibility, however you should
also be able to see the same game on a ST Computer, thus
enabling you to compare performance,
Can you help, I asked in usenet and other forums, Now here,
Surely theres some TT owners who want games to add to there
collection?
email : paxton@zetnet.co.uk (Tony Greenwood)
or check my software out at
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/paxton/stosser/home.htm
I can't support the TT unless I get testers!"
Al Horton posts:
"Just when you thought it was safe to be on Delphi.... HE'S
BACK!!
Been awhile since I've been Delphi so I thought I would sign
on for awhile and see if I can annoy the heck out of
everyone..grin
Wanted to say Hi to everyone and to also THANK everyone for
all the cards, letters, Email, and support you showed myself
and my family when serious health problems struck us. Meant
alot to all of us; more than words can say.
Anyhoot... I'm here and ready to "git down and talk 'tari"
with everyone.
And... (and you thought you'd escape without a commercial
interruption).. I have decided to re-open The Computer
Dungeon. Yep, we're back and ready to help you with all your
Atari needs. Stop by our website for more info:
http://www.mcs.net/~isis/dungeon/dungeon.htm"
"BlackJ" asks:
"Are there any Cab Specific tags I can or shoudl add to my
home page? I've made a lot of improvement, but probably not
enough."
Greg Evans tells BlackJ:
"I don't think there's anything CAB supports which Netscape
or IE don't. Even if there were, it's not a great idea to
use browser specific features in your code. I know Netscape
and IE people do it with Java or JavaScript or some browser
specific extensions, but it's not considered good form."
Joe Villarreal posts:
"I've been having some problems with the versions of the Cab
overlays higher than 1.2619. I am using Cab 2.0a on a TT
with 4 megs of ST and 4 megs of TT ram along with a Nova VME
Plus graphics card.
On some web sites, the Stik homepage as an example, I get an
error at a certain offset address when I do a reload;
although if the page loads from the drive I don't have the
problem. Whenever I get the error, Cab exits to the desktop.
It doesn't happen on all web sites, but enough for me to
want to use version 1.2619 most of the time. It even happens
with the latest 1.2805 version of the overlay. I get the
problem with either Stik or Sting.
I'm wondering if anyone else if having this problem. Could
it be that the newer versions of Cab don't have this
problem?"
Jim Collins of chro_MAGIC software tells Joe:
"Concerning the "error at a certain offset address" when
using CAB with an overlay newer than 1.2619... I used to
have that problem when I was using Cab 2.0 - but it happened
less frequently than you describe.
With Cab 2.5 (on a 14 meg Falcon with MagiC, NVDI, and
STing) I rarely see any problems. The only one I can think
of as being recurrent is at the Dejanews site. When I select
the "follow thread" option and Dejanews returns a "thread
damaged" message, something goes whacko with my system. It's
like the AES went wild as the dialog and drop down text
become HUGE and unusable. I have to completly power down
and reboot.
Anyway, that has been my experience, your experience might
be different due to different hardware, etc."
Joe tells Jim:
"I've always had problems with Dejanews using the newer
versions of the overlay. Cab exits to the desktop whenever I
try to do a search for a newsgroup. I also have the same
problem on Yahoo. I'm going to upgrade to the latest version
of Cab one of these days."
Jim relpies:
"The only problem I have had with Dejanews is the one I
talked about a few messages back (the system goes whacko on
the VERY RARE occasions that Dejanews reports finding a
corrupt thread in the message base).
I recently installed the 1.2805 overlay and haven't had any
problems yet. Of course, I have NOT come across a corrupted
thread message to see if the bug still exists. Anyway, I'm
not even sure the bug is in the overlay file. It could be in
any of the software (Sting, Cab, the ovl, etc).
If you use CAB a lot, the upgrade to 2.5 would probably be
worthwhile. It does seem to run smoother than the older
versions. I wish the newer versions would make their way
into an English Language release.
Bob Trowbridge asks:
"Does anyone else use Delphi as your ISP? I am still
planning on moving from STIK to STING and was wondering if
anyone has a STING for DELPHI config."
I tell Bob:
"I do, on occasion, use Delphi as my ISP (using STinG for a
PPP connection).
I've been planning on uploading the dial.scr file, but
wanted to also upload the latest versions of the various
STinG modules.
It seems that every time I get ready to upload the STinG
files, Peter Rottengatter updates one of them and I have to
go and get it.
I'll upload my dial.scr file now and put the most recent
STinG files up in a day or two (if they're not already
here)...
By the way, I forgot that there was a script here already.
Jim Collins of chro_MAGIC Software was kind enough to share
his script quite a while ago."
Jim Collins tells Bob:
"When I first started out with Cab (before it was
commercial), I used Stik to access Delphi for my Internet
connection. Since STing has provided working PPP
connections, I switched to a local ISP. I never tried to set
STing up with Delphi."
Rob Mahlert tells Joe:
"I have the same problem on my TT. I usally delete the Cab
Cache and the problem goes away. It's like the Cache info
somehow gets messed up."
Okay folks, last thread for the week. Here goes...
I ask:
"Has anyone had any luck in accessing pages at either
people.delphi.com or members.com over the past few days?
I've been unable to reach any of them via CAB since
Saturday. I keep getting that most frustrating of all errors,
'404', which says that the page, file, or script cannot be
found on the server.
I know the darned thing is there because I can see it with
Lynx from the Internet Forum.
I've also tried several other pages... Dana's, Greg Evans',
and others who I _know_ have pages either on 'members' or
'people'.
I've corresponded with member services and they acknowledge
that there has been a change of server software, but cannot
find anything that may be causing my problem.
If you get a chance, browse around and see what you find. If
you have problems, send email to service@delphi.com and
address it to Ron.
I don't know if it's necessary to earmark it for Ron, but
both pieces of email I gotten back have been from him."
Greg Evans tells me:
"I had the same problems accessing the Delphi member's web
pages recently. I just figured there were server problems."
I tell Greg:
"Thanks. At least I know that it wasn't just me. <grin>"
Greg tells me:
"Uh... It was just you! <grin!>"
Heh heh heh. What a kidder. Gordie Meyer (a slightly more
authoritative source) tells me:
"It's likely something specific to how CAB works. They did
combine the two servers (members and people) onto one
machine, and pointing at members is the same as pointing at
the web subdirectory on people. (And you can now FTP files
into your webspace. Check the help file within the WS/WEB.)
I'll see if having the browser tracked (the stats on the web
server can be broken out by browser used) will indicate where
the problem may be arising. If there's a way to capture a
log file of just what CAB is doing, that might help Ron and
the tech staff."
I reply to Gordie:
"I don't know if the tech staff figured it out, or if the
new CAB.OVL file corrected the problem, but I'm up and
running again.
At first, I thought it was because I had done something
wrong when I was 'publishing' pages. But that wouldn't
account for my inability to access any of the other pages on
members/people.
Ron asked for the specifics of my setup (computer model, OS,
bro etc.) and I gave him the information, but also said that
I doubted that they would be of any help to him. As hard as I
try, I can't imagine Delphi having an ST and CAB to test
their new system with. <G>
Ron _did_ say that while he was looking for something that
might explain it he found another problem, so perhaps I
helped users of other platforms in the process too. <g>
It just seemed odd to me that even after dumping my DNS and
WWW caches the server seemed unable to find the files I was
typing in (I remember the names of most of the HTML pages and
the graphics I used so I tried calling up some of them).
Immediately after installing the new overlay file, I was
able to connect up and access all the pages I had been unable
to access since the changeover."
Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same time,
same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
Old Folks Are Worth A Fortune
Old folks are worth a fortune: With silver in their hair, gold in their
teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their
stomachs. I have become more social with the passing of the years; some
might even call me a frivolous old gal. I'm seeing five gentlemen every
day.
As soon as I wake, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go see John.
Then Charley Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my
time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the
rest of the day. (He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he
takes me from joint to joint.) After such a busy day, I'm really tired and
glad to go to bed - with Ben Gay. What a life!
P.S. The preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age I
should be thinking about the hereafter.
I told him I do - all the time. No matter where I am - in the parlor,
upstairs in the kitchen or down in the basement - I ask myself, "Now, what
am I here after?"
anonymous
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STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not
and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of
information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" January 30, 1998
Since 1987 Copyrightc1997 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1404
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