ST Report: 16-Oct-98 #1434
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 10/17/98-06:58:43 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 16-Oct-98 #1434
Date: Sat Oct 17 18:58:43 1998
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October 16, 1998 No.1434
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From the Editor's Desk...
Well it looks like Florida is in for it now. Jeb Bush (R-running for
Governor) and his buddy Crist (R-running for senate) are into sleaze
campaign ads. Tillie Fowler (R) was "backstabbingly" disappointing.
This is just what the doctor ordered as far as I am concerned. My only
hope is that Florida's voters see through this claptrap and realize
that Bush and the Republican Party are using Florida as a stepping
stone for Jeb Bush's career. Bush could care less about Florida's
natural resources going down the drain to developers of new homes,
condos and business centers. Both Bush and Crist are very busy trying
to drag down their Democratic opponents with nothing but bold faced
lies and shocking innuendo. This is the crux of the matter. If these
two clowns are ready to lay this sort of garbage on the Florida voters
now instead of telling the voters exactly what they plan to do to
improve the education system in Florida, help for the elderly,
preservation of the natural resources, and reduction in crime. I can
only imagine what they'll do to us if they're ever in office.
Florida Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay (D-Gov candidate) is the only way and
Sen. Bob Graham (D-encumbant) is all for Florida.
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Judge Denies Microsoft Access To Netscape Tapes
A federal judge has denied a bid by Microsoft Corp. to get confidential
tapes of potentially embarrassing interviews that executives of Netscape
Communications Corp. gave to authors of a forthcoming book. Microsoft,
which also was separately seeking documents from an online journalist in
another case, argued it needed the tapes, especially one of Netscape
President James Barksdale, to prepare for its epic antitrust battle with
the U.S. Department of Justice. The trial gets underway Oct. 15. The
Justice Department brought suit against Microsoft in May, charging it
violated antitrust laws by unfairly using its monopoly in software for
personal computers. The trial focuses in particular on Microsoft's
allegedly unfair competition with Netscape, a pioneer in browsers for
searching the Internet.
Barksdale is set to testify for the government in the trial.
The forthcoming book, "Competing on Internet Time: Lessons from Netscape
and Its Battle with Microsoft," to be published next week, was made
available to both Microsoft and Netscape. In it, Barksdale reportedly
makes some embarrassing admissions about management and planning
mistakes. Microsoft attorney Thomas Sartory said as he pleaded for the
tapes' release that the interviews were important because Barksdale was
"encouraged to be forthcoming, frank and truthful and he hadn't been
prepared by lawyers." When Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Michael Cusumano and his co-author, Harvard University's David
Yoffie, questioned Barksdale and 43 other Netscape executives in some 60
to 70 hours of interviews, it was done with the promise of
confidentiality.
As part of their research, academics are often given in-depth access to
corporations -- as long as they allow the company to review the
manuscript before publication. Such nondisclosure agreements are intended
to protect proprietary information. The professors refused to cooperate
with Microsoft and instead accused the software company, which is based
in Redmond, Wash., of being "on a fishing expedition." To surrender the
tapes "would stifle or chill future opportunity for research as people
would be less willing to participate," argued their lawyer, Jeffrey
Swope. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns agreed with the professors --
for the most part.
In a rare ruling from the bench, Stearns said Microsoft's arguments were
based "on the fundamental premise that a witness in a civil case will lie
... As a general proposition, I don't think I can accept that as a
judge." Stearns said the software giant had the resources to question all
the witnesses involved and could get the information it sought without
forcing the tapes' release. He did add, however, that if Microsoft could
show it needed the tapes to test a witness's credibility, he would listen
to the material in private and release it to the company if he deemed it
would be helpful.
In a separate development in pretrial maneuvering for another case,
Microsoft subpoenaed documents from a San Francisco reporter for the
on-line news service CNET. Microsoft served reporter Dan Goodin with a
subpoena at his home on Tuesday, demanding documents he used to write a
Sept. 23 story about Microsoft's attempts to compete with Sun
Microsystems. In the story, which concerned a suit Sun has brought
against Microsoft in San Jose, Calif., Goodin quoted internal Microsoft
memos. CNET has retained a Los Angeles law firm to fight the subpoena.
Goodin's story is available at www.news.com.
Judge Delays Microsoft Trial
A federal judge agreed to delay the start of the government's antitrust
trial wth Microsoft Corp. four days until Oct. 19. Addinng to the roster
of witnesses form high-tech rivals, the government says it will call key
executives from Apple Computer Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc. to testify
against Microsoft at its antitrust trial. The government wants to use
testimony from Apple and Sun to show that Microsoft engaged in a pattern
of illegal activities, not just specifically to distribute more of its
Internet browser software, but also generally to protect its lucrative
Windows operating system.
The decision to highlight Microsoft's behavior toward Apple and Sun
illustrates the breadth of the case. Executives from Netscape
Communications Corp., Intel Corp., America Online, IBM Corp. and Intuit
Inc. previously agreed to testify against Microsoft. Both the government
and the company updated their witnesses lists Thursday, and Microsoft
changeed its mind again today. Microsoft said Thursday it will call its
top sales executive and one of its software developers who attended a
controversial June 1995 meeting with rival Netscape.
But today, responding to the government's new witnesses from Apple and
Sun, Microsoft said it will call Robert Muglia, a senior executive with
Microsoft who works with Sun, and Chris Engstrom, an executive who
handled some of Microsoft 's relations with Apple. The original antitrust
lawsuit, filed in May, focused on Microsoft's fight to control the
Internet browser market. But it also generally accused Microsoft of "a
series of anticompetitive activities" to protect its dominant Windows
operating system. Microsoft accused the government again Thursday of
trying to broaden the case inappropriately. The company has said if the
judge allows what it describes as new allegations, then he should delay
the case at least six months.
"These new witnesses are further proof that the government has lost faith
in its original case and is rewriting its case at the last minute,"
spokesman Mark Murray said. "The government's case has had more makeovers
than Madonna." U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said
previously that he would decide no earlier than today whether to limit
the scope of the case. The judge didn't decide today whether to limit in
advance the types of evidence the government can cite. But, he invited
Microsoft to formally make its arguments in a future written motion.
The government will call Sun's James Gosling, lead engineer for the Java
programming language, which was designed to run on a variety of operating
systems, not just Windows. Gosling likely will explain how Microsoft
feared that widespread use of Java could replace Windows. Sun is suing
Microsoft in an unrelated federal lawsuit in California, claiming that
Microsoft is distributing a Windows-only version of Java in violation of
their contract. A Sun lawyer, citing internal e-mail by Microsoft, said
last week that Chairman Bill Gates was "scared to death" of Java.
Court documents suggest the government will use testimony from Avie
Tevanian, a vice president of programming at Apple, to show that
Microsoft tried illegally to dissuade Apple from developing future
Windows versions of its popular QuickTime software. QuickTime, which lets
customers hear audio and watch video across the Internet, competes
directly with Microsoft's own Netshow software.
Govt. To Use Apple, Sun Evidence
The government says it will call key executives from Apple Computer Co.
and Sun Microsystems Inc. to testify against Microsoft Corp. at its
antitrust trial, adding to the roster of witnesses from high-tech rivals.
The government wants to use testimony from Apple and Sun to show that
Microsoft engaged in a pattern of illegal activities, not just
specifically to distribute more of its Internet browser software, but
also generally to protect its lucrative Windows operating system.
The decision to highlight Microsoft's behavior toward Apple and Sun
illustrates the breadth of the case. Executives from Netscape, Intel
Corp., America Online, IBM Corp. and Intuit Inc. previously agreed to
testify against Microsoft. Both the government and the company updated
their witnesses lists Thursday. Microsoft said it will call its top sales
executive and one of its software developers who attended a controversial
June 1995 meeting with rival Netscape Communications Corp.
The original antitrust lawsuit, filed in May, focused on Microsoft's
fight to control the Internet browser market. But it also generally
accused Microsoft of "a series of anticompetitive activities" to protect
its dominant Windows operating system. Microsoft accused the government
again Thursday of trying to broaden the case inappropriately. The company
has said if the judge allows what it describes as new allegations, then
he should delay the case at least six months.
"These new witnesses are further proof that the government has lost faith
in its original case and is rewriting its case at the last minute,"
spokesman Mark Murray said. "The government's case has had more makeovers
than Madonna." U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said
previously that he would decide no earlier than today whether to limit
the scope of the case. A hearing was scheduled in Washington.
The trial was set to begin next week, although both sides agreed to ask
the judge to delay the case an extra four days until Oct. 19. Jackson has
not ruled on the request. The government will call Sun's James Gosling,
lead engineer for the Java programming language, which was designed to
run on a variety of operating systems, not just Windows. Gosling likely
will explain how Microsoft feared that widespread use of Java could
replace Windows.
Sun is suing Microsoft in an unrelated federal lawsuit in California,
claiming that Microsoft is distributing a Windows-only version of Java in
violation of their contract. A Sun lawyer, citing internal e-mail by
Microsoft, said last week that Chairman Bill Gates was "scared to death"
of Java. Court documents suggest the government will use testimony from
Avie Tevanian, a vice president of programming at Apple, to show that
Microsoft tried illegally to dissuade Apple from developing future
Windows versions of its popular QuickTime software.
QuickTime, which lets customers hear audio and watch video across the
Internet, competes directly with Microsoft's own Netshow software. Among
Microsoft's new witnesses is Jeff Raikes, its head of worldwide sales,
who will testify that consumers want an Internet browser integrated with
Windows. Raikes is quoted in the government's lawsuit as saying,
"Netscape pollution must be eradicated." Thomas Reardon is the software
developer who attended a meeting at Netscape in which, the government
contends, Microsoft offered to divide the browser market. The judge has
limited each side to only a dozen witnesses.
Microsoft Subpoenas Reporter
Microsoft Corp. is demanding that a news reporter return secret documents
used for a story about the company, and is complaining in another lawsuit
that other reporters were given other confidential paperwork. Microsoft
subpoenaed Dan Goodin, a reporter for the Internet publication CNet, to
demand that he return documents showing that Microsoft considered the
threat from a rival's Java programming language, which doesn't require
Windows, a "top priority."
Goodin, in a Sept. 23 story, also quoted a Microsoft e-mail saying
executives wanted to ensure that Java's potential to run software on a
variety of operating systems "does not happen." Microsoft, which filed
the subpoena last week, is demanding Goodin return the documents. The
paperwork was part of the lawsuit filed by Sun Microsystems Inc., which
created Java and is suing in California over claims that Microsoft is
distributing a Windows-only version of Java.
"We're not asking CNet where they got the materials," Microsoft spokesman
Jim Cullinan said. "We're trying to make sure that, when we send
information out in any of our lawsuits, it's protected." Goodin was away
from his office in San Francisco until Monday and couldn't be reached for
comment.
In another lawsuit by rival Caldera Inc., Microsoft is complaining that
other confidential documents were turned over to the media. Caldera is
suing Microsoft in Utah for designing early Windows software that
allegedly was deliberately incompatible with its DR-DOS operating system.
In August, The Wall Street Journal and a new book, "The Microsoft File,"
cited e-mail by Microsoft about an ominous warning that appeared whenever
customers tried using an early version of Windows with DR-DOS. Microsoft
lawyer James Jardine filed a motion under seal two weeks ago in federal
court in Salt Lake City arguing that "local press stories" included
"selective confidential information." No subpoenas were filed.
The moves come on the heels of Microsoft's unsuccessful attempt to force
two professors to hand over recordings and notes from interviews with
executives at Netscape Communications Corp. A federal judge in Boston
ruled Thursday that the professors don't have to turn over their
materials, used to research an upcoming book about the fight between
Microsoft and Netscape. The authors said the several hours of tapes,
which include interviews with Netscape Chairman Jim Barksdale, company
co-founder Marc Andreessen and more than 40 other employees, contained
off-the-record comments, private conversations and admissions of
strategic missteps.
Gates Defense Brings Some Hisses
Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates was hissed by some software customers
this morning as he defended his firm's disputed practices in a
last-minute public tour before the government's historic antitrust
lawsuit against Microsoft goes to trial. Gates drew the mixed response
after an industry analyst said many business software buyers feel they
are forced to buy the latest Microsoft software at often high prices
because of the way Microsoft designs its computer programs.
Gates insisted most customers choose to upgrade because they want the new
features. But some clearly disagreed among the thousands of corporate
technology managers attending a computer symposium here. "People like me
are forced to upgrade," said Bill Schrier, speaking after Gates' talk.
Schrier manages the telecommunications network used by Seattle's city
government.
The issue is a key one in the government's case against Microsoft, which
accuses the software giant of exploiting its monopoly in personal
computer operating systems to crush software rivals, limiting consumer
choice. Microsoft adamantly defends its practices, which it contends
actually bring consumers greater choice of software features at low
prices. In the latest accusations to emerge, The Wall Street Journal
reported today that Apple - which struck an alliance with Microsoft last
year - is privately upset about what its executives regard as Microsoft's
attempts to stifle an Apple multimedia technology called QuickTime.
The Journal, citing a previously undisclosed account that Apple supplied
to state and federal investigators, said engineers at Compaq Computer
Corp. were interested in licensing QuickTime in a deal that might have
given Apple a $2 royalty for each Compaq machine using the software. But
senior Compaq executives overruled subordinates for fear that Microsoft
might object to a licensing arrangement, Apple executives said.
Gates has been busily criss-crossing the nation this week, just before
the Justice Department's case goes to trial, set for Monday. He appeared
publicly Tuesday in St. Louis and on Monday in Bloomington, Ind., and in
Denver. He was scheduled to appear in Charlotte, N.C. later today. In
Florida, Gates defended his company's practice of continually integrating
new software features into its Windows operating system. The Justice
Department's case hinges on accusations that Microsoft, by giving away
its own Internet browser in its latest operating program, has shut out
Netscape, which pioneered the market. "We think it was a pretty obvious
thing to get the browser capability built into the operating system,"
Gates said. "We're very confident that kind of innovation is a great
thing."
U.S. House Finally Passes Digital Copyright Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives approved landmark legislation updating
copyright law for the digital age, sending the bill to the White House
where President Bill Clinton is expected to sign it into law. The bill,
approved by the Senate last week, implements the provisions of two
international treaties adopted by the World Intellectual Property
Organization in 1996 Software makers, movie studios, book publishers and
other creators of copyrighted works pushed hard for the legislation,
fearing that as their products increasingly became available on the
Internet in digital form, pirates and criminals would be able to make and
sell illegal copies easily.
The legislation creates criminal penalties for anyone who circumvents
high-technology anti-piracy protections, such as encryption, used to
block illegal copying. The bill also forbids the manufacture, import,
sale or distribution of devices or services used for circumvention. "The
U.S. Congress today set an international standard for strong protection
of creative works on the Internet that will spur the growth of electronic
commerce and result in consumers benefiting from quicker and better
online access to software, music, movies and other types of copyrighted
works," said Robert Holleyman, president of the Business Software
Alliance.
A variety of exceptions were also included at the request of libraries,
scientists, universities and some manufacturers of consumer electronic
devices. They feared the law would prevent some kinds of research and
would unfairly limit "fair use," a central principle of existing
copyright law that allows copies to be made for educational and other
non-commercial purposes.
The exceptions include allowing circumvention if done for computer
security testing, encryption research or limited kinds of computer
software development. Internet surfers can also circumvent in limited
ways to protect their privacy, and parents could circumvent to monitor
their children's travels through cyberspace. The anti-circumvention laws
will not go into effect for two years, until the Librarian of Congress,
with advice from the Commerce Department, decides whether additional
exceptions need to be made. Such exceptions would be reconsidered in a
recurring process every three years, at which time new exceptions could
also be created.
The bill also defined broad freedom from liability for online and
Internet service providers, like America Online, which otherwise might
have been held financially liable for copyright infringement by one of
their millions of customers. Under the bill, service providers will not
be held liable for violations they do not know of but if notified by a
copyright holder, must take rapid action to shut down the alleged
violator. However, if the copyright holder fails to pursue the claim in
court within a few weeks, the alleged violator has the right to demand
that online access be restored.
The procedure "establishes a rational process that will enable service
providers to move quickly against copyright violations discovered on
their systems without forcing them into the impossible task of monitoring
millions of transmissions," said Tim Casey, chief technology counsel at
MCI WorldCom Inc. Republican leaders in the House delayed a vote on the
bill for several days, angered by a high-technology trade group that last
week selected a former Democratic lawmaker as its new president. The
Electronic Industries Alliance, which selected former Oklahoma Rep. Dave
McCurdy, said it was puzzled by the delay, since members of the group
have not been strong supporters of the legislation.
Senator to Add Anti-porn Bill to Internet Act
Sen. Dan Coats plans this week to offer a controversial amendment to the
Internet Tax Freedom Act that would limit online pornography, a spokesman
for Coats confirmed Monday. Coats, R-Ind., and other conservative
lawmakers see the act, which the Senate is expected to vote on early in
the week, as a logical vehicle for their measure, which would bar
commercial Web sites from allowing children to access material deemed
"harmful to minors." "We are definitely looking at an avenue to have
something be germane and address the problem," spokesman Matt Smith said.
Smith said the Coats amendment would probably be offered Tuesday morning.
Veritas Agrees to Buy Seagate Unit for $1.6 Billion
Veritas Software Corp. said late Monday it would buy the Network and
Storage Management Group of Seagate Software, a unit of Seagate
Technology Inc., for about $1.6 billion in stock, creating a powerhouse
in the storage software industry. Veritas, a maker of software to protect
data, will issue about 33 million of its common shares to form the new
company, which will retain the Veritas Software name, employ about 2,300
people and make a wide range of data storage management products. As the
No. 1 maker of disk drives, Seagate has been looking for ways to cut
costs and streamline its businesses amid a glut of disk drives.
Penton Media Acquires Mecklermedia for $274 Million
Business media company Penton Media said it has agreed to acquire
Mecklermedia Corp. for about $274 million in a move that bolsters
Penton's position on the Internet. Mecklermedia, whose products include
the Internet World and ISPCON trade shows, owns several of the most
prized Web site names, including Internet.com, on which it locates a
network of 18 Web sites. Penton Media said it agreed to tender all
outstanding shares of Mecklermedia's common stock for $29 each - a
premium of about 44% over Mecklermedia's closing price yesterday of
$20.19.
Hayes Declares Bankruptcy
Modem maker Hayes Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying it
will continue to operate while it looks for additional funding. The
Norcross, Georgia company had announced a restructuring in August, amid
losses of $14.2 million. At the time, the company said it planned to put
its Norcross facility up for sale and focus on cable modems and other
high-speed devices. Hayes said today that it would continue to "resize"
its operations, and narrow its focus on the broadband, RAS and
Voice-over-IP markets. The company has secured interim financing and is
negotiating for permanent financing. "We made the decision to seek the
protection of the Bankruptcy Court in the belief that this action would
provide the most viable means of achieving our key goals of refocusing
our business strategy and operations," CEO Ron Howard said in a release.
AltaVista Enhances Internet Search Capabilities
Seeking to set itself apart in a crowded field, AltaVista has unveiled a
new version of its Internet search guide that allows computer users to
locate information with the help of a simple question-and-answer format
unique among major Web sites. In addition, AltaVista (www.altavista.com)
said it was now offering a range of new features, such as photo searches,
a spell checker to increase the likelihood that a search will yield the
intended results, and a family-friendly filter that can screen out
potentially objectionable materials. AltaVista became a unit of Compaq
Computer Corp. as part of that company's $8.4 billion acquisition of
Digital Equipment in June.
In bolstering its search capabilities, AltaVista is resisting the rush by
rivals such as Yahoo! Inc., Excite Inc. and Lycos Corp. to diversify into
catch-all Internet media sites. They are now catering to a range of other
activities besides searching, like electronic mail, online chat, news and
shopping. "Searching is still the No. 1 activity on the Internet," said
Celia Francis, AltaVista's marketing director. "Pretty much of all of our
competitors have abandoned" attempts to improve their Internet navigation
features, seeing it as a commodity business and yielding the field to
AltaVista, she said.
To the contrary, the ever-expanding jungle of information available on
the Web calls for ever more powerful search capabilities, Francis said.
The new AltaVista indexes up to 140 million pages. "People still have a
very hard time finding things on the Internet," she said. "Only with our
new site have they begun to experience a sense of relief that what they
find is relevant," she said, referring to focus groups of users who have
tested the new AltaVista Internet guide.
With its new search capabilities, Francis said Alta Vista has
"leapfrogged" its rivals' capacity to provide quality Web searches. That
includes Inktomi, another company largely focused on providing such
search tools. By emphasizing its strength as a search tool, AltaVista,
which ranks as the No. 10 most-visited Web site, is not conceding any
ground to perhaps sexier Internet media rivals like Yahoo. AltaVista
remains committed to becoming among the top three busiest sites on the
Internet, Francis said. AltaVista now boasts a variety of intuitive
approaches to searching the Web, instead of relying on highly structured
searchers requiring logical connections like "and," "but" or "or," which
often can produce convoluted or overwhelming results.
Apple Set For First Annual Profit In Three Years
Apple Computer Inc. is set to report its first profitable year since 1995
and the computer maker plans to hold a briefing this week to tout the
news and announce new products, industry analysts said. In an unusual
move, co-founder and interim chief executive Steve Jobs will host a news
conference Wednesday, while the stock market is open, to report
fourth-quarter earnings, give an update on the hot-selling Mac computer
and roll out the next version of the Macintosh operating system.
Apple, like many West Coast technology companies, usually reports
earnings after the close of the U.S. stock market. "I don't think they
are doing this to report a loss," said Richard Doherty, director of
Envisioneering Group, a consulting firm in Seaford, N.Y. "I think they
are going to show that they have had the most successful computer launch
in history." Apple has reported three consecutive profitable quarters,
fueled largely by iMac, and analysts expect earnings of 49 cents a share
for the latest quarter and $1.71 a share for its fiscal year ended last
month, according to First Call, which tracks estimates.
Apple's last profitable year was fiscal 1995, when it earned more than
$400 million on sales of $11 billion. But the company that helped
popularize the personal computer lost $1.8 billion its last two fiscal
years as it struggled to cut costs and refocus its products while
customers defected to competitors. Jobs, who has been back at Apple as
interim CEO for just over a year, will take center stage at Flint Center,
near the company's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, a venue Apple has
used before for special events.
In May, Jobs surprised the crowd by introducing the iMac, Apple's first
new consumer product in several years, at the center, where the original
Macintosh machine was rolled out. Since it began shipping in August, the
innovative iMac, priced at $1,299, has sold briskly. Apple shipped a
record 150,000 units to retailers, many of whom sold out quickly and
reordered. "I am expecting reasonably positive news out of these guys,"
said Lou Mazzucchelli, an analyst with Gerard Klauer Mattison.
Apple Posts $106 Million Profit In Quarter
Apple Computer Inc. said it earned $106 million in its fourth quarter as
sales of its new iMac personal computer helped the company blow away
analysts' forecasts and post its first annual profit in three years.
Apple said it earned 68 cents a diluted share in the period, which ended
Sept. 25 and was the fourth quarter of its fiscal year. A year earlier,
the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker lost $161 million, or $1.26 a
share.
Its per-share income was well above the 49 cents a share forecast by Wall
Street analysts surveyed by First Call Corp. but its stock price was down
$1.31 at $37.44 a share on Nasdaq. "Apple grew faster than the industry
this quarter for the first time in nearly five years," interim Chief
Executive Steve Jobs said in a statement. "Apple is regaining operational
excellence exiting the quarter with only six days of inventory,
surpassing Dell Computer's most recently reported level of eight days."
Revenues for the quarter were even with last year at $1.6 billion, while
gross margins widened to 27 percent from 20 percent a year earlier, Apple
said. Unit shipments in the quarter rose 28 percent year-over-year, and
ending inventory dropped to $78 million, or six days of inventory.
For the full fiscal year, Apple posted net earnings of $309 million, or
$2.10 a diluted share, compared with a net loss of $1.0 billion, or $8.29
a share, the prior year. Revenue for the year fell to $5.9 billion from
$7.1 billion. Apple's market share, which had dwindled to about 4 percent
in past quarters, now appears to be bouncing back a bit, with the iMac
computer luring first-time PC buyers. More than 40 percent of iMac buyers
are new customers for Apple, according to a survey of almost 2,000 iMac
buyers conducted by Audits & Surveys, Apple said.The findings show that
29.4 percent of iMac buyers are first-time computer buyers, 12.5 percent
are "converts" who own other brands of personal computers and the
remaining 58.1 percent own a Macintosh, Apple said.
The translucent iMac computer, which boasts a unique all-in-one design,
has been the fastest-selling Mac ever introduced. Priced at $1,299, the
computer is designed to make it easy for customers to get on the
Internet.Apple also said on Wednesday it will add Best Buy Co. Inc.,
which has 300 outlets, as a nationwide retailer beginning next month. The
iMac already is available at CompUSA stores. Apple's first annual profit
since fiscal 1995 caps a substantial recovery for Apple. In the past 12
months, the company's stock has traded as low as $12.75 a share, but with
company co-founder Jobs back at the helm -- albeit on a temporary basis
-- and its iMac posting strong sales, its stock has traded as high as
$43.75 recently.
Opposition to Net Privatization
Fearing commercial interests may co-opt cyberspace, scores of educators,
activists and computer professionals gathered Saturday to marshal forces
in a battle against privatizing the Internet. The two-day meeting,
organized by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, is aimed
at bringing together dozens of organizations with a stake in cyberspace.
"Like it or not, decisions are being made, strategies are being set up
that will determine how we interact as a society, and it's not just a
matter of getting government out of the way," said Harry Hochheiser,
director-at-large for CPSR, based in Palo Alto, Calif.
Among the topics at the two-day conference was a Clinton administration
proposal that would largely hand over management of Internet addresses,
or domain names, to a nonprofit corporation yet to be formed. The public
has about a week to comment on the plan before a decision is made by the
White House. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, an expert in
cyberspace law, criticized the plan.
He said it places critical decisions about internet development in the
hands of a commercially minded corporation with a potentially
self-perpetuating board. Such an entity is unlikely to pay much heed to
democratic values such as privacy, free speech and due process, he said.
"If government doesn't protect those values, who will?" he said. Lessig
also spoke of the broad challenges facing policy makers. "We're building
the most significant jurisdiction since the Louisiana Purchase, but it's
outside of the control of traditional Constitutional values," Lessig
said.
Gartner Group Sees No Threat To Wintel
Oct 13, 1998 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- Although there will be huge
changes in computing technologies in the next five years, the companies
that pull the strings will be the same, according to Gartner Group, a
research company based in Stamford, Conn. At Gartner Group's annual
IT/Expo in Orlando, Fla., Monday, analysts said they projected the PC
industry will see rapid growth in new markets and continue its "bigger,
smarter, faster" trend.
Gartner analysts said they predicted PC penetration will rise from 43
percent of U.S. households today to 63 percent by 2002. The aggressive
projections forecast rewritable DVD drives will compete with, and
eventually supplant, VCRs for video recording, and children will shun
Nintendo game consoles for technically superior PCs. According to
Gartner, PC sales will more than double from 80 million in 1997 to nearly
180 million units in 2002, fueled largely by demand from developing
nations such as China, India, and Brazil.
In a session on desktop PC trends, Dataquest analyst Martin Reynolds said
PCs will soon no longer be measured in MHz, but in GHz, surpassing the
2-GHz mark. Standard features of the PC of 2002, Reynolds said, will
likely include a 30-gigabyte hard drive, 128 megabytes of RAM, a
rewritable DVD drive, and 100-megabit-per-second Ethernet network
adapters. Those specifications may seem like science fiction to today's
desktop computer users, but reliance on Windows and Intel's processor
architecture will be reality, according to Reynolds.
"The industry is moving to a complete Intel architecture and Microsoft NT
solution from server to client device," he said. Microsoft's Win CE
mobile computing platform, code-named Jupiter, and Intel's StrongArm
processors will make significant inroads in the handheld and PDA markets,
he added. "There are no significant threats to the Intel or Microsoft
desktop PC franchises through 2003," said Chris Goodhue, another PC
analyst at Gartner. Goodhue added the Java-reliant network computer
market, previously positioned as a viable alternative to Wintel, won't
reach more than 1 million units per year and will thus remain a niche
device.
But despite Gartner Group's rosy outlook for the Wintel platform, the
research company also warned about adopting new products too quickly. Win
NT 5.0, scheduled to ship in mid-1999, won't be widely available until
2000, Goodhue said, and he suggested IT managers wait six to nine months
before deploying it. He also said it would be wise to wait until after
Microsoft releases the first NT 5.0 service pack upgrade to fix bugs.
Microsoft's goal of moving Windows users to NT won't happen as quickly as
the company would like. "Plan on Windows 9.x being part of your
administration requirements in 2002 and beyond," Goodhue said. Likewise,
Intel's 64-bit Merced processor won't be adopted widely in desktop PCs
before 2002, but will remain a server chip. Reynolds said mainframes will
continue to have performance advantages over microprocessor-based servers
through at least the next four to five years. The PC's continued growth
will keep not only Intel and Microsoft healthy, but will also mean strong
bottom lines for PC manufacturers such as IBM, Dell, Compaq, and
Hewlett-Packard, the analysts said.
Y2K Computer Fix To Eat Up Budgets-Survey
Company spending to avert computer breakdowns resulting from the Year
2000 date change will consume a whopping 44 percent of information
technology budgets in 1999, according to a survey. While corporate
computer budgets are expected to stay relatively flat in 1998 vs. 1997,
the portion spent on Year 2000 fixes will eat up 29 percent of the total
this year, up from 5 percent in 1997, according to computer consultant
Gartner Group Inc. The survey is the latest to suggest a corporate
spending pullback has begun that will sap investments in new technology,
slowing growth for many computer companies.
Gartner Group Chief Executive Manny Fernandez said in a speech on Monday
that Year 2000 spending will become the No. 1 technology priority for
companies worldwide, beating out spending on nearly all other new
computer technologies combined. "This year, 1998, that number is 29
percent," Fernandez told about 10,000 people at the opening day of
Gartner's annual Symposium/IT Expo 98 in Orlando, Fla., "Our latest
forecast is that that percentage will soar to 44 percent of IT
(information technology) budgets in 1999." The statistics are based on a
survey of technology managers at 15,000 small, medium and large companies
in 87 countries.
Gartner has estimated the worldwide cost of preventing potential Year
2000 computer failures will total $300 billion to $600 billion, with $150
billion to $225 billion of that amount to be spent by U.S. companies
alone. That's funding robbed from new technology that companies otherwise
might have installed in the coming years. Projects that could be delayed
or cut back include new software to link key business operations, larger
data storage networks, new computer-based customer service phone centers
and electronic mail systems, Fernandez said.
Overall, computer systems account for an average of between 5 percent and
8 percent of corporate budgets in the companies surveyed, depending on
whether the business is an aggressive user of technology or not,
according to Gartner. Gartner is the top information technology market
research firm in the world, with more than 11,000 corporate clients. It
has been a leading voice in popularizing the threat of Year 2000 computer
failures.
The Year 2000 crisis stems from a once-seemingly-innocent computer
programming shortcut begun decades ago that used the last two digits of a
year to substitute for the full year. A computer understands "69" to mean
1969 and "98" to represent 1998. But "00" may be interpreted as 1900 in
many computers, throwing off other calculations, unless the software is
upgraded in time.
Many experts say the danger is that computers unprepared for the
millennium rollover will fail, potentially causing everything from
traffic lights to electric power grids to fail, sparking widespread
economic and social dislocation. Lou Marcoccio, a Gartner analyst and
Year 2000 expert, said the number of companies initiating computer
millennium fixes peaked last January, which explains the sharp jump in
spending this year. He said further spending has resulted from a
realization that the problem is not confined merely to older mainframe
computers used to run large businesses, but extends to a variety of
smaller computer hardware, software and so-called embedded systems.
Embedded systems include refrigerators, car brakes and elevator circuits.
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EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
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Contents
U. Of Utah President Critiques Virtual
Universities E-Commerce Growth Projections
Web Patents Weave Confusion PCs Break $500 Price Barrier
No New Taxes On Net Transactions Should The Net Be Privatized?
Copyright Suit Over Music Downloading Hayes Files Again For
Device Bankruptcy
Honorary Subscriber: Frederick William Merger Of Web Measurement
Rueckheim Firms Will Smooth Out
Differences
OECD Reps Set Guidelines For Internet Direct Mail Group Merges With
Taxation Web Marketers
AMD's New Chip Is Not Off The Old
(Intel) Block Hatching A High-Tech Incubator
Amazon To Launch Book Sites In The Audio Banner Ads From
U.K.-Germany ValueClick
IBM & RealNetworks To Offer
Training/Presentation Products Apple Turnaround
Senate Approves Bill
House Approves Y2K Bill Increasing High-Tech Worker
Visas
Journal Pioneers Online Commentary Internet Provider Not Liable
For Messages Of Its Customers
Transforming The Network Library Of Congress Opens
Collection Of Web Data
Value-Added Content Is King Most-Visited Web Sites
U. OF UTAH PRESIDENT CRITIQUES VIRTUAL UNIVERSITIES
In his inauguration speech, University of Utah president J. Bernard
Machen warned the state's governor and other officials that no online
curriculum could ever replace the kind of educational experience offered
by bricks-and-mortar institutions. Utah Governor Mike Leavitt has been a
leading proponent of the Western Governors University, a virtual
institution. In his remarks, Machen said that "the use of technology can
be an important part of the delivery of certain aspects of education,"
but referred to WGU as an "experiment," that would be "most appropriate
for the job-skills component of education." Speaking of his own
institution, he said, "Let us not succumb to the temptation to force a
college education to its lowest common denominator. The kind of education
I am describing is not the cheapest, but it is the best." A spokeswoman
for Governor Leavitt said that this "is not the first time that we have
heard a kind of fearful, skeptical reaction from the higher-education
community." (Chronicle of Higher Education 9 Oct 98)
E-COMMERCE GROWTH PROJECTIONS
ActivMedia's fifth annual Real Numbers Behind Net Profits survey examined
e-commerce activity in 17 industry sectors and found that overall,
industry executives are anticipating a revenue growth rate of 63% this
year, up from 58% in 1997. Not surprisingly, the top sector for growth is
computer hardware and software. Other areas expecting big gains are real
estate, publishing and information services, finance, and Internet
services. The largest gains are projected by managers in
business-to-business services, telecommunications and broadcast, travel,
and in the distribution/transportation/wholesale sectors. (AlleyCat News
Sep 98)
WEB PATENTS WEAVE CONFUSION
A federal appellate court ruling in July confirming that computerized
"business methods" can be patented has sparked a wave of patent
applications that electronic commerce proponents fear will amount to
"holdups in cyberspace." The July case involved a computerized
mathematical formula for apportioning the administrative costs associated
with a family of mutual funds, but by "claiming the computer as part of
the invention, you can make things patentable that weren't patentable
before," says a patent attorney in California. Skeptics say many of the
new patents won't hold up in court, and will suffer the same fate as the
1993 patent granted to Compton New Media, protecting a method for
combining text, audio and video on a compact disk. That patent was
revoked in 1994, after critics demonstrated the technology was already in
common use. "Everyone is under the impression the Patent Office
thoroughly investigates your claims," says a Forrester Research analyst.
"They really don't." (Wall Street Journal 9 Oct 98)
PCs BREAK $500 PRICE BARRIER
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that newly formed Emachines is
introducing a fully equipped PC, including a monitor, for less than $500.
The $499 eTower sports a 266 MHz Cyrix microprocessor, a 2.1 gigabyte
hard drive, 32 megabytes of memory, a 56K modem, a CD-ROM drive and a
14-inch monitor. The same machine can be purchased without the monitor
for $399. "Five hundred dollars is the magic number for opening up the
next wave of adopters in the home," says the company's CEO. Emachines is
a joint venture of two Korean companies -- TriGem and Korean Data
Systems. The company is planning to offer several other computers in the
next year or so, including a 300 MHz eTower with monitor for $599, an
ultralight notebook for under $2,000 and an entertainment device for
playing games and watching DVD movies. (St. Petersburg Times 10 Oct 98)
NO NEW TAXES ON NET TRANSACTIONS
With strong bipartisan support, including support from the Clinton
Administration, the U.S. Senate has passed 92-2 a bill called the
Internet Tax Freedom Act, which makes the Internet a tax-free zone for
most transactions for the next three years. A conference committee will
now resolve minor differences between this bill and one that has already
been passed by the House. The main sponsor of the House bill, Christopher
Cox (R.-Calif.), says it is based on the simple principle that
information should not be taxed. (New York Times 9 Oct 98)
SHOULD THE NET BE PRIVATIZED?
The organization called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
has begun a battle against a Clinton Administration plan that would
largely turn over management of Internet domain names to an
as-yet-unformed nonprofit corporation. Harvard law professor Lawrence
Lessig, a member of the group, ays the plan is flawed because it gives
too much power to a commercially minded corporation with a potentially
self-perpetuating board. Saying that such an entity is unlikely to be a
strong enough watchdog for privacy, free speech, due process and other
democratic values, Lessig asks: "If government doesn't protect those
values, who will?" (AP 10 Oct 98)
COPYRIGHT SUIT OVER MUSIC DOWNLOADING DEVICE
The Recording Industry Association of America has asked a federal court
to halt shipment of a device it says violates copyright laws by allowing
music to be downloaded from the Net without paying any royalties. The
device, made by the San Jose company Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc.,
will cost $199 when it's released to retailers in November. (San Jose
Mercury News 11 Oct 98)
HAYES FILES AGAIN FOR BANKRUPTCY
The Hayes Corporation, which pioneered the modem market, has filed again
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, to buy time while the company restructures
itself. The company has been struggling with slow sales, declining stock
values, and a dispute with preferred shareholders. (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 10 Oct 98)
MERGER OF WEB MEASUREMENT FIRMS WILL SMOOTH OUT DIFFERENCES
New York-based Media Metrix and Atlanta-based Relevant Knowledge, two
companies that provide advertisers with statistics on how people use the
World Wide Web, and that have often provided vastly different ratings
from each other and from the Web sites themselves, have agreed to merge.
Neither has been profitable. Rich Lefurgy, head of an industry trade
group, says: "It was very hard to understand why 10 of the top 25 sites
rated by Media Metrix weren't on Relevant Knowledge's Top 25 list. By
bringing together the two companies we will have more credible
information." (New York Times 13 Oct 98)
OECD REPS SET GUIDELINES FOR INTERNET TAXATION
Government representatives attending an OECD (Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development) conference in Ottawa have agreed that
business should take the lead in developing e-commerce and regulate
itself within a framework of support provided by governments. The group
also established an e-commerce tax scheme based on existing principles of
taxation, recommending that no new taxes be imposed that would
discriminate against electronic commerce, and suggesting that any
taxation take place at the point of consumption. The group agreed that
digitized products should not be treated as a good -- thus software would
not be taxed on the value of the diskette it is stored on, but rather on
the value of the content. "This is a big deal for Internet commerce,"
says a Forrester Research analyst. "To set these proposals for Internet
taxation is remarkable. It is one of the biggest issues facing Internet
commerce." The OECD group plans to address issues like permanent presence
-- for instance, whether the location of a server or Web site implies
permanent presence for the purposes of taxation -- during the next year.
(TechWeb 10 Oct 98)
DIRECT MAIL GROUP MERGES WITH WEB MARKETERS
The Direct Marketing Association is taking over the Association of
Interactive Media, in an effort to adapt its bulk-mailing techniques to
cyberspace. Many of DMA's 4,100 members currently restrict their
activities to snail mail, but are eager to use the Internet to get their
messages out. "They certainly have an interest in finding out how to do
things effectively," says the president of DMA. "This acquisition is
going to provide for a technology exchange between the two groups." The
acquisition has alarmed some privacy advocates who shudder at the thought
of unleashing the junk mail experts on the Internet. "The DMA's attitude
is to spam the consumers until they scream, and that's not the way things
are done in cyberspace," says the president of New Jersey-based
Junkbusters Corp. "In cyberspace, the consumer finds the seller, not the
other way around." (Wall Street Journal 12 Oct 98)
AMD'S NEW CHIP IS NOT OFF THE OLD (INTEL) BLOCK
Advanced Micro Devices will break new ground next year with a K7
microprocessor that is not patterned after the industry-standard Pentium
II. "The K7 is the greatest move away from the Intel architecture that
AMD has ever attempted," says an analyst at SoundView Technology Group.
"They're going down some unpaved ground here." The K7, aimed at the
high-end computer market, will fit into the same slot as a Pentium II,
but its interface is different, requiring specially designed motherboards
and chipsets. Support from other chipset makers will be key to the K7's
success, say industry experts, but "it's a chicken-and-egg situation,"
says one analyst. If the K7 does well in the market, companies likely
will support it -- but it is also dependent on that support to do well.
(Investor's Business Daily 13 Oct 98)
HATCHING A HIGH-TECH INCUBATOR
Thursday's opening of the Business Technology Center in Altadena, Calif.,
marks the debut of the largest high-tech incubator in the state. The
40,000-square-foot center will house between 30 and 50 start-up
companies, mostly software and Internet firms, some of which are spinoffs
from Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. Incubators assist
small businesses in developing business plans, identifying funding
sources, and networking into the local business community. "We wanted to
reinvigorate the high-tech industry, which had taken such a hit because
of defense downsizing," says the manager of regional economic development
for the L.A. County Community Development Commission. "The Business
Technology Center lends itself to an emerging technology corridor from
Cal Poly Pomona to the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte to Caltech to
the Huntington Medical Research Institutes in Pasadena, then to the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and all the way out to the media gulch in Glendale
and Burbank." (Los Angeles Times 12 Oct 98)
AMAZON TO LAUNCH BOOK SITES IN THE U.K., GERMANY
Amazon.com is poised to expand its Web presence, opening two new sites in
the U.K. and Germany. Amazon's move comes on the heels of German media
giant Bertelsmann's announcement that it will purchase 50% of the
Internet sales unit of Barnes & Noble for $200 million.
Barnesandnoble.com plans to sell foreign language books via Books Online,
the online bookseller that Bertelsmann will launch next month in Germany,
France, the U.K. and Benelux. Amazon has timed its European debut to
preempt the opening of Books Online, and plans to extend to European
customers the same discounting strategy that has proven so effective in
its U.S. sales efforts. (Financial Times 12 Oct 98)
AUDIO BANNER ADS FROM VALUECLICK
Online advertising firm ValueClick is now offering to place banner ads
that play sound in a variety of formats, including Broadcast.com's,
RealNetworks' and InterVU's. The ads will include small animated GIFs and
a section that says, "Click here to listen." When users clicks on that
banner, it will transport them to another site that checks for plug-ins
and plays the audio. The ads could be suite effective, says a Jupiter
Research analyst, because audio increases emotional reactions to ads:
"The real challenge will be having publishers accept this form of
advertising." Many users become annoyed by technically complex media
gimmicks that slow their download times or cause other technical
problems. (TechWeb 13 Oct 98)
IBM & REALNETWORKS JTO OFFER TRAINING/PRESENTATION PRODUCTS
In a joint venture of the two companies, IBM's Lotus Notes and Domino
"groupware" products that allow a number of people to work together on
the same documents will be combined with RealNetworks' RealSystem G2
audio and video technology. The purpose of the venture is to produce a
product that can be used by companies for presentation and training
sessions. (New York times 13 Oct 98)
APPLE TURNAROUND
Apple earned $106 million in its fourth quarter and has enjoyed its first
profitable year since 1995. Apple cofounder and chief executive Steve
Jobs said, "For today at least, we're going to stop and smell the roses."
The company's success has been attributed largely to the popularity of
its new consumer product, the $1,299 iMac promoted as a computer designed
for easy access to the Internet. (New York Times 15 Oct 98)
HOUSE APPROVES Y2K BILL
The U.S. House of Representative has voted 407-3 to authorize the
president's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion to take control of
computer systems of critical agencies if they're unlikely to be able to
avert a crisis because of the Year 2000 software problem, in which old
programs using 2-digit codes for years will be unable to do correct
date-based calculations. The Senate has not yet voted on the measure. (AP
13 Oct 98)
SENATE APPROVES BILL INCREASING HIGH-TECH WORKER VISAS
After blocking the legislation last week, the Senate approved a measure
nearly doubling the number of visas issued to high-tech workers over the
next three years. The bill was included as part of the omnibus spending
package approved late Tuesday. The number of visas will increase from
65,000 to 115,000 by 2001, after which it will drop to 65,000 again. The
House approved the legislation, which has been a high priority for
Silicon Valley executives, last month. (Wall Street Journal 14 Oct 98)
JOURNAL PIONEERS ONLINE COMMENTARY
The British journal, BMJ, is testing a new kind of article review. The
paper, "The Metamorphosis of Biomedical Journals," was authored by a
professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and has already
been rejected for publication by The Journal of the American Medical
Association, Nature Medicine and The New England Journal of Medicine.
Visitors to the BMJ site ( http://www.bmj.com ) can read the paper, post
their comments and read other's opinions about it. Based on those
comments and the evaluation of traditional peer reviewers, BMJ will
decide later this year whether to publish it in its print journal. "I
don't believe in the conventional process of peer review," says author
Ronald LaPorte. "This is the model of how scholarly publishing should be
done." Other scholars are not so sure: "Raw articles are not worth
people's attention," says a professor of psychology who operates a Web
site on cognitive science. "They're not worth sending out to gazillions
of people. This is no way to run a journal." (Chronicle of Higher
Education 16 Oct 98)
INTERNET PROVIDER NOT LIABLE FOR MESSAGES OF ITS CUSTOMERS
An appeals court in Florida has ruled against a woman who sued America
Online because one of its customers, a convicted sex offender, used an
AOL chat group to try to sell the woman's 11-year-old son a pornographic
video. The court said that federal law protects online services from
being held liable for the messages transmitted by their members sell the
videotape of the boy. The defeated lawsuit, which is being appealed to
the Supreme Court, tried to characterize America Online as "a home
shopping network for pedophiles and child pornographers." (AP/Washington
Post 15 Oct 98)
TRANSFORMING THE NETWORK MARKET
Piyush Patel, senior VP of engineering at Cabletron Systems, predicts an
almost-exclusively-data network market in just a few years: "If you look
at the last 10 years and what's happened in the network market, the
Internet is growing at 1,000% per year and voice is growing at about 10%
a year. I think six years from now, the voice market will be 2% of the
network and the Internet will be 98%." (Investor's Business Daily 15 Oct
98)
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS OPENS COLLECTION OF WEB DATA
As part of its collection, Library of Congress has created 44 tapes that
contain in two terabytes (equivalent in total to about 2,000 copies of
the Encyclopedia Britannica) the entire contents of the World Wide Web in
the months of January and February 1997. Librarian Robert Zich says:
"Every week 1 percent of all Web pages are removed or changed. But some
of them are there just as they were in 1994 when we first started.'' The
tapes can be seen at http://www.alexa.com (AP 13 Oct 98)
VALUE-ADDED CONTENT IS KING
Gartner Group analyst David Smith predicts that by 2003, the Internet
will become the predominant mechanism for conducting business -- either
to consumers or between businesses. "The Internet was an earthquake, and
now we're dealing with the aftershocks. We are at the beginning of the
effect of the Internet on society and electronic commerce." And while he
declares the "content is king" idea dead, he says that the key to success
on the Web will be value-added content, for which consumers will pay
subscriptions or pay-per-view fees. In addition, Smith predicts that by
2004, most corporations will start becoming enterprise service providers,
and will begin managing Internet access as an integral part of the
company networking strategy with both Intranet and extranet business
services. (TechWeb 15 Oct 98)
MOST-VISITED WEB SITES
According to the Media Matrix market research company, here are the
most-visited Web sites (and number of visitors shown in millions) for
August, the last month tabulated: AOL, 57.8; Yahoo, 27.3; Microsoft,
26.4; Netscape, 18.7; GeoCities, 16.7; Excite, 14.9; Infoseek, 12.3;
Lycos, 11.8; AltaVista, 9.6; MSN, 9.0. (Investor's Business Daily 14 Oct
98)
NEW!
[BITSBYTES.GIF (64527 bytes)]
by R. F. Mariano
Depthsounders, Radar, GPS etc., whatever became of Dead Reckoning??
People began to realize that, in addition to knowing how to use DR, the
electronic age was far superior and infinitely more accurate. Having
been on the water for well over twenty years, I find myself in a bit of a
quandary. When I was a young man, I was taught by one of the best. My
uncle. He held a Master's License and I might add, knew his stuff. As
I would operate the boat (a 68 foot party fishing boat) he would be in
the wheelhouse with me and was always watching me carefully. He would
make certain that every mistake brought a cuff in the back of the neck.
Believe me, I learned quickly and never forgot my lessons. When I say
dead reckoning, I mean using course, time and speed. In those days, one
used the tachometer and called the rpm speed. Everyone who cares to
operate a boat, in my humble opinion, should know how to use DR and only
then should they learn how to use electronic navigational aids. NOT the
other way 'round. It will, in the long run, make the difference between
the utmost fun or heartbreaking tragedy.
With that said, I must admit I am an electronics junkie. I firmly
believe in the use of such in a boat. From a strong performing VHF to an
accurate Depth Sounder that'll put you on the right bottom and show you
the fish. The GPSMAP 235 is quite the device. In the next few weeks we
shall put this puppy through its paces. Both in the deep going after
Grouper and on the flats chasing Speckled Trout and Red Drum. In either
case, you'll be right there with us.
[garmin.gif (9279 bytes)]
The GPSMAP 235 Sounder really offers three products in one: a GPS
receiver, a chartplotter, and a fishfinder. You won't need to duplicate
technology to enjoy your sport to its fullest.
[gpsmap235.jpg (8877 bytes)]
This unit features dual-frequency operation that provides a clear image
in both deep and shallow water--1,200 feet in saltwater and
freshwater--all from one transducer. GARMIN's exclusive See-ThruTM
technology lets the GPSMAP 235 Sounder hear both weak and strong signals
at the same time, giving it tremendous dynamic range. The result is a
4-level grayscale display that shows strong fish returns even when fish
are inside structure and thermoclines. Over 25 square inches of active
viewing area gives you sizable detail coverage. The electroluminescent,
backlit screen measures an impressive 7.25" diagonally, yet the unit
itself is slim enough-a mere 2.57" deep-for discreet and easy bulkhead
flush mounting. A variable zoom window allows you to view increased
detail at the touch of a button. You can even mark underwater waypoints
to capture the position and depth of objects like reefs, dropoffs, or
hazards and permanently store them for future use. The GPSMAP 235
Sounder: It's everything you need for fishing in any condition.
Florida Anglers Are Seeing RED
[redfish.gif (36184 bytes)]
If redfish weren't native to Florida waters, anglers would be pressuring
the marine biologists to invent such a fish. Properly, they should be
called red drum, but just say "reds" and anyone in Florida will know what
you're talking about. Reds can be caught in every coastal county of
Florida. They take live, natural, and artificial baits, whether fished on
the bottom, at mid-depths, or at the surface, and could care less whether
you're using fly, spinning, or casting rods. True, they don't jump, but
sizable redfish make long runs and pull with a tenacity that can cramp
your hands and make your shoulders hurt, while at the same time saying,
"Isn't this great?" And finally, if you're hungry for fish, their flesh
is firm and sweet-tasting_fried, baked, broiled, or blackened.
All but the neophytes at angling remember that redfish nearly disappeared
in the mid-80's, but fisheries managers at both the state and federal
level instituted conservation measures that have brought a rebirth to
this important fishery. On a statewide basis, redfish are now our most
dependable inshore catch. The near-loss of this cherished fishery,
followed by its joyous renascence, has given thoughtful anglers a new
attitude toward these copper-clad battlers. Anglers are more willing to
curb their greed, and be satisfied with one 4-pounder instead of
insisting on a cooler full of juveniles. Gamefish status and the one-fish
bag limit has had another curious effect: it has created a
catch-and-release fishery with three different aspects.
First, responsible anglers who catch undersized fish release them with
greater care, making sure they survive to be caught again. Second, some
people release fish after fish of whatever size, thinking the next one
may be the big one to take home. And most important, the assurance that
reds bear no price tag encourages a growing number of anglers to release
all of them, with the rationale that their value as sport is greater than
their worth as food.
Redfish enter the offshore spawning population at about 30 inches, and
are protected in federal waters. Those below that size are an inshore
fish, hanging around oyster bars, swash channels, tidal creeks, and
hard-bottom grass flats. They grow fast, and the nine-inch window in the
18- to 27-inch slot limit exposes them to harvest for less than one year.
Those above and below the slot are catch-and-release all the time. Along
with bonefish, permit and tarpon, reds have prompted runaway sales of
flats boats, high-tech vessels that float in eight inches of water or
less. Reds, however, are not class-conscious, and those with any small
boat can get where they are. Low tide, rather than high, is the time to
fish for them. Low water pulls the fish off the shallower flats,
concentrating their numbers, and also makes them visible. Boats that draw
little water are great, but once you're near the fish, staking out the
boat and wading is more fun
You need polarized glasses and a wide-brimmed hat, both for better vision
and for protection against the glare of the sun. When looking for fish,
act like there's no water there, but merely a pane of clear fluid between
you and the quarry. Reds ghost along, gliding smoothly, stopping now and
then to root a crab out of its hideyhole. This makes them tip forward,
and if the fish is appreciably longer than the water's depth its tail
pops up in view. On a calm day this can be seen from several hundred
feet. In profile, the redfish's tail is squared off, reddish in color,
its margin outlined in blue. Sheepshead are on the same flats, and also
tail, but their caudal fins are nearly colorless, or tinged with green.
Black drum show their much darker tails when feeding.
In bonefish country, tailing reds can easily be distinguished from
tailing bones by the latter's widely forked tail. Much of the time you
will see only the top lobe of a bonefish's tail. When reds are hungry,
the entire tail is exposed, including the eye-like spot at its base. Jim
Dupre, a Gainesville-based redfish guide, says, "Sometimes reds tip up
until they get vertical and then nose over, before they right
themselves." Tailing reds are feeding reds. Waste no time, and move
toward them quietly. Approach no nearer than the length of your maximum
cast. The redfish have probably seen dozens of boats, and from
familiarity might be able to identify the manufacturer of your gold
spoon, so they're not reckless. If you're wading, crouch down as you get
nearer, to reduce the height of your profile.
Once a red is hooked, the others seem to lose their caution. They mill
about the hooked fish, some trying to get the lure out of the mouth of
the unlucky one. If the second angler can get a bait near the excited
fish, a double is nearly assured. Fly rodders use this technique
deliberately. Spinning outfits can throw a spoon much farther than most
anglers can toss a fly. The person with the spoon hooks the fish and
brings the school closer to the boat, the fly rodder casts a streamer
into their midst, and the resulting bedlam is long remembered. Two
anglers once found a school of feeding reds in the air-clear water off
Crystal River. One of them had an underwater video recorder and taped the
behavior of hooked and released fish in great detail.
When hooked, reds of less than 3 pounds did a lot of head-shaking and
tail-twisting, and if hooked in the lower jaw scraped their chins along
the bottom. Bigger redfish acted surprised when first hooked, moving
about aimlessly, but as soon as they realized they were in trouble, they
seemed to square their shoulders and take off on a hard run. As their
strength ebbed, they faltered and appeared to lose equilibrium, often
coming toward the surface. After that, they got into head-shaking, much
like the younger fish did when first hooked. There was also a pattern in
the behavior of released reds. First they dived for the shadow of the
boat, even though the water was less than 3 feet deep. They rested,
sometimes tilting from side to side while shock wore off. Then they
darted away, always in the direction of the school. They knew right where
their buddies were.
With the onset of cool weather in the fall, redfish move into tidal
creeks, deep passes, and the coastal rivers. Once they enter
tannin-stained water, their drab tints of red deepen to glistening
coppery bronze, a color that would be inspirational to the most jaded
artist. That must have been when the person who named them "redfish"
first saw them. Save some film for photographing cold-weather reds;
that's when they're pretty as a newly-minted penny.
No, biologists, anglers don't need a new species; they already have
redfish.
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The Linux Advocate
Column #23
October 16th, 1998
by Scott Dowdle
dowdle@icstech.net
ICQ UIN: 15509440
LOGIN:
Hello again. I've actually started getting some email feedback from some
column readers. Wow, some people actually read this column? :) I just
wanted to say thanks to Edmund Horner, Bob Carpenter and John Helms for
sending me some email. Bob and I actually got into a discussion about
ApplixWare and KDE and I hope to twist his arm gently enough to get him to
write an article or two for this column. If I had a prize to send out to
you guys I would.
I'm trying to do a better job of what I present in the news section. A few
months ago one would see a couple of articles about Linux a week. Then it
went to a dozen or so a week. Now it's to the point where there are usually
five or more press articles about Linux per day and it is just too much to
keep up with both for me and column readers. I'm not sure how long Linux is
going to remain the darling of the computer industry press but while the
traffic is so busy, I'll flatly ignore any columns that don't provide any
new information. I think I've had my fill of "What is Linux?" columns.
While I didn't get around to writing any spotlight pieces myself, I did
borrow a few for your reading pleasure.
NEWS:
Item #1: Oracle has announced that it will ship and support a Linux
distribution - That's the lead story this week over at the Linux Weekly
News site. At press time it appears that Oracle is in the process of
picking a Linux distribution to include with their database software
although they state that the Linux versions of their software will run on
all of the popular Linux distributions so it won't be tied to the one they
pick. My guess is that they will go with either Red Hat or Caldera although
it's about time Debian got the attention it deserves. What's exciting about
this news to me is that they say they will offer technical support for
Linux too, although no formal announcement has been made. Read the lead
story at the following URL: http://lwn.net
An additional story entitled "Oracle backs Linux to fight off Microsoft
threat," can be found at the following URL:
http://webserv.vnu.co.uk/www_user/plsql/pkg_vnu_msn.homepage?p_story=65174
Item #2: Richard Stallman: Linux's Brave GNU World - Mr. GNU speaks yet
again... this time concerning the recent announcements from Intel and
Netscape about their investments in Red Hat Software. He makes some really
good points and I actually agree with him that Linux isn't an operating
system, it's just the kernel of an operating system... although it is plain
to everyone who reads this column that I commonly refer to the "Linux
Operating System." You can read the article at the URL below and follow
along with the RealAudio clip also available.
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19981009S0019
Item #3: Bring It All Back Home - A fantastically detailed article about a
web site making some serious decisions about its future and what it decided
to use to meet its current needs as well as have scalability for the
future. I wouldn't be mentioning this unless they had chosen Linux, right?
:) This is a very well written article... on several topics that I've been
dealing with at work myself. The only flaw in the article is the author
claims that there are not any friendly text editors and that simply isn't
true. I sent him off an email telling him about one of my favorite text
editors for X named nedit and actually got a reply back from him saying
he'll check it out. Anyway, read this well done article at the following
URL: http://webreview.com/wr/pub/98/10/09/wt/backhome.html
Item #4: Another Pretty Face, For Free - The InternetWeek column on TechWeb
was devoted to the developing GUIs for Linux. The article focuses mostly on
GNOME but does mention the friction that exists between GNOME and KDE...
which I've mentioned a few times in previous LA columns. There is not much
new in this article but if you are not already familiar with the GUI
developments going on for Linux, this is worth your reading time. You can
find the article at the following URL:
http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?INW19981012S0042
Item #5: Unix Wars, Part Deux - A "Mac Skeptic" mentions a previous article
where he glossed over Linux and BeOS as he focused on the upcoming MacOS
X... which ended giving him the most email responses he has ever gotten. He
decided to take a closer look at Linux and actually calls it, "The most
important software in the world today." He breaks down the history of
software into three waves and calls Linux the leader of the third wave. I
happen to like this article even though the author seems to get a little
confused by separating the GNU Free Software Foundation movement and that
of Linux... they are really related (see Richard Stallman news item above).
Check it out at the following URL:
http://macopinion.com/columns/macskeptic/oct98/981009.html
SPOTLIGHT: Cathedrals, Bazaars and the Town Council
I originally saw the following piece posted on slashdot.org but have since
noticed it on on a few other sites as well. Aiding this piece in getting
spread around can't hurt. I believe I've mentioned Alan Cox before but for
any who needs an intro, Alan currently works for Red Hat Software but has a
long history as a core Linux kernel developer being responsible for such
things as the modularization of the sound drivers as well as fine tuning
many different driver sub-systems. He is also a top notch bug spotter and
fixer. Alan is one of the greater contributors to the Linux and Free
Software movements. He is also a pretty darn good writer... witness for
yourself.
(begin long quote)
Cathedrals, Bazaars and the Town Council
by Alan Cox
These are some of my thoughts on the Bazaar model that I figure are worth
sharing. Its also a guide to how to completely screw up a free software
project. I've picked a classic example of what I think is best dubbed the
"Town Council" effect (although town councillors may think otherwise).
There are certain things you have to understand about software developers.
The first thing to understand is that really good programmers are
relatively unusual. Not only that but the difference between a true "real
programmer" and the masses is significantly greater than that between
"great" and "average" in many other professions. Studies have quoted 30 to
1 differences in productivity between the best and the rest.
Secondly you need to understand that a lot of the wannabe real programmers
are very good at having opinions. Many of them also catch buzzword disease
or have some speciality they consider the "one true path". On the Internet
talk is cheap.
The third part of any software project is what we shall call "the masses".
They range between people who don't program but contribute massively in
other areas - documentation, helping users and artwork to the sort of
people that are often used to argue that you should require a license to
connect to the Internet.
The project I'm going to take as an example of how to screw up completely
is the Linux 8086 project. Porting a subset of Linux to the 8086 is one of
the worlds more pointless exercises on the whole, and something that
started as a joke and got out of hand.
There are a very small number of real programmers with the time and the
right (or is that wrong) kind of mental state to contribute to a project
whose sole real worth is "Hack Value". As a result of this at any given
time the project has two or three core contributing people.
Unfortunately there are a lot of people who think it would be neat to run
Linux on an 8086 who feel obliged to "take part". Most of them in this case
are in the "wannabe programmer" category as the masses spotted the "silly"
factor of the project from a safe distance.
The problem that started to arise was the arrival of a lot of (mostly well
meaning) and dangerously half clued people with opinions - not code,
opinions. They knew enough to know how it should be written but most of
them couldn't write "hello world" in C. So they argue for weeks about it
and they vote about what compiler to use and whether to write one - a year
after the project started using a perfectly adequate compiler. They were
busy debating how to generate large model binaries while ignoring the
kernel swapper design.
Linux 8086 went on, the real developers have many of the other list members
in their kill files so they can communicate via the list and there are
simply too many half clued people milling around. It ceased to be a bazaar
model and turns into a core team, which to a lot of people is a polite word
for a clique. It is an inevitable defensive position in the circumstances.
In the Linux case the user/programmer base grew slowly and it grew from a
background group of people who did contribute code and either had a basis
in the original Minix hacking community or learned a few things the hard
way reboot by reboot. As the project grew people who would have turned into
"The committee for the administration of the structural planning of the
Linux kernel" instead got dropped in an environment where they were
expected to deliver and where failure wasn't seen as a problem. To quote
Linus "show me the source".
If someone got stuck they posted questions and there was and is a
sufficiently large base that someone normally has both the time and the
knowledge to reply. In the Linux8086 case the developers had long since
walled themselves off. Given a better ratio of active programmers to
potentially useful wannabe programmers would have rapidly turned some of
the noise into productivity. The project would have gained more useful
programmers and they in turn would have taught others. As with any learning
exercise you are better off having only a few trainees.
There is an assumption some people make that you can't turn the "lesser
programmers" into real programmers. From personal experience in the Linux
project there are plenty of people who given a little help and a bit of
confidence boosting will become one with the best. There are many who won't
but enough that will. [1]
The Linux 8086 project has mostly recovered from its 'infestation' and is
now a small quiet project, using CVS trees and led by Alastair Riddoch who
has been doing a sterling job. With the town councillors De-camped its now
possible to ask questions, join in and help the project. The lessons from
this project, and others that went the same way (and sometimes died -
remember the earlier Linux word processor projects) are fairly clear:
Release code right from the start. It doesn't matter if its not very
useful. The best way to sort a town council is to simply do the job then
tell them it has been done. Linux, KDE and GNOME have all taken this
attitude and all done well from it. You can argue about the right way to
program for a lifetime. Once there is code out there people (whatever their
skill) can play with it.
Appreciate there are people who with a bit of help will contribute very
much to a project. If their first patches are buggy don't put them down,
explain why there is a problem and suggest solutions or places to look for
examples of solutions. Every minute spent answering real questions helping
someone work on a project will be paid back ten-fold to the project, and
incalculably to society. Don't forget non programmers. I find it sad that
many people when asked "name the most important five Linux kernel people"
rarely name some of the most important folk of all - the all to forgotten
people who maintain web sites, change logs, mailing lists and documentation
are as important.
Linus says "Show me the code". That is a narrow view of a real project.
When you hear "I'd love to help but I can't program", you hear a
documenter. When they say "But English is not my first language" you have a
documenter and translator for another language.
Try and separate useful people from the noise. It is hard to separate
people trying to help from a mass of pointless discussion and in the Linux
8086 case I definitely did the wrong thing by giving up on that goal. How
to remove just those who talk and do not do anything is a research topic
8).
So next time someone wants to vote on a project, or discuss issues for a
month and then implement it - be warned. They may end up with the right
solution. The odds are however in your favour for carrying on regardless.
Just ask them to send you a patch when it works.
Beware "We should", extend a hand to "How do I"...
Alan
[1] As an example of this claim the original author of the Linux IPv6 code
used to sit on irc from Portugal playing with a few basic ideas and asking
questions. After we helped him figure some of the kernel internals he wrote
probably 75% of the Linux IPv6 stack and was last seen working in the USA
for cisco.
(end long quote)
SPOTLIGHT: Compaq Announces Linux Support
This brief spotlight was a little too big to be a news item so I made it a
spotlight. The following passage was borrowed from the Linux Resources site
and I originally saw a link for it on slashdot.org.
(begin long quote)
Compaq Announcement at Decus
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Compaq Computer Corp. announced at the Decus shows in Paris, France and in
Los Angeles, California that it plans to extend its support of the Linux
operating system to include Intel as well as the Alpha platforms, and is in
the process of putting together a comprehensive program of support for
Linux.
Compaq will provide support in several ways:
* Working with the Linux community to port Linux to new platforms
* Qualification of Linux on both Intel and Alpha platforms
* Providing selected platforms with no license, specifically for Linux
and other freely available operating systems
* Working with the Linux community and distributions to provide
world-wide telephone and hardware support
* Porting selected Compaq software products to both Intel and Alpha
platforms
Compaq also plans to increase Linux support through its extensive channels
partner programs in order to provide the broadest possible selection of
products and solutions.
Welcome aboard, Compaq!
(end long quote)
LOGOUT:
Well, I haven't placed my order for the upgrade to ApplixWare 4.4.1 yet but
I am planning on doing so today. I hope to have some future material
contributed by column readers if I can talk them into it. Anyone want to
write up something about a piece of software they use on Linux or some
project they solved with Linux? I can hunt down Internet news resources
easily and present them here in the column but I think items written by
non-professionals (like me) tend to be more interesting and they also get
more people involved which is always a plus. If anyone has any story ideas
or suggestions, feel free to send me some email. Enjoy!
Scott Dowdle
Pet Peeves
Ex-president Bush sees Republican victory in 2000
TOKYO (Reuters) - George Bush, former President of the United States,
said Thursday he expects the Republican party to win the next U.S.
Presidential election in 2000. "I believe the Republicans will capture
the White House in the year 2000, for a lot of reasons," he told a group
of Japanese business leaders, without elaborating. Although he said he
felt his son, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, was a good candidate, Bush said
he would have to first be selected from a field of Republican candidates
likely to include Dan Quayle as well as several others. Asked if he had
any advice for President Bill Clinton, currently facing a potential
impeachment inquiry, he declined to comment in detail but did say he was
"very concerned."
Old Georgie Boy must have a helluva crystal ball or, he simply hasn't
realized he lost the last presidential election. Here, we find him
running off in Japan about how well the Republican party is gonna do.
Hahhahhah! The only thing the Republican Party is going to do is prove
that hateful politics yields a most severe backlash from voters. George
also yaps about the next Presidential Election like he has "plans" for
his son, the governor of Texas. Hah! if he is anything like either his
father George or his brother "Jeb".... he's already lost the election.
Do a little checking you'll be surprised at some the questions that'll
pop up like.... are the voters satisfied with his performance in Texas??
Has the question of trust in the electoral process and vote counts in
Texas ever come up? Why is there such vicious lawlessness in Texas??
Then we see OLE Georgie jump up and act like he KNOWS something the rest
of the world doesn't know about the Clinton Administration and its
current "orchestrated" sex problems. Sure he does... after all, he WAS
the head of the CIA... and it was Clinton who defeated Bush. rfm...
Netscape wins office browsers
Netscape Communications' Navigator has increased its lead over
Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the primary browser used in North
American corporations, according to a new study. According to the report
released Thursday by Zona Research, 60% of the 113 enterprises questioned
said they use Netscape's Navigator as their default browser, compared to
40% which said they use Internet Explorer. Zona's study contradicts
research released last month by International Data Corp., which found
that Navigator's market share dropped from just over half the installed
base at the end of 1997 to two-fifths by mid-year 1998.
Duh!! Since when and where?? Is this "according to" anything like the
old, "according to Hoyle" or, is it just a comfy phrase to help SELL an
idea?? Who really cares if NS is the preferred browser or not? What
really should be asked is: "Is your browser of choice actually doing the
things you want it to?"
Better yet.... where do all these so-called information gatherers get
this highly volatile, ultra reliable information? Zona??? From
Carona?? What's the story here?? I have no idea where they get their
info and I'm willing to bet they went out on the street and asked some
twenty five or so business-like appearing people; "which browser do you
use"? Upon this "info" they come forward with a "study." Study
schmuddy! From Dataquack to Zona we now have almost the entire alphabet
covered with hot air magicians that have a tendancy to sway the
weak-minded market, change fickle public opinion and give rise to the
making or breaking of any product out there. It's time the general
population and of course the computer users began to think for themselves
once again. Whatever happened to the open forums? The friendly chats by
the water cooler? The easy banter over lunch? These demographic yahoos
are, without a doubt, the biggest rumor mongers to ever hit the ether.
They are, for the most part, usually wrong. When they want to lend real
credibility to what they are proffering... they say: "Industry Analysts
say".... Notice how the word analyst is made up as anal-yst. All that's
missing in the second half of the word is a "c". Then the word fits 99%
of the so-called "demographic pros" "anal-cyst". rfm...
The Kids Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parents point of view
Frank Says:
This old magazine has been dominated with political editorial comment
over the last few months. I have felt that it was a bit out of place in a
computer magazine, but Ralph is the publisher and he decides the content
of STReport. So with that in mind, next week Ill have a
politically-oriented editorial right here. It isnt going to be on the
Clinton saga. It is intended to be totally non-partisan and I hope it
will get everyone to think. By the way, if anyone would like to comment
on this column, please send e-mail to fsereno@uti.com for now. Seems I
lost the password for my streport.com mailbox. Mea culpa!
Featured Review
[Pacf.gif (191485 bytes)]
Print Artist Craft Factory
Windows95 CD-ROM
About $20
Knowledge Adventure, Inc.
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
(800) 545-7677
www.KnowledgeAdventure.com
Program Requirements
OS: Windows 95
CPU: 486 DX2/66
HD Space: 32 MB
Memory: 16 MB
Graphics: 640 x 480, 256 colors
CD-ROM: Quad-speed
Audio: 16-bit sound card
Other: printer
Review by Frank Sereno fsereno@uti.com
Parents, if you are looking for a fun and easy way to unleash your
childs creativity, youll be quite pleased with Print Artist Craft
Factory from Knowledge Adventure. This CD-ROM includes hundreds of
projects in more than 40 categories, thousands of cool clip art images
and more. Kids will quickly and easily construct their own board games,
busines cards, airplanes, party supplies, greeting cards, etc. It also
includes a sample supply of Avery Kids paper products to make reusable
stickers and other projects.
Based on Sierras Print Artist, the program has been simplified for
younger users, yet it still contains much of the power of the adult
version. The interface moves the user through each step of the creative
process of each craft project. Just click on an icon to make the project.
You can choose to print a project as it exists on the CD-ROM, modify an
existing project or build one completely from scratch. You can even
import or scan your own graphics into the program. As the user selects
different items on the screen, the available options will change.
Numerous graphics and text options allow for artistic expression and
creativity. If your child has difficulty with the programs icons,
audible help is available by clicking on the question mark icon or right
clicking on an icon.
Print Artist Craft Factory comes with a very complete and competent
manual. It includes step-throughs on creating several projects, plus a
pictorial listing of the graphics available on the disc. While it is
rated for children 5 and up, I recommend helping your youngster with the
program for several projects before letting him play on his own. While
printers are fun, the consumables are VERY expensive.
With winter blahs fast approaching (or even on a rainy day), Print Artist
Craft Factory can be a wonderful diversion. With a few suggestions from
you and the nearly endless variety of projects in the program, children
will find many hours of creative fun. This disc comes with a $10 rebate
offer and a 90-day 100% satisfaction guarantee. Print Artist Craft
Factory has been a very popular product in my household and I am sure
your family will enjoy it too.
Corel Gallery 1,000,000
Corel Corporation
for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0
[Corel Gallery Box Shot.gif (9041 bytes)]
Suggested Retail Price -- $129 US
Estimated Retail Price -- $99.95
http://www.corel.com
Review by Donna Lines (dlines@uti.com)
Corel Gallery 1,000,000 is a GIGANTIC collection of high quality
clipart, royalty-free photos, sounds, videos, animations, fonts, and web
images on 14 CD-ROMs. Included are 815,000+ web images, 140,000 vector
clipart images, 60,000 photos, 1,000+ fonts, 530+ sounds, and 125 videos.
Also included is the WebSpice. Collection, a special collection of images
that users can use to create Web pages. The WebSpice. Collection includes
arrows and buttons; backgrounds; bullets; and rules. Thats not all --
Corel has included Photo House 2.1, the easy-to-use photo-editing
software that allows you to alter and enhance your digital images in a
myriad of ways. It features over 30 image enhancements and special
effects, from the very practical red-eye reduction or dust/scratch
remover to the fascinating twist or pinch effects.
Corel Gallery 1,000,000 features a powerful search engine that makes it
easy for the user to find just the right image for a project. Using the
Search Page, just enter what youre looking for -- such as "cat", then
select the type of image you need. For example, say youd like to see
both clipart and photo images of cats, choose "all categories". If you
search on "cat" in "all categories", the search finds over 1000 files.
Since the program will only list the first 1,000 images, you will want to
restrict your search. You can narrow your search by typing in more
specific information, such as "Siamese cat", and choose to match all
keywords. This time the program returns 12 clipart and photo files. The
filenames listed will tell you which CD contains the images -- i.e.,
7:458085.wi indicates photo image 458085 is on CD 7, while 9:Anim261.ccx
is a clipart image on CD 9.
The Browse Page allows you to view thumbnails (low resolution versions)
of the images on the current CD-ROM. You can open an image by
double-clicking it. This will launch Photo House, where you can view and
change the image. One quirk about the program is that every time you
double-click an image, another copy of Photo House will launch. This can
use up system resources quickly. A better way to view multiple images is
to drag and drop them into Photo House, CorelDRAW, or a similar
program. You can also search for an image by looking through the color
thumbnails in the user manual. Once you determine the image you wish to
use, make a note of the category at the top of the page/section. Next
check the Table of Contents in the front of the clipart section of the
guide to find the corresponding CD number. A word of caution: the first
edition of the user guide contained errors wherein the CD numbers were
not listed for the categories in the Table of Contents. Corel has
corrected the error and is now shipping the corrected user guide. Corel
should also make this information available on their web site for those
who received the first edition. Corel could improve the user guide by
providing the corresponding CD number at the top of each category/section
on the clipart page. Understandably, due to the size of this collection,
there are also numerous files not documented in the user guide - 60,000
photos, many clipart images, and the WebSpice. interactive content.
The clipart images are saved in Corel Compressed Exchange file format
(CCX), and the photos in Wavelet Compressed Bitmap (WI) format, which can
be simply dragged and dropped from Corel Gallery 1,000,000s user
interface into many of your favorite applications. If you require a
different image format, Corel Gallery can convert the image to a number
of different file formats including Windows Bitmap (BMP), Paintbrush
(PCX), Adobe Photoshop (PSD), Tiff Bitmap (TIF), Wavelet Compressed
Bitmap (WI), CompuServe Bitmap (GIF), JPEG Bitmaps (JPG), Corel
Photo-Paint Image (CPT), Corel Presentation Exchange (CMX), etc.
The WebSpice. Collection contains GIF images for use in HTML Web pages.
Many of the images can be accessed directly by browsing CDs 2 - 6. There
is also an interactive program to help you select Web images. To access
the interactive guide, place CD #2 in the drive, and select "WebSpice
Startup" from the Corel Gallery menu. WebSpice will start your browser
(you must be connected to the Internet to use this feature). From the
WebSpice menu you may select arrows, backgrounds, rules, or buttons by
first selecting the style of the object, then the size, and finally the
color. You then save your selection to your computer for importation into
your HTML editor. I found the program to be very straight forward and
user friendly. (Corel has included a 15% off coupon good towards
purchases of other WebSpice products.)
During the review period, I received the following error message when I
double-clicked an image, and Photo House was launched: "Cannot find the
file (the file name) or one of its components. Make sure the path and
filename are correct and all the required libraries are available." The
image would load properly in Photo House 2.1, but I found the error
message annoying. Deleting Photo House 2.0 (included with Corel Print
House Magic Deluxe) from the system and rebooting corrected the problem.
The first edition of the user guide also did not have installation
instructions, this has also been addressed in the new edition.
I found the program to be user friendly and easy to navigate. The search
feature is very simple and a great tool, especially if youre short on
time. This is the most comprehensive collection of photos, clipart, and
Web images to date. You would be hard-pressed to find a more complete
collection of high quality images compatible with most software. I highly
recommend this product, it is well worth the asking price.
System Requirements:
486 DX or better processor; Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0; Netscape 3.0
or Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 or any browser that supports HTML 3.0;
16 MB System; SGVA Card and Monitor; mouse or tablet; and CD-ROM drive
[Image]
Special Notice!! STR Infofile File format for Articles
File Format for STReport
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rmariano@streport.com
STReport International Online Magazine
[Image] STR Editor's Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
Editor's MailBag
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
From: John O'Hare [john.ohare@convergys.com]
Sent: Monday, October 12, 1998 11:17 AM
To: rmariano@streport.com
Subject: Florida
I plan on voting straight democratic on election day, however it's sort
of sad that we live in a state which seems to blindly follow the crooked
republicans. For once I would like to see the republican's lose most of
their elections in this state. It's important that everyone votes this
year. As for Jeb Bush, I'd sooner not vote than vote for that jerk. To
bad the democrats couldn't come up with someone better than Buddy though.
That guy acts like he just fell off the turnip truck. Good Luck!
Lord knows, I couldn't agree more with you. Bush and his entourage have
some pretty neato skeletons in their closets. Elsewhere in this issue, we
have a piece that confirms my contentions that Daddy, G. H . Bush is at
the helm and...as he always has been stumping for the party and running
his mouth. Georgie boy hasn't slowed a bit I'm willing to bet he is
remotely but very directly behind all of the Demo's and Clinton's
problems, from the lack of cooperation in The House to the tape setup
with Starr, Monica and Tripp. As for Buddy Mackay and his ticket, they're
pretty good. After all, Buddy has plenty of experience in Florida
Government and he DOES know the State's needs and wants. I think he'll
do ok. As will Senator Bob Graham if re-elected. Tillie Fowler is
another Republican "party-line" puppet! She has to go.... Active
Florida Republican Politicians are so.... doggone SMUG.. they need a good
slap in the form of election losses. Oh well, don't get me "started".
Thanks for writing and of course, reading our humble offering. rfm...
[image87.gif (45316 bytes)]
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Not much to say this week. The weather has been dreary for seven straight
days (no sun) and I've felt just about the same. Autumn in New England
can be terrific, but consecutive cloudy/rainy days tend to ruin it. Mac
users should feel good that Apple had a successful quarter for a change.
If they're fortunate, they'll survive a bit longer. I'm curious as to the
outcome of the pending Microsoft case; it should be interesting.
Until the next time...
Diamond Back Owners - New Version
From: Michael White
Date: 13 Oct 1998
All,
As the new owner of Diamond Back, I'm happy to announce that there will
be a new version. I'm still in the learning and experimentation stage, so
there's still a ways yet to go (sorry, I'm not going to give any dates).
As for new features for Diamond Back 4, here's what I've got planned (not
set in stone):
* Support of Minix and VFAT file systems
* Re-structuring the tape backup to make it more robust (I've lost too
many log files to version 3.5)
* Support of Tar-format tapes
* (Maybe) CD ROM support
I know this list isn't large, but remember I'm in the learning stages.
And the Minix/VFAT stuff will require quite a bit of work (a lot of the
current code has the 8+3 stuff ingrained). The look and feel will remain
the same, except as needed to expand functionality or fix bugs. What I'd
like from current owners of Diamond Back is:
1. Any bugs you've seen (please include your system info, the backup
method used, how you've got Diamond Back's options set, your
version, etc...)
2. Any new features that -won't- require a large re-work of Diamond
Back (another file system, maybe, if it's close to Minix or VFAT;
working with a PC's tape drive under MagicPC, I kind of doubt it)
3. And yes, I do plan on keeping it a commercial product.
Note that I am also the new owner of Diamond Edge, but, I thought it
would be prudent to have a way to restore a file system -before- I start
experimenting with optimizing and repairing it. Hence the new version of
Diamond Edge will have to wait. But, if there's sufficient interest, I
can release the current version (with any current bugs it may or may not
have). I just won't be able to provide any "real" support.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
Thank you,
Michael White michael@fastlane.net
Gaming Section
* Can DreamCast Succeed?
* "H.E.D.Z."!
* "Elmo Kids"!
* "Tomb Raider"!!
* "WCW Nitro"!!
* DVD Games, RSN??
* Game Boy Color!
* And much more!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
It's going to be an incredible holiday season for gaming fans! Not only
will Sony and Nintendo be bringing out tons of new games, but new gaming
options such as Dreamcast and Game Boy Color will add to the fun. If only
Atari had had the wherewithal to capitalize on the seriousness of the
console gaming market. And I still remember the throng of people stating
that Nintendo was going to take over the market with the N64. Nintendo,
like Atari, should have realized that name recognition alone will not
bring success.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing about all of the upcoming games
and hardware to come out, and bringing that news to you. For a change,
I'm actually not jealous not owning a console other than my Jaguar; I'll
manage to save some money for a change. Maybe in the near future I'll
consider another console, but for now I'm "happy" just reporting about
them!
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Sega's Dreamcast May Not Topple Game King Sony
Sega Enterprises Ltd's new Dreamcast player will open a new front in the
lucrative home video game market, but analysts doubt whether it can erode
Sony Corp's commanding market position. Sega hopes to win market share by
introducing Dreamcast, which offers high-resolution graphics and a
64-channel sound system, in Japan on November 27. The 128-bit Dreamcast
platform, along with several new hand-set games, should be the focus of
attention at a three-day Tokyo Game Show that opened today.
Dreamcast, priced at $256, is based on Microsoft Corp's Windows CE
operating system and has Internet access capability. Sega should take the
industry lead in offering home video game hardware with communications
capability, analysts said. They said that on the back of its high-quality
graphics and attractive software line-up, which will include Capcom Co
Ltd's new Biohazard series, Dreamcast was likely to achieve its shipment
target of one million units by year-end. But they said Dreamcast might
only manage to recoup the falling market share of the 32-bit Sega Saturn
games console.
Few said Sega could beat Sony. Following its launch in Japan in December
1994, Sony's 32-bit layStation game console quickly captured the leading
position among game machines, riding a wide variety of games software. At
the end of March, PlayStation enjoyed a 55 percent global market hare,
followed by 30 percent for Nintendo Co Ltd's 64-bit Nintendo64. Sega, hit
hard by poor sales in the United States, had about 15 percent.
"I think Sony will take more than one year to introduce a new-generation
games console, so until then Dreamcast can take advantage. Its quality
graphics capability and attractive software titles may encourage buying,"
said Nobumasa Morimoto, a senior analyst at Wako Research Institute of
Economics. He said Dreamcast sales might top five million units within a
year of its launch, and good demand was expected after Sega's new model
began retailing overseas next September. "Still, I don't see any big
change in current market share structure," he said. Yuichi Kobayashi, a
New Japan Securities analyst, said he could not find an overwhelming
strength in Dreamcast.
"Sony can produce a new machine with similar functions sometime later, so
those who began gaming with PlayStation, in particular, may just wait for
Sony," he said. Nintendo, meanwhile, is going its own way. Instead of
joining the race to grab a larger slice of the home video game market,
Nintendo has built up a dominant position in hand-set game machines with
its popular Gameboy. "I think that in terms of portable game machines, no
company can beat Gameboy," said New Japan's Kobayashi.
Nintendo plans to retail a new Gameboy with a color screen in Japan on
October 21, and in overseas markets by December. The new products will be
priced at about 8,900 yen. Analysts said Nintendo's strength was based on
recent run-away sales of its popular "Pocket Monster" game a craze
among school children. Shipments had exceeded 11 million units by the end
of September, since its launch in February 1996.
Rivals have been quick to react. Sony plans to begin retailing in Japan
on December 23 a small personal digital assistant (PDA) game,
PocketStation, which can also be used as a memory card to save
PlayStation video games. PocketStation will be priced at 3,000 yen.
Nintendo Adds Color to Its "Rainbow" of Products With New Game Boy Color
Titles
Nintendo of America Inc. announced the line-up of full-color games to
launch with its new Game Boy(R) Color system in time for the height of
the holiday shopping season. The pocket-sized, portable game system
displays games in bright colors and will be available in two hardware
variations: purple and transparent purple. Set for a November 23rd
simultaneous release with Game Boy Color, the Nintendo-published titles
include:
* Tetris DX - Features Marathon, the classic Tetris game, along with
three other twists on the popular puzzler, Ultra, 40 Lines and VS, a
two-player game mode
* Pocket Bomberman - A new platform-style Bomberman adventure with
classic Bomberman game play elements
* Quest For Camelot - Based on the Warner Bros. animated film of the
same name, players collect weapons and various powerful items,
interact and battle with many of the same characters from the movie
* Game And Watch Gallery 2 - Original and updated versions of five
classic Game and Watch games: Parachute, Vermin, Chef, Donkey
Kong(R) and Helmet
In addition to the Nintendo titles, more than 10 third-party Game Boy
Color-compatible titles are expected to hit holiday store shelves next
month. The new Game Boy Color units are similar in size to the existing
Game Boy pockets, and can display up to 56 different colors
simultaneously from a 32,000-color palette. The system features a new,
proprietary technology making it possible for the screen to display sharp
and vivid graphics so you can play both indoors and outdoors and see
images clearly. Notably, Game Boy Color will play more than 1,000 titles
already released for the Game Boy system since its introduction in 1989.
"With the holidays near, Game Boy Color makes a perfect gift or stocking
stuffer," says Peter Main, Nintendo of America's executive vice
president, sales and marketing. "Game Boy pocket continues to be a hot
seller, so we expect the same will happen with Game Boy Color. This is
what consumers have been asking for."
Midway's NFL Blitz and Mortal Kombat 4 Among Game Boy Color Titles
Seven Midway Titles To Be Available for Nintendo's New Handheld Game
System - Three as System Ships in November Feel the adrenaline of San
Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing, the crush of NFL Blitz or the nostalgia
of Defender & Joust on the go! Midway Home Entertainment today announced
that seven of its most popular games will soon be available for the
Nintendo Game Boy Color system. Three of the titles will ship
simultaneously with the expected November 23 launch of Nintendo's
enhanced portable play platform. The November releases are NFL Blitz,
Mortal Kombat 4 and Rampage World Tour which will be followed later by
San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and double-packs
Spy Hunter & Moon Patrol and Defender & Joust, as well as the skateboard
sim 720 degrees.
"With over 65 million units sold worldwide and the likelihood of strong
sales of the color version, Game Boy is a great selling platform and
Midway is fully supporting it with the release of seven of our most
popular titles for the system," said Paula Cook, director of marketing
for Midway Home Entertainment. "Titles like NFL Blitz, Mortal Kombat 4,
San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Rampage World Tour have already
enjoyed great success for coin-op and home platforms. Were excited to
extend our platform independence even further." Midway's Line-Up for
November Game Boy Color Features: NFL Blitz - Based on Midways "No Refs.
No Rules. No Mercy." coin-op hit, NFL Blitz is packed with everything
fans love about NFL football. The game boasts seven-on-seven football
action with easy arcade-style controls in an everything goes version of
the NFL. An officially licensed NFL and Players Inc product, NFL Blitz
features all 30 teams, comprised of seven of the best offensive and
defensive players from each team.
Mortal Kombat 4 - Released this summer on multiple platforms, MK4
continues the carnage that has captivated both the coin-op and home
gaming community. This fight-to-the-finish slug-fest features fifteen
characters including returning favorites Sub-Zero, Sonya, Reptile, Jax
and Scorpion. MK4 features interactive arenas with hand-to-hand battle,
and the ability to steal their opponents weapons to use against them.
Rampage World Tour - Take out your frustration on this sensational smash
'em up game that has entertained coin-op and home gamers alike. Simple
enough for anyone yet full of depth and challenge to appeal to the
serious gamer, Rampage World Tour sends up to three players on a quest to
damage, demolish and destroy scores of city streets, skyscrapers and
soaring aircrafts. Secret moves help fend off the constant stream of
bullets, fire and explosives.
Sony, Nintendo Console Sales Soar After Price Cuts
Oct. 09, 1998 (Computer Retail Week - CMP via COMTEX) -- San Mateo,
Calif. - Sales of video-game systems have nearly doubled in the two
months since the Nintendo 64 and Sony's PlayStation 5000 series assumed a
lower price. According to figures from The NPD Group, Port Washington,
N.Y., unit sales of Sony and Nintendo's video-game systems increased
almost 100 percent from May to June. Analysts said the PlayStation
continues to outsell N64 by about 2-to-1. Each manufacturer dropped its
system's suggested retail price from $149 to $129 in early June.
Since the price change, PlayStation hardware and software sales have
increased by 30 percent to 100 percent, depending on the week, said Jack
Tretton, vice president of sales, Sony Computer Entertainment of America.
"The numbers are very, very hot for what would normally be about the
slowest time of the year," Tretton said. etailers report greater
video-game sales, too. "I'd say we have seen a 25 percent to 50 percent
increase," said a sales associate for a video-game store in Stockton,
Calif. The price cut jump-started stalled N64 sales, he said, but
PlayStation benefited the most. "We've completely sold out of the 5000
series," the sales associate said.
At press time, there were about 200,000 unsold 5000 series units, Tretton
said. Nintendo officials declined to comment. At the Electronic
Entertainment Expo in May, Sony said it would include the Dual Shock
Analog Controller, a force-feedback gamepad, in the PlayStation 7000 for
a $149 SRP. The 5000 series systems, which include a standard digital
controller, were marked down to $129. Following suit, Nintendo of America
lowered the N64's SRP to $129, calling it a "temporary" reduction that
would last through September. Despite the cuts, both companies continued
their minimum advertised price of $149. Nintendo has since reduced its
MAP to $129, fueling speculation that the price move is a permanent one,
retailers said. Tretton said Sony's $149 MAP policy will stay in effect
for all PlayStation systems, but he said that a price change this fall
for the 7000 series is possible.
DVD-ROM Watershed: No Time Soon Software
Oct. 05, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WEEK, Vol. 7, No. 39 via COMTEX) -- Don't
expect even 10 percent of the new PC titles out for the holiday selling
season to be DVD-ROMs. The software's evolution has been so much slower
than expected, industry watchers are uncertain if the media will take off
enough in the next 12 months to make Christmas '99 a blockbuster DVD-ROM
season.
"A few companies are putting a toe into the water; that's about it," said
Ann Stephens, principal of retail tracker PC Data, based in Reston, Va.
"There are next to no DVD titles out there." Stephens doesn't expect DVD
to make a significant dent in retail shelf space until 2002 - so far into
the future she's unwilling to say what percent of the software market
DVD-ROM will grab in the next one or two years. And Stephens isn't the
only market watcher skeptical about the new media's ability to penetrate
the market.
Walter Miao, vice president of New York-based Access Media International,
can count only five or six DVD-ROM titles out of the 1,800 planned to
ship in time for the fourth quarter. Miao cited the sub-$1,000 PC market
momentum and incompatibility as the two major trends working against
DVD-ROM growth. At the OEM level, DVD drives cost about $100 each,
compared to $25-$35 for ubiquitous CD-ROM drives, Miao said. That's a
huge cost burden for PCs selling from $500 to $1,000.
Incompatibility also is inhibiting the growth of DVD-ROM. Despite
improvements in Windows 98, there is a lack of compatibility among DVD
drive manufacturers. A title might work on one drive, but not another. PC
OEMs and drive manufacturers must resolve compatibility issues before
consumers rush to embrace the products. Gamers just don't want to deal
with the hassles, or the frustrations, analysts said.
Meanwhile, game manufacturers are waiting for the installed base to grow
before they start issuing old and new game titles on DVD-ROM. The
installed base of drives will have to reach one million or so before game
publishers jump on the technology in a big way, Miao said. And that
number is at least a year away, given the slow growth of high-end PCs
featuring DVD-ROMs.
Lack of a significant installed base of DVD-ROM-and few promises of a
return on development costs-are keeping publishers from embracing the
media. Officials with Hasbro Interactive concurred that the sub-$1,000 PC
market is having a negative impact on DVD-ROM software. "We're in a tough
position," said Dana Henry, Hasbro spokeswoman. "The sub-$1,000 market is
our market." Hasbro is considering shipping one or two DVD-ROM titles by
Christmas '99. The Learning Co. [TLC] of Cambridge, Mass., just released
The Complete National Geographic Magazine, a DVD-ROM containing issues
from the last 109 years. The company also is issuing the popular Oregon
Trail on DVD-ROM for the fourth quarter.
Broderbund Software Inc. [TLC] has been quick to jump on DVD-ROM through
the company's Red Orb division, with a version of Myst's sequel Riven and
The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time, both of which shipped last
month. The company has a few other ROM titles in the works. Sierra
On-line Inc., a dominant PC game company, continues to take a
wait-and-see approach to DVD-ROM. The company has no plans for DVD
releases this holiday season and is withholding a decision on the '99
holiday season.
Developers skilled in the ways of MPEG-2 and other DVD components, are
seeing business for the technology pick up slightly. "It's nothing
drastic, but we are getting more inquiries and much more savvy questions,
said Blaine Grabois, co-founder and creative and technical director for
developer Zuma Digital in New York City. "It's not the flood everyone
predicted."
Macworld First to Bring Tomb Raider II Demo to Non-web Users
SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 8) BUSINESS WIRE - Oct. 8, 1998 - Macworld Online
Announces Tomb Raider II Available for Download; For Non-Web Users,
Macworld's December Newsstand Issues to Feature Tomb Raider II CD
Macworld magazine, the leading Macintosh monthly published by Mac
Publishing, L.L.C. announced today that the long-awaited Tomb Raider II
demo is available for download on its web site at
Internet surfers will find the demo on the home page of the site today at
12:00 p.m. PDT. In addition, for Mac gamers who would rather not download
the 8.5MB file, Macworld's December newsstand copies will feature a
special Lara Croft cover with a CD-ROM of the Tomb Raider II demo.
December issues with the CDs will hit newsstands November 10. "We're
thrilled to be the first to bring Tomb Raider to the legions of Mac
gamers who have been anxiously awaiting Lara Croft's premier appearance
on the Mac platform," said Andy Gore, editor-in-chief of Macworld
magazine. "Offering the demo online and as a cover mounted CD ensures
that Mac fans everywhere will have access to one of the most popular
games ever."
Tomb Raider, originally created by Eidos Interactive, a leading developer
of games for the PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64, has been one of the
most successful computer games ever with sales of over nine million
copies of the entire Tomb Raider series. Tomb Raider II is being brought
to the Mac platform by Aspyr Media, Inc., maker of popular Macintosh
games like Carmeggedon and BonkHeads.
Heads Up! Hasbro Interactive's Action-Packed H.E.D.Z.
BEVERLY, MASS. (Oct. 8) BUSINESS WIRE - Oct. 8, 1998 - Hasbro
Interactive's first original content game is coming at gamers head-on! In
H.E.D.Z. -- Head Extreme Destruction Zone(tm), players put their heads
together, literally 225 of them, to collect the most heads. H.E.D.Z.
delivers hours of heart-pumping game play, with over 25,000 different
head-to-head battle combinations in solo or multi-player modes.
"H.E.D.Z. is like nothing you've ever played before, or even imagined,"
says Tom Dusenberry, president of Hasbro Interactive. "From the story
line to combat methods to the collectible nature of the game, H.E.D.Z. is
a truly original, totally exciting gaming experience." eek and destroy is
the name of the game as players battle to become the best head hunter in
the galaxy. H.E.D.Z. is the national sport of an alien race, set in a
series of interconnected asteroid zones called the Nappa Flux. The
ultimate goal of the game is to pillage and plunder through more than 20
levels in eight 3D worlds to collect the most heads.
Players begin the game by selecting five of the 225 heads to enter the
zone. Each head is equipped with a unique battle power to attack and
defend against opponents. Some powers are physical, while others are
vehicle- or aerial-based. For example, the "Aircraft Carrier Head"
launches a fleet of fighter planes from his runway-flattened head, while
the "Poodle Fancier" combats her opponents by unleashing her feisty
French poodle -- don't let those pink ruffles fool you, her bite is much
more ferocious than her bark.
In each combat zone players go head-to-head with any of the 225 different
"Hedz" characters. Players must use their weapons to make their
opponents' head pop off, all the while trying to protect their own! After
a few dozen hits against an opponent their head will pop off and appear
as a token in the environment - a "dead head." Once a head is "dead,"
players can pick them up and store them in their "backpack." In order to
use the heads in the backpack, "DeadHeads" must be re-charged with
"Zedz," Hedz money, that can be collected throughout the different
levels.
H.E.D.Z. is an action game full of strategy and risk - every time a
player enters combat, he is literally putting his head on the line.
Players must be strategic from the outset, choosing and using the right
head or combination of heads at the right time to maneuver the different
levels. If defeated by the opponent, the player's head can be collected
by rival players and can only be regained by winning it back in future
combat.
H.E.D.Z. PC CD-ROM can be played on Windows 95 systems and is available
in stores at the suggested retail price of $39.99. Players also can
challenge others to combat in the Head Extreme Destruction Zone, over
LAN, modem-to-modem or over the Internet. Check out more about H.E.D.Z.
at www.hedz.com For more information on other Hasbro Interactive games,
visit www.hasbro-interactive.com.
THQ Brings Explosive World Championship Wrestling to PC
CALABASAS, CALIF. (Oct. 8) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE - Oct 8, 1998 - THQ Inc.,
publisher of three top-selling and critically acclaimed WCW wrestling
titles for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, is climbing the top rope and
preparing to slam the explosive "WCW Nitro" onto home PCs. This
first-ever WCW wrestling game for the personal computer features all of
the rants, flavor and excitement of the top WCW and NWO superstars. The
title is scheduled for launch in December 1998.
"THQ has made its mark by publishing award-winning wrestling titles on
other major gaming platforms," said Brian J. Farrell, president and CEO,
THQ. "It is time to give wrestling fans with home PCs the chance to
experience the phenomenally popular WCW brand of in-your-face wrestling
excitement." "WCW Nitro" features photo-realistic 3-D graphics and is the
first WCW PC wrestling game available. Building on the award-winning
PlayStation version, "WCW Nitro" for PC features the top WCW and NWO
wrestlers, new moves -- such as "Goldberg's Jackhammer" and "Hogan's Leg
Drop," and lightning fast four-player action.
Players will be able to control and play as any of the more than 60
grapplers, each with their signature move and personalized rant. In
addition to an updated roster of WCW and NWO characters, "WCW Nitro" also
features all new intro and winner movies. Under its agreement with World
Championship Wrestling, THQ published "WCW Nitro" for PlayStation, which
was voted "Best Fighting Console Game" and was presented "The Platinum
Award" by Sony to commemorate the manufacture of more than 500,000 copies
of the game for 1998.
THQ also published "WCW vs. NWO: World Tour" for the Nintendo 64 (which
was recognized by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences as "1998
Fighting Game of the Year," and by GamePro magazine readers as "Best
Fighting Game") and "WCW vs. the World" for the PlayStation (which was
presented "The Gold Award" by Sony to commemorate the manufacture of more
than 250,000 copies of the game for 1998).
NewKidCo Creates a New Market for Nintendo's Game Boy Color
Continuing its mission to become the leading developer of interactive
games for children, NewKidCo will introduce Elmo's 123s and Elmo's ABCs
for the Nintendo Game Boy Color helping extend the appeal of the
popular hand-held game system to an untapped, younger audience. Targeted
to children ages 3-6, each immersive title features the wildly popular
Elmo character leading preschool-aged players through entertaining and
challenging activities. Both Elmo Game Boy titles offer hours of engaging
gameplay for young children just grasping letter and number recognition,
while providing a head-start on learning simple spelling and math skills.
Elmo's 123s and Elmo's ABCs are expected to ship in early November for
the suggested retail price of $24.95 each.
Elmo's 123s and Elmo's ABCs mark NewKidCo's second collaboration with
Children's Television workshop to develop interactive games for young
children. The first titles in their partnership, Elmo's Number
Journey(TM) and Elmo's Letter Am), represent the first-ever
PlayStation(R) titles designed for the preschool set (children ages 3-6).
Designed for easy use by young children just developing eye-hand
coordination, Elmo's 123s provides valuable and fun activities such as
"Beam That Number" and "Sum Up, Sum Down" that enhance number recognition
and help children comprehend simple addition and subtraction concepts.
Hosting the title from his Flying Saucer, Elmo is accompanied by tiny
spacemen called Stars that children must count, add or subtract. To
provide children with a sense of accomplishment, players are rewarded for
successfully completing each activity through a special on-screen
demonstration -- such as Elmo blasting off in his spaceship. A variety of
skill and difficulty levels promotes replayability for hours of portable
edutainment.
Children will delight with the opportunity to utilize their new knowledge
of the alphabet to identify upper and lower case letters and spell simple
words. Similar to Elmo's 123s, controls are easy-to-use for young
children and many levels of play are available for long-time enjoyment.
In the most basic level, children identify letters on a ferris wheel by
their case and are rewarded for three correct answers with a
congratulatory dance performed by Elmo. Once they have mastered letter
cases, children continue learning with simple spelling activities
including "One Little Word" and "Spell The Secret Word." These spelling
games range from picking the missing letter from a short word, to
eventually creating a three-letter word from six letters provided.
989 Studios Running Wild for Young PlayStation Owners
Oct. 09, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 196 via COMTEX) -- As
Nintendo reaches for the older console gamer, Sony Computer Entertainment
America guns for Nintendo's bread and butter, kids. With that strategy in
mind, SCEA daughter company 989 Studios is shipping kid-targeted racing
game Running Wild. In the last eight months PlayStation ownership among
6- to 12-year-olds grew 50%, 989 Studios Product Manager Michael
Lustenberger tells MMWire.
It's those 6- to 12-year-olds who are buying (or receiving as gifts)
Sony's console. With the recent launch of Sony's Spyro The Dragon, a
character with the rare chance to put a chink in Mario's armor, youthful
PSXers are looking for something to augment their game libraries and
that's what 989 believes it has provided. Running Wild asks players to
pick an animal, like a zebra, bull or panda, to run through six worlds.
Consider it a cute driving sim in the same way that Nintendo's Diddy Kong
Racing and Mario Kart 64 are cute, not-so-realistic driving sims.
Crashing the kids market, however, doesn't offer as high a return on
investment for Sony as bolstering its current demographic of dominance,
the 17- to 34-year-old male. "I don't know if it's a good strategy,"
Fairfield Research analyst Gary Gabelhouse says. It's a lot easier to
"make good customers great and regular customers good" than it is to
convert consumers from Nintendo, he says. Sony's strategy isn't a losing
proposition but especially from a marketing standpoint, it is expensive,
Gabelhouse adds.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
People are Talking
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmiriando@streport.com
Back next week - Joe's been under the weather all week and unable to get
his column together.
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
NEW WORDS
Foreploy any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of
obtaining sex.
Fortissimoe the musical moment produced when someone serially slaps
the faces of the first-violin section.
Tatyr a lecherous Mr. Potato Head.
Doltergeist a spirit that decides to haunt someplace stupid, such as
your septic tank.
Giraffiti vandalism spray-painted very, very high, such as the
famous "Surrender Dorothy" on the Beltway overpass.
Sarchasm the gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the
recipient who doesn't get it.
Contratemps the resentment permanent workers feel toward the fill-in
workers.
Coiterie a very VERY close-knit group.
Whitetater a political hot potato.
Impotience eager anticipation by men awaiting their Viagra
prescription.
Reintarnation coming back to life as a hillbilly.
DIOS the one true operating system.
Inoculatte to take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Hipatitis terminal coolness.
Writer's tramp a woman who practices poetic licentiousness.
Taterfamilias the head of the Potato Head family.
Guillozine a magazine for executioners.
Adulatery cheating on your wife with a much younger woman who holds
you in awe.
Emasculathe a tool for castration.
Burglesque a poorly planned break-in. (See Watergate)
Genitaliar an image-enhancing object that can be carried in a man's
front pocket.
Glibido all talk and no action.
Eunouch the pain of castration.
Hindkerchief really expensive toilet paper; toilet paper at Buckingham
palace.
Hozone the area around 14th street.
Dopeler effect the tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they
come at you rapidly.
Hindprint indentation made by a couch potato.
Intaxication euphoria at getting a refund from the IRS, which lasts
until you realize it was your money to start with.
Best experienced with
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