Volume 16, Issue 40 Atari Online News, Etc. October 3, 2014 Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2014 All Rights Reserved Atari Online News, Etc. A-ONE Online Magazine Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor Atari Online News, Etc. Staff Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking" Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile" Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips" Rob Mahlert -- Web site Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame" With Contributions by: Fred Horvat To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe, log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org and click on "Subscriptions". OR subscribe to A-ONE by sending a message to: dpj@atarinews.org and your address will be added to the distribution list. To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to subscribe from. To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the following sites: http://people.delphiforums.com/dpj/a-one.htm Now available: http://www.atarinews.org Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi! http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/ =~=~=~= A-ONE #1640 10/03/14 ~ Encryption Showdown! ~ People Are Talking! ~ The Last Guardian! ~ Windows 10, New & Old! ~ Facebook Real Name Flap! ~ DayZ for Xbox One! ~ Facebook To Get Strict ~ First Born for Free WiFi ~ Destiny Loot Patch! -* Video Game History Museum! *- -* Net Neutrality Questions and Answers *- -* Apple Patches Bash Vulnerability on Macs! *- =~=~=~= ->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""" Sorry 'bout last week, but everything was very hectic around here, and I just couldn't get the issue out in a timely fashion. Family issues that required some traveling, all turning out for naught, took it's toll on me. But, we finally managed to get the mag out. So, to do my part to make suer we're out this week at a more manageable time, I'll keep my mouth shut [after this]! Until next time... =~=~=~= ->In This Week's Gaming Section - DayZ For Xbox One Looks Likely! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" "Destiny" Patch Tweaks Loot Drops! Sony Working On The Last Guardian! And more! =~=~=~= ->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" DayZ For Xbox One Looks Likely as Dev Denies PS4 Exclusivity The PlayStation 4 is the only currently confirmed console platform for Dean Hall's open-world zombie game, DayZ, but it may not stay that way forever. Asked by Eurogamer if the game is coming to Xbox One, Hall said he's sure the game won't be exclusive to PS4 for its console release. "DayZ is definitely going to be a multiplatform title," he said. "That's the firm vision from Bohemia's standpoint. But we'll announce what all the other platforms are as we get to that point." The console version of DayZ was announced during Sony's Gamescom briefing in August. At the time, Hall was quick to say that just because the game was announced on Sony's stage, it doesn't necessarily mean the game is exclusive to PlayStation. An Xbox One version of DayZ wouldn't come as much of a surprise. After all, Hall revealed earlier this year that he had met with Microsoft and "extensively" discussed a possible Xbox version of DayZ. However, it remains to be seen if DayZ will be a timed-exclusive for PS4, or if Hall only agreed to announce the game at Sony's briefing. DayZ is currently available on PC. The version of the game you can buy through Steam (Early Access), or via Bohemia's website, is a work-in-progress, and does not represent the final version of the game. Though Sony (and Microsoft) have discussed the possibility of allowing in-development games on their respective platforms, neither company has yet to announce support for Early Access-style games. "There's a lot of problems with Early Access on PC that definitely are at the forefront of people's minds," Hall said. "So when DayZ will release would depend very much on what Sony offers in terms of if it was going to do an Early Access program, what it looks like. Then also the state of DayZ - does it make sense to do it through that?" Hall went on to say that if platform-holders like Sony and Microsoft don't announce Early Access-style programs soon, gamers might need to wait until 2016 or later to play DayZ on consoles. "A straight up retail release? It's not going to be next year, because there's just too much work remaining," he said. "It would be a very bizarre universe where there would be a 1.0 release of DayZ on consoles before PC." Also in the interview, Hall said the DayZ console version needs to have fundamental changes compared to the PC Version. "I think there will have to be," he said. "But the aim will be to play on the strengths of those consoles." Though DayZ may not be on the Xbox One's immediate horizon, another zombie game - State of Decay - is coming to the console in 2015. 'Destiny' Patch 1.0.2 Tweaks Legendary Loot Drops Destiny is a game built on grinding for loot. Nowhere is this more apparent then in post-level-20 gameplay. Leveling after level 20 requires you to get better and better gear to boost your “Light.” Better and better gear is found by playing missions, purchasing it from vendors, or finding a loot cave. But even with all of these options to score loot, the chances you’ll actually get a Legendary or Exotic item have been slim, to say the least. Finding the hardest-to-come-by purple “Engram” (a coded item that needs to be unlocked by an NPC called the Cryptarch) is an exciting thing—until you decode it and get a blue Rare item instead (or an item that belongs to a different class.) In Bungie’s newest patch, which is live today, the developer is at least fixing the problem with purple Engrams. From here on out purple engrams will always produce a Legendary or better item. That alone is terrific news. For reasons not explained by Bungie, any purple engrams you have in your inventory now will turn blue but will still produce Legendary or better gear. Bungie is making a few other changes in patch 1.0.2. Ascendant Shards and Ascendant Energy will now be considered Legendary. Rare and Legendary engram drops are also being added to the Vanguard: Tiger Strike playlist as well as first-time per-day playthroughs of daily Heroic Missions and first-time per week weekly Heroic Missions. Finally, the patch shortens the time limit in Bastion and First Light maps in Control and Clash mode from 15 to 12 minutes. The two maps have also been reduced in the map rotation. Now all Bungie needs to do is patch in match-making and leaderboard functionality and the Crucible might stand a chance at becoming a really popular PvP mode. All of these changes, and especially the changes to purple engrams, are steering the game on the right track. But I still find it lacking in compelling end-game content which, to be honest, is a shame after the less-than-compelling campaign. That being said, I realize also that I’m not the biggest fan of this particular genre. I enjoy some Diablo III from time to time. I like to find fat loot and fight off mobs of baddies. I enjoy the occasional romp in Borderlands 2 and other grind-for-gear games. But I know other people who really live for this kind of game, and from what they’ve told me, Destiny definitely scratches that itch. Furthermore, if Bungie approaches fixes to Destiny the same way Blizzard tackled Diablo III, the game might be an entirely different and more satisfying beast in a year’s time. For my part, I’ll be busy playing the newly-released Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor (read my first impressions here) and the always-gripping Dark Souls II and its excellent three-part DLC trilogy. But I’m sure I’ll dip back into Destiny soon enough; after all, The Dark Below expansion is landing in December. With this patch, we address some widely-discussed concerns with how Engrams are earned and claimed. Strikes have become more rewarding, and the rewards gained from them are more predictable. Also affected is the rotation of maps that appear in the Crucible. Cryptarch Legendary (purple) engrams will always produce a Legendary quality item or higher Note: Legendary engrams that exist in your inventory will change to Rare quality items when the patch is applied. However, decoding these engrams will still produce the same results as before Rare (blue) engrams will always produce a Rare quality item or higher Chance for Legendary gear increased Materials: Ascendant Shards and Ascendant Energy promoted to Legendary quality (from Rare quality) Rewards Rare (Blue) and Legendary (Purple) Engram drops added to the potential rewards for: Vanguard: Tiger Strike Playlist Daily Heroic Missions (first time per day) Weekly Heroic Missions (first time per week) Known issues When selecting a higher difficulty for daily missions, XP Bonus not show in the reward display You will still get the XP bonus, you just won't see it in the UI   Crucible Reduced time limit on Bastion and First Light in Control and Clash from 15 to 12 minutes, bringing them in line with non-vehicle maps in those playlists Lowered weighting on Bastion and First Light in Control and Clash so they appear less often in those playlists Sony Working "Diligently" On The Last Guardian We didn't see it at E3, Comic-Con, Gamescom, or the Tokyo Game Show this year, so what is the status of long-in-development PlayStation game The Last Guardian? That's tough to nail down, but we do know at least that it hasn't been abandoned. PlayStation Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida says in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu (translated by Kotaku) that "we continue to work diligently on the game, so please look forward to it." Before giving this quote, Yoshida said "development couldn't be better," though he quickly followed this up by saying that in fact "that might be a bit of an exaggeration (laughs)". In August, Sony said The Last Guardian - in development at Shadow of the Colossus developer Team Ico - was making "great progress." At the time, the publisher even teased that it has a specific time-frame in mind to re-reveal the game, though that's being kept under wraps for now. The game was announced back in 2009, when it was a PlayStation 3 title. It is unclear, however, if this continues to be the case. Also in the interview, Yoshida responded to the interviewer's question about what it means for PS4 that many of the system's high-profile upcoming games are multiplatform titles. Yoshida said this isn't too big an issue, so long as Sony can demonstrate why buying the PS4 version of a multiplatform title is the best idea. "I think it's fine to start from there," Yoshida said. "If the number of PS4 users increases from there and they tell their friends, 'the games look prettier on the PS4,' or 'the loading time's faster,' or 'using the Share function is fun' then the sales for PS4 versions of games will increase and game creators may think 'let's focus on developing for the PS4 from here.'" In the case of Bungie's shooter Destiny, Sony said it was treating that game like a first-party title through advertising campaigns and exclusive DLC for the PS3 and PS4 versions. =~=~=~= ->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr! """"""""""""""""""" From Atari to Playstation 4, The Video Game History Museum Will Have It The Atari 2600 was a video game console that was released in 1977. Mario, Zelda, and Master Chief have finally found common ground - in Texas. The Video Game History Museum has taken its operation to the next level with a permanent home in Frisco. Joe Santulli is one of the founders of the Video Game History Museum, and he talked about their plans for the space. Interview Highlights: Joe Santulli… …On the decision to bring the museum to Frisco: "Our initial thoughts were, let’s put the museum as close to the computer history museum as possible -- and silicon valley being pretty much where the video game industry was born – so we wanted to put it right there. As we looked around, we realized it’s not always that important that it’s right there where it was born. We really want to be in a place where we’re most appreciated and most seen." …On hosting future gaming tournaments at the museum: "I can't stress enough how important that is to us. Those arcades that are gone now were really the social centers at the time, and we want to try so hard to bring them back."   …On his first experience playing a video game: "My cousins…had one of the first Pong systems I’d ever seen. It was on a black-and-white TV and it was just a really simple Pong back-and-forth type of game, and I just remember being so mesmerized by that…Of course, my parents wouldn’t let me have my own Pong because they saw what happened to my cousin’s television set. Those fixed images, those lines going constantly back-and-forth in the same place, eventually left a burned image of Pong into their TV." On the next step for the Video Game History Museum: "We really want this place to be where you can get your fix of gaming, but at the same time, learn about the history, be able to participate in lectures and study groups. We’d love to have classrooms come in and show them how a game is designed. We want to be able to have archival facilities and libraries so if you walked in and asked, ‘show me a blueprint of an Intellivision controller, I want to see how one is built,’ we should have all that stuff on file. Or, ‘I want to see the strategy guide for Punisher on Sega Genesis,’ we pretty much want to incorporate anything gaming – just an all-around archive dedicated to the history." The Video Game History Museum is set to open in May 2015 at the Texas Discovery Center in Frisco. =~=~=~= A-ONE's Headline News The Latest in Computer Technology News Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson U.S. Government, Silicon Valley Head for a Showdown Over Encryption U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s comments this week about the data encryption indicate the government is not going to let this issue go. Holder said Tuesday that “it is fully possible to permit law enforcement to do its job while still adequately protecting personal privacy,” as Reuters reported.  At issue is the new data encryption on Apple iPhones and upcoming Google’s Android smartphones.   As Julia Love and Robert Salonga wrote in the Mercury News, Apple has encrypted data on its new iOS 8 software, locking itself out of having access to user data and thus making it impossible for the company to respond to government warrants seeking the data. Law enforcement officials have expressed concerns. Last week, James Comey, the FBI director, said the FBI was talking to the companies to understand the technology and that he worried about the tech firms “marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves beyond the law.” Law enforcement’s warrants may have access to data that is backed up on cloud-based services but the issue is the data that lives on phones. It is unclear what the government will do next. Beyond lobbying the companies, Bloomberg says there is little officials can do without congressional legislation. 'Net Neutrality:' 5 Questions, 5 Answers The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether Internet providers should be allowed to cut deals with online services like Netflix, Amazon or YouTube to move their content faster. It's a topic that has attracted record-setting public attention. The agency received 3.7 million comments on the subject - more than double the number filed to the regulatory agency after Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler - a former industry lobbyist and venture capitalist - says financial arrangements between broadband providers and content sites might be OK so long as the agreements are "commercially reasonable" and companies disclose publicly how they prioritize Internet traffic. But not everyone agrees, with Netflix and much of the public accusing the FCC of handing the Internet over to the highest bidders. Some questions and answers about the concept of "net neutrality." Q What is "net neutrality"? A Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers shouldn't block, manipulate or slow data moving across their networks. So long as content isn't against the law, such as child pornography or pirated music, a file posted on one site will load generally at the same speed as a similarly sized file on another site. Proponents say this concept is critical to encouraging innovation and competition because it means anyone can connect to the Internet and provide a service or content without having to get permission from broadband providers or pay extra. Q Doesn't everyone want a free and open Internet? A Yes, but not everyone agrees on how to define it. Major cable and telecom companies that sell Internet access often tout the benefits of an open Internet, saying they would lose business if their customers tried to access popular content and couldn't get it. Another problem would be retaliation. Verizon subsidiaries, for example, regularly send traffic over the networks of rival Internet service providers. It doesn't want to block or slow traffic any more than it wants to see its own traffic blocked or slowed, company officials have told regulators. Having said that, Verizon and other broadband providers also want to ensure they have flexibility to think up new ways to package and sell Internet services. They say that's only fair, considering they are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into a network infrastructure that, so far, has prospered without much government intervention. How they would use that flexibility, though, isn't entirely clear. Q Why is this being debated now? A Last January, a federal court overturned key portions of an open Internet regulation put in place by the Federal Communications Commission in 2010. The court said the FCC had "failed to cite any statutory authority" to keep broadband providers from blocking or discriminating against content. That ruling sent the FCC back to the drawing board. Until the FCC can agree on new regulations that satisfy the court's requirements, Internet service providers could block or discriminate against content moving across their networks with impunity. Q What's on the table? A:Last May, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a proposal that leaves the door open for paid agreements between Internet service providers and content providers - also called "paid prioritization" - so long as the agreements are "commercially reasonable." Wheeler says the FCC would step in if broadband providers act unfairly, such as providing favored access to a subsidiary. Wheeler said he was trying to follow guidelines suggested by the court, and invited the public to comment on whether these paid arrangements should be banned altogether. Internet activists don't like the idea because they say it gives too much power to Internet service providers and would create "fast lanes." They say the FCC should reclassify the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act to ensure it has enough power to regulate the Internet effectively. Title II classification is exactly what Verizon and other providers don't want. They say it would subject them to onerous regulations that would stifle investment into infrastructure at a time when the Internet is still growing. Some Democrats have proposed legislation that would ban paid prioritization outright. Q What happens next? A The FCC is still sifting through the record-setting 3.7 million comments filed by the public before the Sept. 15 deadline. In the meantime, the agency is hosting several "roundtables" to hear from stakeholders, and lawmakers have convened hearings on Capitol Hill. One big question is whether the FCC will subject mobile networks to the same rules. The FCC's 2010 rules for an open Internet only applied to wired Internet access and exempted mobile networks. But that might not make as much sense considering the explosion in wireless devices in recent years. While FCC officials had hoped to wrap up the issue by year's end, the large public response is likely to push any decision into next year. Apple Patches Bash Vulnerability on Macs Phil Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, talks about the company's Mac line during a recent event. All of Apple's recent Mac computers are now safe from a security flaw that could potentially allow hackers to take over an operating system. Known as the "Shellshock" or "Bash" bug, the latest vulnerability for the world's computers involves the execution of malicious code within a bash shell - a command-line shell used in many Linux and Unix operating systems, and by Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Apple on Monday said it has now patched the Bash vulnerability for its OS X Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks software. The company also created a site for users to download the Bash update. The move followed a statement by Apple late last week that most Mac users were safe from the security flaw, but it was "working to quickly provide a software update for our advanced UNIX users." "Bash, a UNIX command shell and language included in OS X, has a weakness that could allow unauthorized users to remotely gain control of vulnerable systems," Apple said last week. "With OS X, systems are safe by default and not exposed to remote exploits of bash unless users configure advanced UNIX services." The Bash glitch is reminiscent of the Heartbleed security flaw that left information stored on data servers potentially vulnerable to hackers. Heartbleed was first identified in April, and an estimated 300,000 servers were still exposed two months later. Some security experts have said the Bash bug is bigger than Hearbleed because it "interacts with other software in unexpected ways" and because an "enormous percentage" of software interacts with the shell. Bash, a quarter-century-old security flaw, allows malicious code execution within the bash shell (commonly accessed through Command Prompt on PC or Mac's Terminal application) to take over an operating system and access confidential information. Facebook Offers Apology for “Real” Name Flap Facebook apologized on Wednesday for what it said were misunderstandings about its policy requiring users to use their “real name” on the social network — a policy interpreted by some to mean that Facebook reserved the right to determine how someone chooses to identify themselves. A campaign to change the policy began last month after a group of drag queens, along with San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, argued that it compromises the privacy, health and safety of many LGBT users. The campaign was fueled by the anger of several drag personalities who were locked out of Facebook accounts that used their drag names. The push expanded to include other groups such as domestic violence survivors and immigrants, who also argued that being unable to use a pseudonym may compromise safety. On Wednesday, the social network sat down for negotiations with representatives from many of the groups. After that meeting, Chief Product Officer Chris Cox issued an apology on his own Facebook page. “In the two weeks since the real-name policy issues surfaced, we’ve had the chance to hear from many of you in these communities and understand the policy more clearly as you experience it. We’ve also come to understand how painful this has been,” he wrote. “We owe you a better service and a better experience using Facebook, and we’re going to fix the way this policy gets handled so everyone affected here can go back to using Facebook as you were.” But the apology did not go so far as to admit that Facebook’s widely criticized policy was incorrect. The accounts of drag personalities, he said, were deleted only after another user falsely reported that they were fake. “Our policy has never been to require everyone on Facebook to use their legal name,” he wrote. “The spirit of our policy is that everyone on Facebook uses the authentic name they use in real life.” But Facebook’s policy, as listed on the site, does not seem to spell out such a lax interpretation of what constitutes a “real name.” Nicknames, for example, “can be used as a first or middle name if they’re a variation of your real first or last name (like Bob instead of Robert).” Facebook further advises that “the name you use should be your real name as it would be listed on your credit card, driver’s license or student ID.” That seems to imply a definition of “real name” synonymous with “legal name.” Nonetheless, Facebook does seem to be changing its policy. Cox assured users that people like Sister Roma, one of the drag queens who raised hay over the issue, will be allowed to identify themselves however they choose. Sister Roma — unmasked as Michael Williams — began posting on Facebook with the hashtag #MyNameIsRoma and posted an altered image of his passport featuring a headshot in drag. “Facebook agreed that the real names policy is flawed and has unintentionally hurt members of our community,” Campos said in a statement. “We have their commitment that they will be making substantive changes soon and we have every reason to believe them.” Sister Roma, meanwhile, was pleased to reclaim her identity. “I’m just happy I’ll have my name back,” she said. Facebook Promises Stricter Research Guidelines In an attempt to win back the good graces of people angered by its controversial emotional experiment this summer, Facebook said Thursday that in future, its research on users will be subjected to more rigorous internal guidelines and standards. Any research relating to material that "relates to content that may be considered deeply personal" will be more deeply assessed before research can begin. Among the steps it is taking, Facebook says its research projects will now be reviewed by a panel of Facebook researchers, its research practices will become part of the company's "six-week training program," and its research will now be available on a new website.  Other than those vague new guidelines, however, Facebook is still playing it close to the vest when it comes to company research practices – nor did the company make any promises about seeking user consent prior to conducting experiments on them, experts note. "It's clear that Facebook is chastened by the backlash they received to the emotions study. That said, this response feels quite weak to me. Basically, they've promised more in-depth internal review, which they should be doing if only to prevent another spell of bad PR. But they've not given users the option to opt out of such research, they've not announced involving outside experts in reviews, and they've not addressed questions of whether certain types of experiments are ethical," says Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "I'm glad they've recognized they have a problem, but the steps announced seem modest to me." The study that sparked Facebook's policy change, published in an academic journal in June, deliberately manipulated users' news feeds for one week in 2012 without their knowledge. The purpose was to test whether people responded differently to an excess of positive or negative content shown in their feeds. It turns out, to a degree, they do. As the experiment showed, more positive content resulted in more positive reactions; more negative content resulted in more negative reactions. But when people learned Facebook was messing around with their news feeds – for purposes other than the standard targeted advertising, of course – they were not happy. A worldwide backlash erupted. Users took to Twitter to vent their frustration. A movement urging users to quit Facebook quickly gained popularity. Facebook was roundly criticized for experimenting on users without their consent. And, finally, Facebook apologized.  Granted, Internet companies experimenting with users' data is not new and is not unique to Facebook. Shortly after news surfaced about the Facebook experiment, the dating site OKCupid came out to publicly defend its own manipulation of user information. Google analyzes Gmail messages to target users with ads and search results. And Amazon uses customer information to recommend products it thinks people will like.  Now, Facebook appears to be promising a more open, thoughtful approach to its future research. In a statement, the company's chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer said Facebook has learned from its past missteps.  "We were unprepared for the reaction the paper received when it was published and have taken to heart the comments and criticism," he said in the statement. "It is clear now that there are things we should have done differently. For example, we should have considered other non-experimental ways to do this research. The research would have also benefitted from more extensive review by a wider and more senior group of people. Last, in releasing the study, we failed to communicate clearly why and how we did it." Nonetheless, Facebook's business model relies on constant experimentation. And with roughly a seventh of the world's population using its service, it is unlikely to alter its successful practices due to the consternation of users.  "Facebook has every reason to manipulate the News Feed to optimize for whatever user engagement metrics correspond to the best returns for advertisers, which in turn correspond to the best returns for Facebook," writes Marcus Wohlsen in Wired. "And it has every reason to use other experiments in an effort to improve other parts of its operation. This is the way many online companies work."  Demonstrating its ever-expanding scope, Facebook on Friday earned approval from the European Union to cement its $19 billion purchase of messaging service WhatsApp, the company's largest acquisition so far.  This comes at a time when many disgruntled Facebook users are seeking alternatives. This week, Facebook apologized to the LGBT community after drawing criticism for its real-name policy that says people can only use the site with their legal names. That upset many users, especially members of the LGBT community who may go by a name different from their legal name.  Notably, social media newcomer Ello has attracted attention for positioning itself as the anti-Facebook. The invitation-only site features no ads and does not turn over user information to third parties. And Ello does not require people use their real names, earning it praise from the LGBT community.  According to Paul Budnitz, Ello's founder, the site has been signing up new users at a rate of around 4,000 people per hour, though that number has not been independently verified.  Windows 10 Tries Blending New With Familiar Microsoft is trying to soften an unpopular redesign of Windows by reviving features from older versions while still attempting to nudge desktop users into a world of touch screens and mobile devices. The company on Tuesday gave an early preview of the new Windows 10 software, which it aims to begin selling by the middle of next year. Although the current version is called Windows 8, Microsoft says it's skipping ahead to Windows 10 to emphasize its effort to move forward. "Windows 10 represents the first step in a whole new generation of Windows," said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft's operating systems group. Windows 8 was introduced two years ago as an answer to the growing demand for mobile devices. But many users hated it because its tablet-like design and controls weren't a good fit for many devices using keyboards and mice. Sales of personal computers continued to fall. With Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to regain the loyalty of longtime PC users, while reaching out to consumers and businesses that are increasingly adopting touch-screen smartphones and tablets. Analysts consider the success of the new Windows crucial for Microsoft and new CEO Satya Nadella, who must show that Microsoft can embrace mobile devices without sacrificing the traditional computing experience. The new system will be a blend of the old and the new. For instance, it will have various controls that are familiar to users of older Windows systems, such as a start menu to quickly access apps. But this start button will also open a series of tiles that resemble what's found in Windows 8. Analysts said that more gradual transition is important if Microsoft wants to persuade users to upgrade. "This is what Windows 8 should have been," said Carolina Milanesi, a veteran tech analyst at the research firm Kantar Worldpanel. "Here they are doing the right thing." Microsoft executives signaled they got that message on Tuesday. They stressed repeatedly that using the next version of Windows won't be a challenge for businesses or consumers who have continued to use Windows 7 or even earlier versions. The new software seeks to offer "the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the benefits that exist in Windows 8," said Joe Belfiore, a Microsoft executive who oversees Windows design and evolution. He compared it to buying a new car with a more powerful engine and a better audio system, without having to "learn a new way to drive." Windows 10, for instance, will suggest new ways to use or navigate through files, without forcing users to abandon the old way, Belfiore said. "We're designing the experience so that as you use it, the things you already know are familiar and present, but new value is presented to you at a rate that's easier for you to ingest," he said. The effort drew tentative praise from several industry experts. "They desperately needed to find a way to bridge that experience. I just wish they'd done that with Windows 8," said Rob Enderle, a tech analyst with the Enderle Group. Milanesi said that while many businesses resisted upgrading to Windows 8, they can't avoid touch screens as younger workers are accustomed to using phones or tablets as their primary computing device. Windows 10 will also be designed to work on a wider range of computing devices. Microsoft currently has three main systems — Windows 8 for traditional computers and tablets, Windows Phone 8 for cellphones and Xbox for its gaming console. By unifying the underlying systems in Windows 10, software developers will be able to create apps for the various devices more easily. Consumers will also be able to switch devices more easily and avoid having to buy the same apps multiple times. That doesn't mean the apps will always look the same. Developers will still be able to adapt apps for the various screen sizes, but won't have to start from the beginning for each version. User interfaces on the various devices may also differ, even as they share underlying technologies. For now, Microsoft plans to keep the current Xbox interface on the game console. Enderle said Microsoft's effort to create a single platform should help lure more developers to write apps — something the company needs to boost usage of Windows tablets and phones. Windows is the most widely used PC operating system in the world, but it is steadily losing ground as more people turn to smartphones and tablets, which primarily run on operating systems from Microsoft rivals Apple and Google. That's why Nadella wants to create one system that will run on all devices. "It's certainly an ambitious goal, but it's also a little early to tell how it will work," said Michael Silver, a tech analyst at Gartner. Apple and Google have both rejected Microsoft's approach of unifying the various systems, preferring to keep systems for PCs and mobile devices separate. Microsoft also touted new security and management features for business customers, which represent a lucrative market for the company. Almost half of all PCs are used in the workplace, according to Gartner. While a "technical preview" version of the software is being released this week, Microsoft said it won't be ready to talk about new consumer features until next year. Microsoft declined to say how much the new software would cost or how it will be distributed. Analysts have speculated that the company might be considering a subscription model — as it has with Office software — rather than selling each new version of Windows separately. Britons Sign Away First-born Children for Free WiFi Several Britons agreed to give up their eldest child in return for the use of free wifi, in an experiment to highlight the dangers of public Internet, published on Monday. Londoners were asked to agree to terms and conditions as they logged on to use free wifi in a cafe in a busy financial district and at a site close to the houses of parliament. The terms included a "Herod clause", under which the wifi was provided only if "the recipient agreed to assign their first born child to us for the duration of eternity". In the short period the terms and conditions were live, six people signed up. "As this is an experiment, we will be returning the children to their parents," said the tech security firm that ran the experiment, F-Secure. The experiment was aimed to highlight "the total disregard for computer security by people when they are mobile" the report said. Germany ethical hacking company SySS built the device used in the study: a mobile wifi hotspot small enough to be carried in a handbag for around 200 euros ($254). In just 30 minutes, 250 devices connected to the hotspot - some of them doing so automatically due to their settings. The company was able to collect the text of emails they sent, the email addresses of the sender and recipient, and the password of the sender. The head of Europol's European Cybercrime Centre told the study they already had reports of criminals using free wifi to steal personal data. "At best, your device is only leaking information about you; at worst, your passwords are being spilled into a publicly accessible space... anybody on the network can see your information," said F-Secure Security Advisor Sean Sullivan. =~=~=~= Atari Online News, Etc. is a weekly publication covering the entire Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of any article, to Atari user groups and not for profit publications only under the following terms: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of request. Send requests to: dpj@atarinews.org No issue of Atari Online News, Etc. may be included on any commercial media, nor uploaded or transmitted to any commercial online service or internet site, in whole or in part, by any agent or means, without the expressed consent or permission from the Publisher or Editor of Atari Online News, Etc. 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