SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. February 17, 1995 No. 1107 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano, Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * Featuring: * 45GB * of Download Files Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - QCOPY 1.1 WINDOWS - ProWIN Plus 2.1 - TCP/IP NOW! - Internet Connect V2 - MITNICK NAILED! - Sony GIANT Monitor - Winter CES REPORT - Sanctuary Woods - People Talking - Jaguar News - STR Confidential -* PIONEER TO BUILD MAC CLONES *- -* USROBOTICS BUYS NEW FACILITY *- -* NEC: 1 GIGABIT DRAM CHIP *- ========================================================================== STReport International OnLine Magazine The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC/Fido/Internet/PROWL/USENET/USPOLNet/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. 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CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be OnLine in no time at all! "Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" On another platform quite some time ago, where I enjoyed my humble beginnings in learning my way around computers, there was a large number of issues, editorials and essays that were critical of the company that made the computers I learned on and was so fond and proud of. Oh, it was all very much deserved.. of this there can be no doubt. Atari was buffeted repeatedly for what seemed like forever in breaking their promises of delivery of its ill-fated "Falcon" 68030 computer. Why do I mention this? Easy! This past week, one of the "still going".. Atari enthusiasts came forward with this argument. "Why don't you harangue Microsoft about their continued non-delivery of Windows'95 the way you did Atari over the Falcon?" I felt it was a good question that at least was deserving of a civil, honest to goodness, answer. So here goes. One major focal point is that for Atari, the Falcon was the "do or die" breakpoint in the computer business. If they blew it for the Falcon, they will have blown it period. And blow it they did. Big Time! Now they are into "game machines" once again. It appears they are giving the Jaguar the same "treatment" they are so famous for. But that's another story for another time. As for Microsoft and Windows'95, this is a entirely different situation. The following factors must each be taken into consideration; A - Microsoft does not have one foot on a banana peel and the other in the corporate grave much as Atari did during the heydays of the incessant Falcon delays. Microsoft will be around for many decades to come regardless of the success or failure of any particular product they introduce. B - Windows95 is a far cry from a new computer being put in an old computer's case and hawked as something rather new , distinct and wonderful. On the other hand, Windows'95, even in its current beta incarnation, is already more widely distributed. In fact, there are more copies of Win'95 out there in the hands of Microsoft's various levels of beta teams than was ever dreamt of Falcons being sold. C - By the end of 1996, Microsoft's Windows95 will have earned itself the distinct reputation of being the most widely acclaimed and widespread in use operating system thus far in annals of the computing world. Some say it will surpass NT by an easy country mile and could when fully released possibly remove the need for NT altogether. D - Last and most importantly, one must really consider the "green with envy reactions" of many over the millions of dollars Windows itself earned for Microsoft and W. Gates. Can you possibly imagine the fits of apoplexy and outright throes of chartreuse envy some will have over the billions of dollars that Windows'95 will earn Microsoft and Mr. Gates? In closing, there can be no comparison between a failing computer company attempting to offer its last ditch hope (the Falcon) for survival while suffering from repeated crippling, debilitating delays and a fully fledged, highly successful computer software giant such as Microsoft. To engage in such folly is just that. One can simply not offer enough praise for the new Novell PerfectOffice package. Its "simply wonderful". If ever a combined package deserved praise this is it. Like the Popiel commercials say; "it does it all and does it better than any others". Take a moment or two out of your busy schedules and take a good look at PerfectOffice. It really is perfect. Perfect not only for a few.. but for everyone. Especially the SOHO business person. From letter writing, document processing and glittering graphics to easy desktop publishing, this package is hard to beat. It really is tops in both performance and value. Ralph... Of Special Note: ---------------- STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll UUENCODE each issue and mail it to you. If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. Look for mailings to begin by October first. We are also considering a number of Internet ftp sites in which to post our issues for as well. Whatever we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher -Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors """"""""""""""" PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION ---------- ------------- ----------- ------------- R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET........................ 1:112/35 FNET........................... NODE 620 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 America OnLine..................STReport Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM IMPORTANT NOTICE ---------------- STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Staff & Editors """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS """"""""""""""""""" IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I) =========================== Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #07 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* >> NEC Develops 1 Gigabit DRAM Chip << DRAM chips with a capacity of one gigabit, or a billion bits of information -- bigger than any now on the market -- have been developed by Japan's NEC Corp. In Tokyo this week, NEC Vice President Hajime Sasaki told a news con- ference his employer will start sample shipments in 1998 and to start mass production as early as 1999. He estimates capital investment of about 150 billion yen is needed to start mass production. Said Sasaki, "The DRAMs will be suitable for use in future multimedia terminals such as video-on-demand terminals and next-generation mobile notebook computers." It's noted that a one-gigabit DRAM chip has enough capacity to hold the information contained in about 4,000 newspapers, four hours of compact disk quality sound or 15 minutes of video images. >> Bidding for Commodore Nears End << Two new bidders have entered the contest for the remaining liquidated assets of Commodore International Ltd. Reports say that one is German PC maker/distributor Escom AG, and the other is "a major American technology company" represented by Louis Ulysses of Seattle, who declined to reveal its name. Reports quotes Escom's attorney as saying the German company had been willing in September to pay $12 million for the remains of Commodore, and is still interested, but probably will no longer be willing to pay that amount, because the sale has been delayed so long. >> Sony, Oracle to Collaborate << Sony Corp. and Oracle Corp. say they have signed a letter of intent to work together to develop video, audio and text news database products. The companies initially plan to combine Oracle's expertise in multi- media database management with Sony's strength in television broadcast and production to create a new digital electronic newsgathering (ENG) video system. The companies' first goal is to increase broadcast newsroom produc- tivity by combining video and audio clips with wire service text on a single edit workstation. >> IBM Cuts ThinkPad Prices << Prices have been cut 6% to 11% on six models of IBM's ThinkPad notebook computer line. >> Pioneer to Build Mac Clones << Pioneer Electronics Corp. says it has reached an agreement with Apple Computer, Inc. to license the Macintosh operating system for use in a new line of audio/video (A/V) personal computers. The deal's terms weren't disclosed. Pioneer says it plans to create a new market with a computer that will integrate A/V peripherals and desktop computers. It notes that the integration will take advantage of the company's experience in the A/V and optical disc fields. Pioneer intends to sell the systems under its own brand name. The company plans to release products this summer. Pricing and availability details will be announced later by Pioneer. >> USRobotics Buys New Facility << Modem maker USRobotics, Inc. says it has entered into an agreement to purchase a 302,000 square foot facility on a 23 acre parcel in Morton Grove, Illinois, from Northern Telecom. USRobotics expects the new facility to create more than 500 new jobs during the next three years. The firm expects to invest more than $15 million in the facility. >> Virus Closes Australian Tax Office << The Australian Taxation Office was struck this week by a virus named "no frills" that brought 15,000 personal computers across the country to a complete halt. Reports say that the virus, which may have caused some data loss, was discovered in the Box Hill ATO office in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The virus not only rendered the PCs in that office useless, but it also led to a total shut-down of the Australian Taxation Office's national PC network until the virus could be eliminated. >> Motorola Offers New PowerPC Chip << A new version of the PowerPC microprocessor aimed at makers of consumer-electronics gear has been unveiled by chipmaker Motorola Inc. Called the PowerPC 602, the chip is the latest in a family of micro- processors jointly created by Motorola, IBM and Apple Computer Inc. Motorola officials said that 3DO Co., a designer of video-game machines, will be using the 602 chip, and that Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will use the 602 in its next generation of 3DO systems. The firm also said the 602 chip will be aimed at makers of such things as small computers and wireless-communication equipment. >> Sony Unveils Giant Monitor << Sony Electronics Inc. has introduced a high-resolution computer dis- play with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Designed for graphic arts, satellite imaging/remote sensing, CAD and other applications benefiting from a unique horizontal view and larger image area, Sony says the new GWM-3000 monitor is the first model in a new series of specialized wide-screen displays. Incorporating a 30-inch Trinitron tube with a 28-inch diagonal viewing area, Sony notes that the GWM-3000 offers a usable screen area of 23.6 inches wide by 13.3-inches high, providing more work area for graphics, spreadsheets and simulations than any commercially available color computer display. The GWM- 3000's super-high, non- interlaced resolution of 1,920 dots by 1,080 lines, or more than two million pixels, displays characters as small as 0.1-inch high from corner to corner, anywhere on the screen. Sony notes that the unit's Digital Alignment technology allows for precise display adjustments, eliminating the need to call in technicians or use specialized alignment equipment. The company also says the display's Auto Calibration optimizes user- selected color balance by detecting and controlling the CRT beam currents to stabilize white balance automatically and continuously while the monitor is in use. The monitor accepts both RGB and composite signals via five BNC input connectors on the back panel. The unit complies with Swedish MPR II and TCO safety standards for very low frequency (VLF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic and electrical emissions. The GWM-3000 also incorporates an EPA Energy Star-compliant power management system. The GWM-3000 will be available in April. The unit will sell for $21,900. >> Borland Introduces Delphi << Borland International Inc. has formally unveiled Delphi, its long- awaited visual application development software. The product is scheduled to become available in single-user and client-sever versions by the end of February. The software publisher notes that Delphi combines the power of a native- code compiler, a visual development environment, an object- oriented architecture and scaleable database technology. It says the product can create applications that run 10 to 20 times faster than those created with first generation visual development tools. Delphi Client/Server sells for $1,999. The single-user version costs $495 and has a 90-day promotional price of $199.95. >> Group Challenges Microsoft Network << ASCII Group Inc., a buying group for 1,075 independent computer dealers, will ask the U.S. Justice Department to take action against Microsoft Corp.'s planned online network. Representatives of the group have said they believe Microsoft will illegally bypass them by allowing computer and software makers to sell their products directly to consumers. Microsoft has said it will provide services for hardware and software companies on its planned online network. The ASCII membership says it fears this will disrupt traditional retail relationships with customers. The members says that for retailers to stay competitive, they will have to sell PCs with Windows 95, which will feature the online service. >> Apple Cuts PowerBook 500 Prices << Apple Computer Inc. has cut prices on its flagship Apple PowerBook 500 series notebook computer. All configurations of the top-of-the-line PowerBook are being offered at price reductions of up to 17% per system in the United States. Apple says it will back up its price reductions with strong adver- tising, direct mail, and promotional efforts. A radio campaign kicks-off today in key markets around the United States. In addition, Apple will provide dealers with in-store merchandising and "dealer taggable" radio and ad slicks for use in local markets. Apple will also initiate a targeted direct-mail campaign. Finally, Apple will give away a free carrying case from Austin Case- works of Austin, Texas, with the purchase of any PowerBook from Feb. 15 through March 31. >> Compaq Offers New Services << The new ProSignia 300, a server intended for small businesses that might be considering moving from stand-alone computers to a networked system, has been unveiled by Compaq Computer Corp., which also introduced ProLiant 1500 for corporations. Reports say the ProSignia 300 will sell for under $3,400 while the ProLiant will sell for under $5,700. Both use Intel Corp.'s Pentium processors. The computer maker also introduced four new storage options that provide customers with increased performance, greater storage capacity from the same number of drives and enhanced data security. Disaster recovery services also are available to Compaq customers through an agreement with Comdisco. For $495, Compaq and Comdisco offer Recovery Planning Software. >> Sierra to Design Nintendo Games << Sierra On-Line Inc. has been signed by Nintendo to design video games for its Ultra 64 three-dimensional home video game. Sierra says it will develop and publish its "Red Baron" flight simulation game exclusively for Nintendo. Reports from Nintendo's headquarters say the game will be played on the new 64-bit home video game system now being developed by Nintendo and Silicon Graphics Inc. Nintendo says its 64-bit system, which should be available for home use in fall 1995, will carry a suggested retail price in the United States of under $250. >> Mitnick Nabbed in North Carolina << Fugitive computerist Kevin D. Mitnick, described by one official as "the most wanted hacker in the world," has been arrested at an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 31-year-old Mitnick, wanted for violating federal probation, was arrested by FBI agents and state and local law enforcement authorities after what the has been described as "an intensive two-week 'electronic' manhunt." Mitnick was convicted in Los Angeles in 1988 on charges of stealing software and breaking into corporate computer networks. He received a one-year prison sentence. In 1992, he vanished from Southern California and a federal arrest warrant was issued on charges that he violated the terms of his probation. While on the run, Mitnick is alleged to have broken into corporate and communications networks in California, Colorado and North Carolina, causing damage and stealing secret information, authorities contend. The U.S. Justice Department says Mitnick also faces investigation by various state authorities. Most recently he has become a suspect in a rash of break-ins on the Internet, the authorities allege. Reports say that one of Mitnick's latest victims, computer security expert Tsutomu Shimomura of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, was so angered that he made it his crusade to track Mitnick down and that it was with his help that the FBI traced the computerist to the Raleigh apartment. Mitnick faces charges of computer fraud, punishable by 20 years in prison, and illegal use of a phone access device, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence. Both crimes also are punishable by $250,000 fines. "He was clearly the most wanted computer hacker in the world," assistant U.S. attorney Kent Walker said. "He allegedly had access to corporate trade secrets worth billions of dollars. He was a very big threat." >> Man Arrested for Internet Messages << A University of Michigan student has been arrested on charges he threatened another student by writing about her in at least one rape- murder fantasy story he posted on the Internet. Jake Baker, a 20-year-old Ohio man, was charged in federal court with transmitting a threat to the unidentified woman student across state and national borders. Baker was arraigned in Detroit before U.S. Magistrate Thomas Carlson and ordered held without bond pending a hearing. If convicted, he could get five years in prison. The arrested student contends he did nothing wrong, arguing the tran- smissions were protected by his right to free speech. An affidavit filed by FBI agent Greg Stejskal is quoted as saying Baker admitted to writing and posting stories about raping, torturing and murdering the woman and using her name. Said Stejskal, "The transmissions distributed by Baker through Internet described Baker's desire to commit acts of abduction, bondage, torture, mutilation, sodomy, rape and murder of young women. The depictions of the criminal acts are extremely graphic and detailed." The agent said the woman knew Baker because they attended a class together last fall and that she was "frightened and intimidated" when she learned of the transmissions. _____________________________________________ > PROWIN Plus 2.1 STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""""" PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 2.1 ==================================== Release Notes ------------- February 13, 1995 The following changes have been made for the PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.1 maintenance release: What's New in Version 2.1? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new utility named PWFTP provides ftp file transfers, file viewing and simple disk management over TCP/IP connections. PWFTP features an intuitive split screen interface with its own Action Bar and Setup options. PROCOMM PLUS 2.1 now includes support for TCP/IP Telnet connections. Dialing Directory entries can contain IP addresses or alphanumeric site names instead of telephone numbers, and the Telnet emulation also features a basic connection dialog of its own. PROCOMM PLUS 2.1 now runs under IBM's OS/2 versions 2.11 and 3.0. However, we recommend that OS/2 users experiencing problems either install a 16550 UART chip, switch to replacement OS/2 communications drivers, or both. CISMGR includes a number of new features: the ability to track a personal high message number, an option to skip to the next agent while online, the ability to rebuild corrupted message links, and an option to compact message files to save disk space. The CISMGR logon script has also been externalized, making it easy to modify for those who need a custom logon script. A new Toolbar was added to the FAXVIEW utility. A number of new PW2.INI entries have been added. What's Changed in Version 2.1? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ASPECT ------ The FAXSEND command now supports the MULTIPLE parameter as described in the manual. When a file consisting of fax filenames was specified with the MULTIPLE command, only the first file was faxed. The ASPECT TERMRESET command now resets the terminal and exits scrollback mode. FETCH DIALENTRY ACCESS now sets FAILURE correctly and sets the string variable to null when access is set off. The STRCHR command no longer generates an error 107 while referencing global array elements. PROCOMM PLUS no longer runs in a maximized state when launched from an ASPECT script with the RUN command and the MINIMIZED option. The ASPECT SET QUICKOPTION command now works as documented in the ASPECT Reference Guide. The ASPECT UWINPAINT command no longer results in a divide by zero error. The ASPECT command GETCUR no longer results in an error 107 for an invalid data type. CISMGR ------ Fixed a number of CISMGR processing problems, including some that caused General Protection Fault errors during message threading and aging. CISMGR now encloses a search string in brackets instead of quotation marks when searching Catalog Agents by User ID. CISMGR now allows you to delete highlighted folders while using the Browse function. The CISMGR Browse message tree now saves the entire thread when you select the Save button. When adding a new message agent within CISMGR, the "Select" button is now disabled; however, the Section field remains enabled for users that know perhaps one or two sections within the Agent's forum that contain the desired files or messages. CISMGR now records the last size and position of the Message Read window. Current Setup ------------- In Current Setup, under Options, PROCOMM PLUS no longer returns a General Protection Fault after 16 sets of Current Options are saved. When installing a generic INT14 port connection in the Data/Modem Connection setup, the Default Baud Rate was being set to 19200 rather than 9600 baud. Display problems that appeared when saving customized options within Setup have been corrected. PROCOMM PLUS no longer returns a General Protection Fault if you remove a user defined Terminal from the Terminal Options setup after the new terminal is saved to disk. Dialing Directory ----------------- Phone cards are no longer used if the Call Type for a Dialing Directory entry is set to "Local" or "Internal". Under certain circumstances, the Dialing Queue window couldn't be closed until you exited PROCOMM PLUS. The Dialing Directory now dials the area code only when necessary if a phone card is being used. A converted PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 1.0x Dialing Directory with a blank Meta Key field no longer locks PROCOMM PLUS 2.1 when dialing a queue. When selecting a directory entry with custom fax options, the corresponding settings are now loaded correctly from disk. Fax --- Multiple names can be removed from the Send Fax Recipient(s) list. The Remove button for the Recipient(s) List in the Send Fax dialog box was disabled after removing one name from a list with multiple names remaining. Certain modems displayed only a portion of the fax header on each page of a faxed document. PROCOMM PLUS would send cover pages with the correct headers, but documents had partial headers. Faxes with multiple pages and a coversheet also displayed partial headers. Owners of some modems were experiencing problems when PROCOMM PLUS issued the AT+FCLASS? command. If the modem didn't respond appropriately, the modem wouldn't initialize and PROCOMM PLUS couldn't send or receive faxes. PROCOMM PLUS no longer locks up with Intel 14.4 modems during Class 2 transfers. Scripts using the FAXSEND command with the COVERSHEET option no longer result in a "stretched" font within the received fax. PROCOMM PLUS no longer requires a Windows association to prepare a document for faxing. Broadcast faxing no longer results in FAXSTAT locking up or faxes disappearing from the Scheduled Faxes log. If the transmission runs into problems (such as a busy number or a transmission abort), FAXSTAT now handles the Scheduled Faxes log correctly. PROCOMM PLUS no longer "drops" columns on the left or right of the page when sending a Memofax with the default font settings. FAXSTAT now checks to see if phone cards have been disabled before dialing. FAXSTAT no longer returns a General Protection Fault whenever a Dialing Directory entry is configured to "Phone Card: Current" rather than a specific card. The ASPECT FAXSEND command now reports the correct number of pages when sending faxes. FAXSEND also passes the "Company" field and the contents of the "Notes" field to the Cover Sheet Creator. The Fax menu Initialize Fax Modem option now performs a simple initialization of the modem instead of resetting the maximum send and receive rates and the fax class. File Transfers -------------- ZMODEM now correctly calculates the available download free space for large network drives of several gigabytes. Formerly, PROCOMM PLUS would display the message "Not enough disk space" on these large drives. Font Support ------------ The PCPlus 437 font mistakenly mapped 0xFF as an apostrophe. It is now blank. The MemoFax font has been improved to enhance readability. Host Mode --------- Host users with level 2 access were limited to 12 characters when specifying the path for uploading and downloading. The field now accepts 20 characters. Host users logged on as SYSOP that request a faxback document no longer receive a message stating that they're not authorized for faxback. The Host User Editor now allows the sysop to add new users after the 51st entry. Installation ------------ The PROCOMM PLUS install program now informs you that Windows will be restarted so the user may close any applications currently running in the background. Editors ------- The Keyboard Editor now correctly handles editing of the Delete key or the Tab key in all emulations. Saving and re-opening a keymap now displays the 84 key dialog where required instead of displaying the 101/102 key dialog by default. The Shift-Ctrl-Tab and Backspace combinations are now correct; they're no longer cross mapped. The User Window Editor now correctly clears the Filename Variable Name when a new directory is selected in the Bitmap Object Open File window. Fixed a number of Action Bar editor problems, including some that caused the wrong button to be removed while using the Delete function. MCIMGR ------ MCIMGR no longer gets stuck in a loop if an address is incorrect and the user attempts to enter the address manually. Terminal Window --------------- In PROCOMM PLUS 2.1, you can determine whether reverse video sequences displayed in the Terminal window will be sent to the printer with a PW2.INI setting. By default, the Edit menu ScreenTo option sends the current screen in the Terminal window; however, a new PW2.INI setting allows you to send the current logical screen to the destination (as in version 1.x of the program). Terminal Emulation ------------------ The IBM3101 emulation now sends function key escape sequences properly in Block mode. The dedicated print option now works correctly, acting as a true passthrough device to the system printer. Miscellaneous ------------- The Quick Select Line now properly clears the baud rate and line settings field if you select a NCSI connection and the port is in use. PWVIEWER is now added to the registration database. Owners of Ambra 486-66DX2's were experiencing problems with NETBIOS2.DLC. PROCOMM PLUS now automatically uses DSTASK.DLL when DSTASK.386 isn't present. Certain custom PROCOMM PLUS dialog controls were causing conflicts with other programs using the file MUSCROLL.DLL. PROCOMM PLUS was causing a General Protection Fault under certain conditions when switching the current port from a COM setting to an INT14h setting. The Scheduler now reports the time and date properly when a new event is added and a change made. When placing an Action Bar on the left or right of the Terminal screen and selecting a script file by clicking on the icon, the scripts are now displayed sorted in alphabetical order. Military time without a separator is now displayed correctly throughout PROCOMM PLUS. ______________________________________ > TCP/IP NOW! STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""" DATASTORM adds TCP/IP to PROCOMM PLUS for Windows! ================================================== Columbia, Missouri - (February 13, 1995) - DATASTORM, publisher of the world's best-selling PROCOMM PLUS for Windows, today released a new update to the product that adds integrated support for Telnet and FTP communications. Following the June 1994 release of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0 - recently ranked the single fastest-selling software program by PC Magazine - version 2.1 adds impressive TCP/IP features. A new utility named PWFTP allows FTP file transfers in binary, ASCII and L8 mode, file viewing and simple disk management over TCP/IP connections. PWFTP features an intuitive split-screen interface with its own Action Bar and Setup options, including anonymous logons, support for a range of popular host operating systems and a "passive" mode for Internet sites using firewall protection. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.1 also includes support for TCP/IP Telnet connections with the addition of Telnet to its extensive list of connection types. Dialing Directory entries can contain IP addresses or alphanumeric site names instead of telephone numbers, so users can begin Telnet sessions from the Dialing Directory just like data and fax calls. The Telnet emulation also features a basic connection dialog of its own. "PROCOMM PLUS has long been the worldwide leader in point-to-point PC communications. With version 2.1, we have extended our technology to support the rapidly growing family of TCP/IP networks," said Ron Bower, Director of Research and Development. "This enhancement will be very attractive to corporate customers with in-house TCP/IP networks as well as individuals accessing the Internet through SLIP or PPP accounts." The addition of a new tool bar to the fax viewer adds ease of use to what was already the best integrated fax and data communications software package available. DATASTORM has also added over 200 new modems to the automatic modem detection feature which can now recognize and initialize over 900 modems without user intervention. The new version 2.1 also runs under IBM's OS/2 versions 2.11 and 3.0 in Windows emulation. "Of course, everything we have added follows the PROCOMM PLUS tradition of being very easy to install and use. Our customer base will find our new FTP and Telnet interfaces to be immediately familiar; this new functionality will blend seamlessly with their existing PROCOMM PLUS for Windows applications," Bower said. DATASTORM recently announced the release of the International English version of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.1 which supports international character sets and terminal emulation systems such as Prestel, Minitel and BTX, bringing the benefits of the world's best-selling communications software to English-speaking users across the world. Registered users of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0 can update free to version 2.1. Choose the update option that is easiest for you: 1. Download from the DATASTORM BBS at 314.875.0503 (ANSI, N, 8, 1) 2. Download from the CompuServe DATASTORM Forum "GO DATASTORM" 3. Download by connecting into several Internet FTP sites such as: ftp.cica.indiana.edu in directory /pub/pc/win3/patches wuarchive.wustl.edu in directory /vendor/datastorm 4. Order a disk and printed supplement guide direct from DATASTORM at 800.315.3282 (there is a $7.50 charge for shipping & handling) World headquarters are located in Columbia, Missouri USA, with a European office outside of London, England UK. DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC. And DATASTORM, LTD. are privately held corporations. DATASTORM markets their PROCOMM brand of communications software products worldwide. ______________________________________________ > Internet-Connect STR FOCUS! A POWERHOUSE PARTNER for ProWin Plus 2.1 """"""""""""""""""""""""""" Internet-Connect (TM), Version 2.1 Announcement ----------------------------------------------- Core Systems is proud to announce Internet-Connect (TM) Version 2.1, a comprehensive TCP/IP Networking package for Windows users to get access to the Internet. Internet-Connect Version 2.1 adds significant number of new features and utilities to our current Version 1.1 Release, improves configurability and ease-of-use features, while maintaining robustness and speed associated with Version 1.1. Focus for our Version 2.1 has been on serial connection to the net and ease of use. Internet-Connect Version 2.1 provides full-featured support for PPP and SLIP/CSLIP. Multiple interfaces with IP forwarding and routing are supported. Hook is provided for user-written packet filter and monitoring capability in gateway configuration. BOOTP and DHCP are supported to make network configuring and installing as automatic as possible. Also included are Windows-based dialer (with scripting) and terminal emulation utility. A list of new features included with Version 2.1 follows. For those who missed our Version 1.1 announcement, a summary of complete Internet-Connect features set is also included. - PPP Support. Internet-Connect includes a full-featured implementation of PPP which includes: dynamic address assignment, demand dial-up, redial, client and server mode, scripting, filtering, header compression, userid/password authetication protocol (PAP), callback. - SLIP/CSLIP. - BOTP and DHCP support. - Multiple interfaces (Ethernet and Serial connection active concurrently) with IP routing, forwarding and filtering. - Custom-installed packet filter library. - Dialer with scripting and dialing directory maintenance features. - Terminal emulation. - Windows-based network configuration utility. - Windows-based installation program. For developers, Version 2.1 includes: ------------------------------------ - Winsock API trace. - Winsock developer's kit - SLIP and PPP data trace. - Raw, TCP and UDP packet trace capture and logging capability. - Comprehensive protocol, interface and session statistics. - Telnet Library, FTP Library and VBX Controls. (available separately). An evaluation copy of Internet-Connect Version can be downloaded from Simtel, CICA, and other archives, following directories: cais.com:/pub/lvuong/inetv21.zip oak.oakland.edu:/pub/pc/win3/winsock/inetv21.zip ftp.cica.indiana.edu:/pub/win3/winsock/inetv21.zip Internet-Connect Summary of Features ------------------------------------ - Complete Winsock conformant: the product fully supports Winsock 1.1 Specification. All base and optional functions are supported: - Synchronous and Asynchronous function calls. - TCP, UDP and Raw socket types. - Up to 128 concurrently open sockets. - 4KB UDP datagram size. - TCP/IP stack , 100% implemented as Windows DLL, hence takes up zero below-640K DOS memory. - 32-bit VxD driver, provides super fast data transfer and interrupt responses. - Full featured PPP support, including: dynamic address assignment, redial, demand dial-up, VJ compression, client and server mode, userid/password authentication (UPAP), scripting, filtering, callback. - SLIP/CSLIP support. - Multiple interfaces (Ethernet and SLIP/PPP active concurrently) with IP forwarding and routing. - Custom-installed packet filter library. - BOOTP and DHCP support. - DHCP Client. - Dialer with scripting and directory maintenance. - Terminal emulation. - Local loopback for testing purpose. - Built-in DNS (Domain Name Server) support. - Built-in networking databases (such as services, protocols files) to ease TCP/IP setup complexities. - Windows-based configuration utility: enables first-time users to setup and configure a working system in minutes. - Winsock monitor utility: provides: - Packet data trace. - SLIP/PPP trace. - TCP/UDP trace. - Buffer usage statistics. - Comprehensive protocol, interface and session statistics. - Winsock Spy utility: provides: - Winsock call trace: captures and logs Winsock calls and results. - Selective enabling and disabling tracing of particular Winsock function calls. - Hooks for future addition to trace other calls, such as Windows API. - Unobstrusive trace, requiring no modification to application code. - Works with all Winsock-compliant TCP/IP stacks. - Windows Ping application. - Windows Finger application. - Windows FTP and Telnet applications. - Online Help, Winsock API and Release notes. - Professional Windows-based installation program. - FTP, Telnet Developer's Libraries and VBX Custom Controls (available separately). - Internet-Connect can run with the following network drivers: - NDIS. - ODI. - Packet Drivers. - Internet-Connect is compatible with the following LAN networks: - Novell Netware. - Novell Personal Netware. - Microsoft Lan Manager, Windows for Workgroup (3.1 and above). Core Systems can be reached at: Via E-mail: lvuong@cais.com on Internet, or 71552,3666 on compuserve, or 71552.3666@compuserve.com on Internet Via telephone voice & FAX: 1-510-943-5765 _________________________________________________ > Frankie's Corner STR Feature """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The Kids' Computing Corner -------------------------- SANCTUARY WOODS =============== by Frank Sereno Sanctuary Woods has developed and released a new interactive adventure game designed for children ages five to nine. The game is entitled "Once Upon a Forest" and it is based on the animated movie of the same name. The movie and game center on the adventures of three young furlings. Abigail is an adventurous and bossy mouse, Russell is a fun-loving and hungry hedgehog and Edgar is a brainy mole. To successfully complete the game, players must lead this trio on a quest to find a cure for an ill friend. Children will be introduced to many animals and learn about different ecosystems such as marshes and forests. They will solve puzzles to gather herbs for the cure and to avoid danger from predators such as a weasel, snake, fox and owl. The game's interface features Russell's backpack which contains food and the items gathered during the journey. Also available to the player is Edgar's journal which contains clues, plans to useful inventions and an automatic map. "Once Upon a Forest" contains no written text and is entirely voiced so that prereaders may enjoy the adventure. The game also includes a "solve- me" button to bypass more difficult problems and puzzles so that all players may win the game. The game is available for IBM compatibles on floppy or CD-ROM. The game requires DOS 5.0, a 386DX-33 CPU, 4 megs of RAM and a sound card. "Once Upon a Forest" has an estimated retail price of $39.95 and is currently being offered with a $5 off coupon toward the purchase of the movie. The movie now includes a $5 off coupon for the computer game. My family has the video and we enjoy it very much. The movie contains valuable lessons on family love, teamwork, respecting others and conserving the environment. It gives these lessons without being preachy or overt. Younger children will love it. ### Sanctuary Woods wins two Innovisions '95 Showcase awards at CES. Programs are judged by experts for distinctiveness and creativity. The first of these winners is "Real World Math: Adventures in Flight." This program was reviewed in STR a few months ago and received an excellent rating of 9.0 on my 10-point scale. "Adventures in Flight" is a CD-ROM title for both the Macintosh and Windows which teaches children math lessons and demonstrates how math is applied to real world situations and careers. The second award-winning program is "Wolf." This program is a simulation of the life of a predator. The game follows the cycle of the wolf from a young cub to leader of the pack. Players experience the challenges of finding prey, mating, avoiding humans and to survive. Players will learn about the habits, instincts and environment of the wolf and perhaps develop some empathy for this misunderstood relative of dogs. ### Sanctuary Woods also has two upcoming titles which are aimed toward the more mature computer user. "The Riddle of Master Lu" is an adventure game based on the life of Robert Ripley, the author of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" The game is a historically accurate recreation of the 1930's. The player's task is to guide Mr. Ripley and his feminine companion, martial arts expert Mei Chen, to obtain the jade Emperor's Seal and prevent its capture by the enemy. Players will visit many Far East locales while solving puzzles. The program features an original score and video-based animation. Available first for Windows computers, "The Riddle of Master Lu" requires a 386DX/33 CPU, a double-speed CD-ROM drive and a VESA-compliant SVGA video card. Suggested retail pricing is $59.95. The second title has such a rich gaming experience that it spans two CD- ROMs. "Buried in Time" is an adventure game involving time travel and suspense. A sequel to "The Journeyman Project," this game is a continuation of the adventures of Temporal Security Agent #5. The game is played in the first person, so you will have to discover who has framed you for altering history. "Buried in Time" features over 25,000 rendered frames of animation and images. Players visit five environments, including a Mayan temple in 1050 A.D. and a space station in the future. The program uses professional actors wearing full costumes and 3-D environments to suspend disbelief and make the player believe that he is really Agent #5. The player needs no prior experience with "The Journeyman Project" to succeed at "Buried in Time." The game has a beginner mode and has an artificial being who will assist the player in solving difficult puzzles. "Buried in Time" will be available for both Windows and Macintosh computers for $59.95. It can be ordered directly from Sanctuary Woods by calling 415-286-6110. Thanks for reading! ___________________________________________ > QCOPY WINDOWS STR Spotlight "A MUST HAVE program!" """"""""""""""""""""""""""" QCOPY for WINDOWS v1.1 ====================== Program Description ------------------- QCOPY for WINDOWS v1.1 is a Windows floppy disk copying & format utility written by Ulrich Feldmueller, Bremen, Germany and made available with support by BayDee Inc.. It is powerful and fast for floppy disk duplication and formatting. Read once and make one or multiple copies. Program features include: * Support for formats of 180K, 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.4M and 2.8M. * True format conversion, e.g. copy a 1.2M 5.25" disk onto a 1.44M 3.5". * Optimizes copying process ie. defragments files in one contiguous block onto the target disk. * Support for 2.8M ED disk drives * Support for external and simulated drives * Support for drives A: through Z: * Only that portion of the disk containing data is copied to the target. Can speed up the copying process significantly. * Copies can be made between disk drives and/or the hard drive. Diskettes are stored to a *.DSK file (image file) or alternatively, can be "unpacked" to the hard drive. * Read the source only once and make X copies. * Disk labels are copied to the target, or can be assigned a new name. About BayDee Inc. ----------------- BayDee was formed three years ago and is active primarily in the shareware industry. We are located in Beaconsfield, a small town just outside Montreal, Canada. BayDee has translated both QCOPY v4.0 (the DOS version) and QCOPY for WINDOWS from German into English. BayDee handles the registrations, distribution and technical support for the English versions. The DOS versions of QCOPY have been around in Germany since 1990, so the software has been well tried and tested. The English DOS version, QCOPY V4.0 has been around since 1992 and is still current and actively being downloaded. The shareware version of QCOPY for WINDOWS is exactly the same as the registered version, barring two exceptions. In the shareware version, there are two registration reminder screens on loading and exiting the program, and a countdown timer which becomes active while copying to the target disk. Of course, the registered versions have none of the annoyances and they have some "added features" like great support and notice of updates. Program Specifications ------------------------ Name: QCOPY for WINDOWS Version: 1.1 Operating Env: MS-WINDOWS Program type: Shareware Category: Utility / Floppy Disk Utility Program size: 600 Kbytes unpacked, 370 Kbytes packed Registration: US $28 (plus $3.00 shipping) CDN $ 35 (plus $3.00 shipping) Requirements: WINDOWS 3.1, Hard Drive, 512 Kbytes RAM, Graphics card: Any graphics card. Soundcard: None required Author: Ulrich Feldmueller, Bremen, Germany Translation: BayDee Inc. Publisher: BayDee Inc. Address: BayDee Inc. P.O. Box 25 Beaconsfield P.Q. H9W 5T6 Canada Telephone: (514) 457-1631 CompuServe: 70302,557 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. GENIE Information Services copyright 1995 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group *** STReport available in MAC RT *** ASCII TEXT for ALL GENIE users! MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > Wildcat! 4.1 STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""" MUSTANG SOFTWARE, INC. ANNOUNCES UPGRADE TO "WORLD'S MOST POPULAR BBS SOFTWARE" Wildcat! 4.1 Offers Enhanced OS/2 Support BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Feb. 15, 1995 -- Mustang Software, Inc. (MSI) is introducing Wildcat! 4.1, the latest update to the world's most widely used bulletin board system (BBS) software. The new version features enhanced OS/2 support, a new multi-database file system and a full-screen ANSI-based file listing mode that makes browsing file lists easier for the caller. With Version 4.1, Wildcat! has been upgraded to support direct communications with OS/2's serial drivers, improving performance for system operators (sysops) running Wildcat! as a DOS process under the OS/2 operating system. Wildcat! sysops can also now use intelligent multi-port serial cards from Digiboard, Inc. and other enhanced serial devices that have OS/2 drivers in an OS/2 environment, an option not possible in previous versions of Wildcat! Another key Version 4.1 feature is Wildcat!'s improved support for CD-ROMs via the ability to define "groups" of file areas on a Wildcat! BBS. A file group consists of any collection of file areas defined by the sysop and each group has a separate database. This makes adding a new CD-ROM of downloadable files to Wildcat! as simple as "dropping in" a pre-made database. "With the new file system, Wildcat!'s file databases are much more portable and managing multiple CD-ROM disks is simplified," said Jim Harrer, president/CEO of MSI. "We have created a system that gives the sysop many of the features of popular CD-ROM doors without sacrificing the speed and ease-of-use built into Wildcat!" Groups can be selected by the caller for listing, searching and transferring files. The sysop's job of processing requests for off- line files, such as those contained on a CD-ROM not normally kept on- line, can be automated with the upgraded version of the wcFILE database utility included with Wildcat! 4.1. Full-Screen File Listing Mode Also Added To Wildcat! Wildcat! 4.1 also offers a new full-screen file listing mode, making it easier for callers to scan through the list of downloadable files. In "ANSI Lister" mode, users can browse through the file databases using their arrow keys and mark files for download by just hitting the spacebar. Single-line, two-line and extended file listing modes are also available and each user can select the file listing method they prefer. Importantly, Wildcat!'s "Internet-compatibility" has been improved as the software now allows blank "subject" headings on Internet e-mail conferences. Some e-mail systems require a blank subject heading for routing purposes. Wildcat! BBS is offered in five separate versions, starting with the $129 Single Line package popular with the hobbyist sysop. The product line extends to the Wildcat! BBS Suite for $999, the most complete BBS solution in the industry. The new Wildcat! 4.1 will be available in March '95 and may be ordered directly from MSI by calling toll-free (800) 999-9619. For Wildcat! 4.0 sysops, the Wildcat! 4.1 update is offered for only $20 plus shipping. Sysops running Version 3.X or older can upgrade for $50 plus shipping. Wildcat! 4.1 is also available nationwide on the retail level through such outlets as CompUSA and Software, Etc., and through major distributors including Ingram Micro of Santa Ana, Calif. and DistribuPro of Santa Clara, Calif. Jim Harrer William L. Prichard, V.P./P.R. President/CEO Robert J. Fisher, President Mustang Software, Inc. Fisher Business Communications, Inc. Tel: (805) 873-2500 Tel: (714) 556-1313 Fax: (805) 873-2599 Fax: (714) 556-1216 BBS: (805) 873-2400 BBS: (714) 556-1034 Availability: Immediate Price: $129 (Single-Line Version) Mustang Software, Inc. Mustang Software, Inc. (MSI) is a single-source supplier of bulletin board system (BBS) and related communications software. Unveiled in March 1987, MSI's Wildcat! BBS now has an active installed base of more than 35,000 system operators (sysops), making it the most popular BBS software program in the world. MSI also offers the widely-used QmodemPro communications software program, with more than 50,000 registered users. With QmodemPro, ac- quired in November 1991, MSI is the only supplier of both a BBS program and the communications software by which a caller may access a BBS. Formed in September 1986, MSI is headquartered at 6200 Lake Ming Road, Bakersfield, Calif. 93306. The company can be reached by telephone at (805) 873-2500; the toll-free telephone number is (800) 999-9619; FAX (805) 873-2599 and BBS (805) 873-2400. -end- +=========================+================+=========================+ | Mustang Software, Inc. | Connecting | Office: 805-873-2500 | | 6200 Lake Ming Road | the | Orders: 800-999-9619 | | Bakersfield, CA 93306 | World | Fax: 805-873-2599 | | USA | | BBS: 805-873-2400 | +=========================+================+=========================+ ********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International OnLine Magazine is available every week for your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic computer users there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN --DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan 20 Hours for Only $20! ----------------------------- Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20 hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone OnLine or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage is only $1.80 per hour. 20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which are clearly marked with a "$" sign. Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi Internet Services Corporation. It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply OnLine -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first billing day of the following month. The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does not carry forward into the next month. Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given OnLine. TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time! ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's been one helluva week for me personally, so please bear with me while I go through a brief grieving period. The hospital in which I work (almost 20 years) had its first ever layoff this week. A few friends whom I've known for many years were gone in a matter of a couple of hours, with no advance warning at all that it was coming. Today's health care industry is rapidly changing and it's affecting all of us. Fortunately, my department came through this unscathed, other than a few emotional scars. It's difficult to fathom this happening to others; but when it hits this close to home, it's like losing a close relative or friend. The Houston show is this weekend, so if you're in the neighborhood, drop by!! The TAF show is the first of April, so you'll have another opportunity to make a show if you can't make the HACE one! Details for the upcoming TAF show are included in this issue. If you can make at least one show, I'd highly recommend doing so - they're a lot of fun! Let's hope the "AtariFest" season is a long one! It's amazing to see the "Information Highway" grow so rapidly these days. A few months ago, we started an Internet subscription service for receiving STReport through the Internet mail. The response was terrific, and it's still growing by the day. We literally have hundreds of subscribers that receive STReport each week, all over the globe. If you're interested, please drop us a line! Until next time... ___ ___ / \----/ \ Dana P. Jacobson - Atari Editor - STReport |-----| |-----| STReport International Online Magazine /\_0_/ \_0_/\ The Original * Independent * Online Magazine -| o o |- -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- / \______________/ \ "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" \ \ | | | | / / Mail subscription: dpj@delphi.com ww ooooo----ooooo ww _______________________________________ TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (2/15/95) (1) ONLY! VALENCY & WORLD (6) 2 COLUMNS, VERSION 6 *(2) CAIN 1/95 *(7) MGIF VERSION 4.2B (3) ERROR CODES AND BOMBS (8) TRON-LIKE LIGHT-CYCLES GAME (4) ATARI E-MAIL LIST (9) ATARIWORKS PAGE PREVIEW *(5) ST-GUIDE V.1.20 IN ENGLISH (10) BMP FILE VIEWER * = New on list HONORARY TOP 10 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 11.06) ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. __________________________________ > ASTEROIDIA STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""" -=-=-=-=ASTEROIDIA=-=-=-=- Now available! -------------- From: Munsie 5601 Ammons Haltom City, TX 76117 (817) 485-9293 Program name: Asteroidia ------------------------ System Requirements: ST/STe/TT/Falcon with 1 meg of free memory. Color monitor/VGA monitor/TV. Double sided disk drive or (hard drive recommended.) Note for ST owners: This game was originally coded with STe/Falcon users in mind. But we decided to allow ST users to run it by simulating a scrolling background by using a starfield instead! The effect comes out great. So even though you won't get the bitmapped scrolling backgrounds you still get a fun game to play. Enhancements: Blitter scrolling on STe/Mega STe/Falcon/ (TT?) 50khz in game mod music on Falcon. Smoother play on Mega STe/TT/Falcon Game runs MUCH smoother in 60hz video mode. Description: Asteroidia is an arcade style game that involves little strategy but provides hours of fun. You are flying around in space trying to destroy all the asteroids that are heading toward your home planet. You'll also have to contend with little alien thingys that want to destroy your ship! 3D rotating asteroids on a multi-directional scrolling background. (Falcon/STe/TT) (Starfield scrolling on non-blitter machines.) OPTIONS.... ST users: Optional music or sound fx. Normal speed with no slowdown. Faster speed with slowdown.<<<<< STe users: All ST features plus: POWERPAD ready!!!! (Or joystick..) Optional Blitter scroll or starfield display. Optional ASTRODIA.DMA file in the same directory will provide a repeating background music sample file. Very nice music. (Hey..I made it!!) (Requires a 2MEG system to run with ASTRODIA.DMA!) Mega STe/TT users: All STe features plus: Optional normal fast speed or slower speed. MINUS - No powerpad for Mega STe/TT users... Falcon users: All Mega STe/TT features plus: Optional ASTRODIA.MUS file that will provide EXCEPTIONAL 50khz background music courtesy of several explosive mod tracks. This file GREATLY enhances the game experience!! Powerpad ready!!!! (Or joystick..) The ability to select your own mod tracks that will play in the background during the game. Run the MAKE_MOD.PRG to point to the mod files on your hard drive. Play them back in sequential or random order during the game! ASTRODIA.PRG: You can run Asteroidia from any desktop mode except True Color mode. Also, some screen enhancements may cause problems when Asterodia exits. If that is the case please de-activate them before running. Some desk accessories and TSR programs have been known to cause some problems with our software. While we have tried to make this program as compatible as possible we cannot guarantee that it will work 100% of the time on YOUR system. Whenever possible run Asteroidia from a clean desktop. If you can, boot your system without accessories or TSR's loaded if there is a problem. If you cannot get this program to run on your system, PLEASE call or email us as soon as possible letting us know what your problem is. Thank you... Asteroidia has been tested on ST/STe/Mega STe/Falcon. Shareware: This game is being distributed as shareware. If you enjoy this game a modest fee of $10.00 gets you 100% access to all of it's features. Un Registered!!: When you run Asteroidia in the UN-REGISTERED mode you will only get 1 life per game. If you enjoy this game and would like to register the program please read the ORDER.DOC file that comes with the archive. Extras: There may be a few goodies here and there, sadly you won't find any mention of those here...:) Other releases to look for: --------------------------- Racers - A fast action 2 player car racing game. G_Shell - The ultimate GFA BASIC programmer's shell. MultiRun - A powerful file launcher with configurable hardware calls. Sea Wolf 95 - Aim your torpedoes and fire away! Frantick - Slightly updated since our last version. Fast action shooter! Choplyfter - The long awaited conversion...looking pretty hot! Blazion - A fast action shooter for Falcon owners! Megaspace - A arcade action vertical scrolling shooter. (Megaspace could end up being our flagship product!!) Quadrys - Multi player Tetrys type game. ASTR_FAL.ZIP has been uploaded to the following file transfer areas: ASTR_ST.ZIP GEnie Delphi Internet FTP sites: Germany : FTP.UNI-KL.DE United Kingdom : MICROS.HENSA.AC.UK United States : MSDOS.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU Now you can order/register any of our products directly from some of the leading Atari vendors through out the world. These vendors are set up to allow you to call them and give them your KEY code and they will tell you your registration code over the phone! Or you may take the time to mail them your order if you like. Please take the time to consider registering any of our currently available products through ANY of the following list of Atari vendors. In the USA: Steve's Atari Sales 5 West Street Woodland, CA 95695 Toll free order line: (VOICE) 1-800-487-7753 (FAX) 1-800-800-FAXS Suzy B's Software 3712 Military Road Niagra Falls, NY 14305 716-298-1986 In the U.K.: Warpzone PDL 53 Ropewalk, River ST ST. Judes, Bristol BS2 9EG Telephone/Fax 0272 553758 L.A.P.D. P.O. Box 2 Heanor, Derbys DE75 7YP Telephone/Fax 0773 605010/761944 _______________________________________ > G_SHELL STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""" -=-=-=-=G_SHELL=-=-=-=- The ULTIMATE development shell for use with GFA BASIC! Now shipping! ------------- From: Munsie 5601 Ammons Haltom City, TX 76117 (817) 485-9293 We are pleased to announce that our latest product, G_SHELL is now available. G_SHELL truly gives the GFA BASIC 3.5/3.6 programmer a professionally written environment to work in. G_SHELL totally replaces the MENU.PRG that came with your original GFA BASIC with a serious tool that greatly enhances your overall programming productivity. G_SHELL includes all of these great features and more! * Install up to 30 different GFA BASIC programs. * Each program has their own individual compiler options. * User definable .PRG and .O file path for each program. (Compiled programs can have ANY extension.) * Each program can have their own linkable .Object files. * Up to 18 TOOLS can be installed and effortlessly launched. * Compact, quick, easy to grasp, SINGLE SCREEN, user interface. No pretty 3D boxes here, just a serious programming tool that works. * Does NOT modify your existing GEM colors. * Completely 100% Falcon ready and compatible. * Runs in ANY resolution with at least a 640x200 display. * You can choose to run the interpreter in ST LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH resolutions! * Built in disk tools: Copy, Move, Delete, Name, View, Print * Special GFA BASIC programmer tools built in: PRG->INL - Strips header off .PRG files for easy loading into INLINEs. VIEW INL - Allows you to view the decimal contents of an INLINE file. COMPARE - Compares two files. You'll find a use for this soon enough. GFA PAL - Allows you to alter the default colors of the INTERPRETER. GFA MANUAL - A special hook that allows you to view the contents of the 2nd GFA Manual 3rd Edition using an interactive viewer. (All files included...it's like a built in GFA MANUAL!!) * Switch between 50-60 hertz video. (ST's AND Falcon's) * Switch processor speed. (Mega STe's and Falcon's) * Auto delete .O file after compiling. (Optional) * Compile all. Update all of your .PRG files at one time! * Wait on/off, Debug symbols on/off, Move memory on/off. * A useful LOG (optional off/on) that keeps track of what you did during your G_SHELL session. On going log, appends the file! G_SHELL is being distributed as shareware. Even though all features are 100% intact, some features will be disabled until the program is registered. It should be noted that when you register the program you will be given a key code that allows you to gain access to all of G_SHELL's features WITHOUT having to be sent any other files. Registration fee for G_SHELL is $10.00. Now you can order/register any of our products directly from some of the leading Atari vendors through out the world. These vendors are set up to allow you to call them and give them your KEY code and they will tell you your registration code over the phone! Or you may take the time to mail them your order if you like. Please take the time to consider registering any of our currently available products through ANY of the following list of Atari vendors [as listed above]. _________________________________________ > TAF ACE'95 STR SHOW NEWS Man 'O man .... it's just getting better!! """""""""""""""""""""""" ******************************************************* NEWS RELEASE 11: THE TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION PRESENTS....ACE '95!! ******************************************************* _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ Software Demos! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ Hardware Demos! _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ Membership! _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ Phoenix Newsletter! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ 16/32 Bit Library! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ Monthly Meetings! _/_/ _/ _/_/ _/ Flea Market! _/ Seminars! Raffles! BBS! #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# Support! GRAPHICS! Official Sponsor of ACE'95! SPREADSHEETS! DATABASES! #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# DESKTOP PUBLISHING! TELECOMMUNICATIONS! MIDI! WORDPROCESSING! MUCH MORE! ~~~ THE TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION ~~~ Largest Atari User Group in North America! ~~~ (416) CALL-TAF (225-5823) For Recorded Information ~~~ ~~~ TAF Online BBS (416) 421-8999 ~~~ ~~~ CALL 416-752-2744 For ACE'95 Information ~~~ The *GREATEST* Atari Exhibition in *YEARS* is happening on April 1st & 2nd, 1995, in TORONTO!! Look at this incredible *GROWING* ACE '95 Exhibitors List! =================================================================== ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 =================================================================== EXHIBITORS EXHIBITORS EXHIBITORS EXHIBITORS EXHIBITORS CONTESTS CONTESTS CONTESTS CONTESTS CONTESTS VISITORS VISITORS VISITORS VISITORS VISITORS ATARI ATARI ATARI ATARI ATARI USER GROUPS USER GROUPS USER GROUPS USER GROUPS USER GROUPS LLLL Gribnif Software! LLLLL TOAD Computers! LLLLLL Branch Always Software! LLLLLLL Cybercube Research (Cyrel)! LLLLLLLL DMC Publishing! LLLLLLLLL Scarborough Computers! LLLLLLLLLL Missionware Software! LLLLLLLLLLL ICD INC/4Play/Black Cat Designs! LLLLLLLLLLLL It's All Relative! LLLLLLLLLLLLL ABC Solutions! LLLLLLLLLLLLLL Esquimalt Digital Logic (OMEN)! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL GEnie Information Services! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Suzy B's Software (& CDs)! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL chro_Magic! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Clear Thinking! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Schauzmoll Software (The first GUI BBS)! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Anodyne Software (ExtenDOS)! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Oregon Research Associates! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Lexicor/Computer Direct! (Medusa?) LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Binary Sounds! LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Fine Tooned Engineering (MIO2, Sweet 16) ... shhh! don't tell anybody, but the c-lab falcon mkII is going to be at ace'95, too!! ***** ***** What a GREAT lineup!!! ***** and there's still MORE TO COME!! ***** We're looking forward to CGS Computerbild's presence too, as well as COMPO, Migraph, Wizztronics, Best Electronics and *many* more!! =-=-=-=-=-=- This will be the premier Atari show of the '90s featuring the BEST dealers and developers, Atari users, MIDI users & Jaguar users, User Groups and the finest software & hardware from all over North America & Europe! =-=-=-=-=-=- ACE'95 will feature continuous, hour-on-the-hour Seminars and Lectures. The ACE'95 Creativity Contest is also gathering speed with 20 entries already!!! There are an a-m-a-z-i-n-g number of creative Atari users out there!!! SEND IN *YOUR* ENTRY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! =-=-=-=-=-=- NEED SOMETHING? It will be on SALE at ACE'95! =-=-=-=-=-=- DMC Publishing, Beamscope, Lexicor, ABC Solutions, Atari & several other TERRIFIC contributors, are providing an unbelievable lineup of door prizes, creativity contest prizes .... and the ACE'95 Grand Prize! =-=-=-=-=-=- MIDI, DTP, Wordprocessing, Graphics, Power Computing, Software Libraries, Utilities, Accessories, Databases, Spreadsheets, Custom Solutions, Games, Educational, Internet, BBS, Networks, Accelerators, Emulators, JAGUAR Stations, User Group Center, INCREDIBLE SALE PRICES, Software, Hardware, and everything you need to use your Atari! =-=-=-=-=-=- More Atari users in one place than is EVER safe =;^) ================================================ Getting to ACE'95 is *easy*. Toronto is directly accessed by Highway 401 or the Queen Elizabeth Way, or Highway 400/69. Crossing the US/Canada border at Detroit, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Ft. Erie, Ogdensburg, Kingston, etc., will lead you directly to Highway 401 or the Queen Elizabeth Way. Take the Yonge St. Ramp north off the 401 and drive to 5110 Yonge St. If you take the Queen Elizabeth Way, follow the signs to get to highway 401. *ANY* AAA or CAA or other Motor League can provide you with a map of Toronto, Ontario & Canada. Please call us if you have any trouble! Pearson International Airport is only 15 minutes away! Toronto Transit subway access is direct, too - there's a subway stop at the Civic Center! ================================================ Book your tickets in advance! Book your hotel in advance! Call or e-mail for a Show Kit: for your User Group or organization or group! The Show Site (North York Civic Center, Memorial Hall Exhibition Facility) has hotel, shopping, restaurants and more! NOVOTEL: $89 Cdn PER NIGHT (single OR double occupancy) ACE'95 TICKETS: $6 PER DAY $10 WEEKEND PASS CALL 416-752-2744 FOR HOTEL & TICKET RESERVATIONS ================================================ Meet Dan Wilga, Darek Mihocka, Bob Luneski, Peter Zalesak, John Trautschold, Craig Harvey, Nathan Potechin, Mario Georgiou, Greg Kopchak, Al Fasoldt, Rick Ladage, Jim Fouch, David & Jennifer Troy, Michael Burkley, Roger Burrows, DARLAH, Craig Carmichael, Tom Harker, Chris Krowchuck, Jim Collins, Ralf Dowich, Shawn Tedder, Mike Wilhelm, Mike Hohman, Christian Ernst, Michael Snape, and plenty more of the greatest dealers, developers & supporters Atari users have ever seen! ================================================ *CALL US* 416-752-2744 or 416-225-5823 *CALL US* ACE'95 is being held at: North York Civic Center Memorial Hall Exhibition Facility 5110 Yonge St. (at Parkhome Ave.) Toronto April 1-2, 1995 Saturday 9AM - 6PM Sunday 9AM - 5PM ~~ Howard Carson, ACE'95 Chief Organizer ~~~ ________________________________ > STR NewsPlus """""""""""" -/- Bidding for Commodore Nears End -/- Two new bidders have entered the contest for the remaining liquidated assets of Commodore International Ltd. Computergram International reports this morning one is German PC maker/distributor Escom AG, and the other is "a major American technology company" represented by Louis Ulysses of Seattle, who declined to reveal its name. The newsletter quotes Escom's attorney as saying the German company had been willing in September to pay $12 million for the remains of Commodore, and is still interested, but probably will no longer be willing to pay that amount, because the sale has been delayed so long. "Only Creative Equipment International Inc. of Miami and a management team from Commodore's UK subsidiary had hitherto publicly expressed interest in the assets," the newsletter added, "and the original bids from each were thought to be higher than Escom's bid." -/- Mitnick Nabbed in North Carolina -/- Fugitive computerist Kevin D. Mitnick, described by one official as "the most wanted hacker in the world," has been arrested at an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 31-year-old Mitnick, wanted for violating federal probation, was arrested shortly after midnight by FBI agents and state and local law enforcement authorities after what the Reuter News Service describes as "an intensive two-week 'electronic' manhunt." Mitnick was convicted in Los Angeles in 1988 on charges of stealing software and breaking into corporate computer networks. He received a one-year prison sentence. In 1992, he vanished from Southern California and a federal arrest warrant was issued on charges that he violated the terms of his probation. While on the run, Mitnick is alleged to have broken into corporate and communications networks in California, Colorado and North Carolina, causing damage and stealing secret information, authorities contend. The U.S. Justice Department says Mitnick also faces investigation by various state authorities. Most recently he has become a suspect in a rash of break-ins on the Internet, the authorities allege. The Associated Press says one of Mitnick's latest victims, computer security expert Tsutomu Shimomura of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, was so angered that he made it his crusade to track Mitnick down and that it was with his help that the FBI traced the computerist to the Raleigh apartment. Mitnick faces charges of computer fraud, punishable by 20 years in prison, and illegal use of a phone access device, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence. Both crimes also are punishable by $250,000 fines. "He was clearly the most wanted computer hacker in the world," assistant U.S. attorney Kent Walker told The New York Times. "He allegedly had access to corporate trade secrets worth billions of dollars. He was a very big threat." Justice Department spokesman John Russell called Mitnick "a computer terrorist." Mitnick's downfall began Christmas Day, when he broke into Shimomura's home computer and stole security programs he had written. "Incensed," says AP, "Shimomura canceled a ski vacation and assembled a team of computer experts to hunt down the intruder." Then: -:- They traced Mitnick to Netcom, a nationwide Internet access provider. -:- With the help of federally subpoenaed phone records, they determined that he was placing calls from a cellular phone near Raleigh-Durham International Airport. -:- Early Monday morning, Shimomura drove around Raleigh with a phone company technician, using "a cellular frequency direction-finding antenna hooked to a laptop to narrow the search to an apartment complex," AP adds. -:- After a 24-hour stakeout, the FBI moved in for the arrest. Adding a movie-like conclusion to the arrest, 30-year-old Shimomura attended Mitnick's pre-arraignment hearing at the federal courthouse in Raleigh. "At the end of the hearing," says AP, "a handcuffed Mitnick turned to Shimomura, whom he had never met... 'Hello, Tsutomu,' Mitnick said. 'I respect your skills.' Shimomura nodded solemnly." __________________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== Electronic Arts Signed?! Cannon Fodder Released! More I.S. Tips! Winter CES Report! And Much More! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The '95 game releases have finally started. It's been a long period between game releases, but the third-party games that have been long-awaited are coming. Cannon Fodder is the first, with more on the way. Up to now, it's been really quiet on the Jaguar front. Most activity has been speculation and rumor - usually directed at Atari with questions about the CD-ROM or new games. During my last talk with folks at Atari, the CD-ROM is still slated for mid to late March. We've got a lot of interesting projects slated for future issues, including a number of game reviews, interviews with Atari personnel, and other articles. We hope you'll enjoy them! Until next time... __________________________________ > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's """"""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp. Cannon Fodder Virgin Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $69.95 ICD Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp. > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -/- Sierra to Design Nintendo Games -/- Sierra On-Line Inc. has been signed by Nintendo to design video games for its Ultra 64 three-dimensional home video game. Sierra says it will develop and publish its "Red Baron" flight simulation game exclusively for Nintendo. United Press International reports from Nintendo's Redmond, Washington, headquarters the game will be played on the new 64-bit home video game system now being developed by Nintendo and Silicon Graphics Inc. Nintendo says its 64-bit system, which should be available for home use in fall 1995, will carry a suggested retail price in the United States of under $250. -/- 16-bit Games Remain Dominant -/- A comprehensive study of the U.S. video game business has found that the market for 16-bit games is slowing but remains dominant since no platform has emerged as a viable replacement to the 16-bit systems from Sega and Nintendo, reports PRNewswire. "This is bad news for developers that are betting on the rapid growth of CD-ROM platforms," said David Cole, president of DFC Intelligence, the market research firm that conducted the study titled "The U.S. Market for Video Games and Interactive Electronic Entertainment." Since CD-ROM systems are expensive and will take some time to develop consumer support, the cartridge game systems are likely to remain dominant in the market throughout 1996. "It appears that both Sega and Nintendo will rely on cartridge systems for the next two years," explained Cole. Of all the new CD-ROM platforms, DFC Intelligence believes 3DO has the best chance to challenge Nintendo and Sega for market share. "3DO has a head start, strong corporate backing from Matsushita, and is establishing a foothold in the marketplace with a growing library of software," said Cole. "3DO, not Sony, is the company to beat when it comes to CD-ROM platforms." Meanwhile, Nintendo and Sega should remain significant forces in the industry. With increased competition, both companies will have to make due with a smaller share of the pie; however, with the expected growth of the market, it will be a larger pie. DFC Intelligence predicts that Nintendo and Sega should each maintain a minimum 25 percent of the market for the next five years. Said Cole, "Both companies have strong brand names, loyal customers, and the required technological and marketing expertise." As for the growing installed base of personal computers with CD-ROM drives, Cole explained, "It is highly unlikely that the personal computer will become a significant platform for entertainment software anytime soon." According to Cole, the problem with the PC as a game platform is consumer acceptance. "It is the consumer that has the final say, and right now they are rejecting the PC. The PC game market is plagued by installation difficulties and hardware incompatibilities. The PC is just not suited to be a mass market entertainment appliance." DFC Intelligence predicts that PC CD-ROM games will grow at a modest pace; however, total revenues will pale in comparison to the dedicated systems. Said Cole, "It will be hard for any title to make money if it is only released on PCs." The findings in the report are based on historical trends, combined with an analysis of present events. _____________________________________ > WCES! STR SHOW NEWS """"""""""""""""""" Atari WCES Report! The Jaguar Comes to Winter CES! - A look at what Jaguar items were at the recent Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV by Marty Mankins, Jaguar Editor It's been just over 6 weeks since the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (WCES) was held in Las Vegas, NV. There were many Jaguar items on display at the show. And since this time, no other Jaguar games have been released. There has been talk of some new games that are ready to roll off the production line, but nothing so far. We are all anxious to see these titles and the much talked about Jaguar CD drive. So, lets talk about what was at the show and the anticipated dates they should be on store shelves. THE NOW FAMOUS CD-ROM DRIVE Since the initial double-city release of the Jaguar, there has been talk of the CD-ROM drive and how it will work and possible games that will make their way when the peripheral ships in late 1994. Well, it's a bit past 1994, but the CD drive was in full view at the show. Many "Oooohhed" and "Aaaahhhed" at the sight of the drive, it's integration into the Jaguar console and the number of pre-release games that were shown with the system. I know I was blown away, but for the amount of time that has been spent on the CD drive, the "blown away" factor was expected. Not just an answer to Sega's CD add-on or it's portable CDX unit, the Jaguar CD drive is very nice, easy to use and has a wide range of compatibility. The drive works with not only Jaguar games, but Photo CDs, audio CDs and CD+Graphics compact discs. It's obvious they want this drive to be used by more that just the Jaguar players in the house. The price is good, coming in at $149.99 retail. Expect this to be the selling price from most places for sometime (6-8 months). Software titles will be out faster since they are on CD and easier to press and create. Some of the future titles are Battlemorph, Blue Lightning and Dragon's Lair. These and other exiting titles should help sell many CD drives for the Jaguar. I've seen some other CD titles for both the PC and the Sega CD system that need help and the titles I saw for the Jaguar CD drive were incredible, with details galore and all sorts of little things that make the game playable over and over. The overall reaction to the CD drive was "finally", although Atari says it won't be shipping until at least March. This gives some of us who long for more Jaguar stuff to save some money and get at least Dragon's Lair and Battlemorph. NEW JAGUAR GAMES Atari had Jaguar stations/kiosks all over their large booth (located next to the Nintendo behemoth) playing all sorts of games, some shipping, some soon-to-ship and some in pre-release form. The pre-release games were limited in how complete the overall game was, but you got the idea. One of the shipping games that received less-than wonderful comments was Checkered Flag. This game could have been much better if they would have refined the control of the car. I am amazed that the main aspect of play in this game got past testers, beta sites and developers. It does take a long time to master the control of the car, but it never feels like it should. Kasumi Ninja was thankfully better, but not as good as the hype it generated early on. The version I played was the final shipping copy. I had seen some demos earlier in the year (found on issue #5 of IE, a CD-ROM magazine) and it looked really good. So, in my gore enticement, I tried my favorite move - blowing off your enemies head clean off. After my fifth try, it worked and the graphics blew me away. The game play is hard - very hard - but this could be good for those who tire of a game early on. I think this game will have moderate success, judging from the feedback of other players. Rayman was a big hit. Almost everyone that came to the booth waited behind one of the Rayman kiosks to play the game. I found the game play to be very close to excellent, with just a few refinements (such as when the character interacts with other things on the screen) before it ships. I rate this game as one that will sell a ton of copies. Let Atari and UBI market this and people will flock to it. Ultra Vortex from Beyond Games was another that looked like one of those "Sega Killer" games that the Jaguar needs. It looked close to being done and should ship before the end of March. Yet another fighter game for the Jaguar (joining Fight for Life, Kasumi Ninja and Dragon), Ultra Vortex looks clean. The action is fast and hot. The players are detailed and you get hours of play time that will satisfy most players. One game that already has its own FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file on CompuServe is Fight for Life. This fighting game is different than most. You fight for the ultimate championship, taking your opponents out one by one until you reach your goal: gaining redemption and another chance at life. Many of the on-lookers found this one to be good, but there seemed like some things needed to be touched up like the characters' details and some of the many other background scenes. Space War 2000, Hover Strike and Troy Aikman Football were all well received, but weren't quite done yet, so game play was hard to judge. The second sports game for the Jaguar (Brutal Sports Football counts as first), Troy Aikman Football looks complete. It has all the NFL teams and game play is easy to learn and a challenge to master, making this game a good pick. Space War 2000 and Hover Strike were not quite done yet, but the screens that were available looked promising. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Two other items that Jaguar owners may want to have in their gaming plethora are the Jaguar Link and the Voice/Data Communicator. The Jaguar Link allows two consoles to be linked together by standard RJ-11 phone cord at up to 100 feet away from each other. This would make it possible to have more than two players (depending on the software). The price is only $29.99 and should be available in the 2nd Qtr of 95. The Voice/Data Communicator allows multiple players to connect via a phone line, being able to play a two player game and talk to each other via a headset at the same time. No ship date was announced, but it should be available during 1995 for under $160. FINAL NOTES Well, that's about it for now. So during the short lapse waiting for new games to ship, players can read how others reacted to games in my next report, when I surveyed 10 people and had them see the current top 10 games available for the Jaguar. ____________________________________ > Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats/Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Sb: Secret Kasumi Ninja Code Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 70761,3015 To: All From the Internet's Jaguar mailing list, Travis Guy brings us word of the first secret cheat code in Kasumi Ninja: ----------- It took more than a little prying to get, but here's the FIRST released Kasumi Ninja code! // Kasumi Ninja "Character vs. Character" Mode Note: This requires two controllers plugged in to your Jaguar. Note: You should already have entered a Gore Code; if not, pick a very easy one to remember, like "111111". [] Go to the "options" screen. [] Access the "change code" option. [] You will see the dialog box asking you to enter a code. [] While holding the "A" & "C" buttons on Player #2's controller, enter "6" "2" "1" "5" "4" "4" on Player #1's controller. [] You will hear an audible "Ha", and the words "Wrong code" will appear as confirmation. (The "Wrong code" may proceed the "Ha".) [] Exit from the "options" screen. Go ahead and start a game, and play characters against themselves. (i.e., Angus versus Angus....) The character representing Player #2 will appear onscreen a shade darker than the character representing Player #1. Enjoy! ____________________________________ > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" Sb: #More EA Rumors Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 70761,3015 To: All Today on the Internet, on the Jaguar mailing list the following message appeared containing some information from a British video games magazine, 'Games Master', about some very popular Electronic Arts titles possibly being in the works for the Jag CD! ----------- From: pboyle@maths.tcd.ie I know I'm new round here, and that I've only had my Jaguar 1 week, but I think I have some info you lot will die for. It comes from the March 1995 issue of a UK magazine called Games Master(#27), which is quite reputable and has a high (for UK) circulation of over 65,000. This is from page 8: "3DO GAMES FOR THE JAGUAR" - "ATARI and ELECTRONIC ARTS (stalwart supporters of, and main driving force behind, 3DO software) are set to bring some absolute classics to the Jaguar when the new CD add on is launched. The incredible PC/3DO smash WING COMMANDER 3 is the pick of the pile and other titles include some of the best games on 3DO. THE NEED FOR SPEED (the racing game which has taken the office by storm) will be one of the first to appear alongside FIFA SOCCER and JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL. This is a real coup for ATARI as ELECTRONIC ARTS have been long time supporters of the 3DO and nothing else in the super-console stakes." There now. That was worth taking a little bandwidth for, I think you'll agree. And for the record, their e-mail is gmmag@mail.on-line.co.uk . I wouldn't expect replies from them though, as this is for their letters page. Try browsing www.futurenet.co.uk for someone's personal address on their staff if you really can't believe me. PS They also say MKII is coming to the Jaguar. I guess as a stop-gap until MKIII appears? Sb: #71768-More EA Rumors Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 70761,3015 To: Chris Miller 72733,334 > I don't think I understand your message. EA is purely a software > company, they don't push any one platform. They develop for Sega, > Nintendo, 3DO and others. I don't see how the competition between > Atari and 3DO fits in? Supposedly, EA still has very strong ties to Trip Hawkins. They have made it very well known that they are giving strong support to 3DO, even before the system was selling. I think EA may also own a significant portion of 3DO - I'm sure someone here who knows can tell us for certain. And, EA has a long history of NOT supporting Atari products. BTW, there has been a follow-up post to the message that started all of this on the Internet. Nobody believed the guy there either, so he sent email to someone at Games Master magazine to ask if they'd stand behind their story: ------------- From: pboyle@maths.tcd.ie (Philip Boyle) Subject: Now maybe you'll believe me . . . . . . . Date: 15 Feb 1995 15:34:45 -0000 Hi again. Fair enough, if you lot are too paranoid to believe little ol' me, here is confirmation *DIRECT* from the EDITOR of GAMESMASTER magazine. I sent him the following mail, and received the attached reply: -------------------------------------- Date: 15/2/95 11:46 am To: Simon Kirrane From: pboyle@maths.tcd.ie Subject: Could you please send me a short message? Hi, I recently posted to a newsgroup about the eXclusive you revealed concerning Atari and Electronic Arts. The problem is no-one will believe me, so could you just send me a 2 line message saying you back the story 100% ? Thanks. PS Some think it is a very early April Fools. Please don't say it is. --------------------------------------- Reply to: RE>Could you please send me a short message? The story, that EA will be developing games for the Jag CD came direct from Atari themselves. So yes I back it 100%. Thanks for showing an interest. Now maybe you'll believe me. If not, why not go ask Travis? Sb: #71738-#More EA Rumors Fm: John Gibb 100410,3556 To: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 70761,3015 (X) I spoke (email) to an EA representative just after they bought Bullfrog (the company that EA say is independent, but have monthly meetings to say which product they'll can next !). And asked him whether Bullfrog will release the Bullfrog games already destined for the Jag and will they be releasing any new games for the Jag. Quite simply, EA will fulfill all Bullfrog obligations but will not be releasing any games for the Jaguar in the foreseeable future as they're not looking into that platform. I wouldn't hold your breath for EA to release anything for the Jag they've obviously decided (from what I've been told) that the 3DO is the platform of the future (or is it the 3DO-2 or 3DO-3 or 3DO-4) and that they'll go out of their way to crush the competition. Someone on usenet came up with a nice name "3DOpes". Regards, John (Jag less and waiting for the possibility of the PC Jag-on-a-card) __________________________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando CIS ID: 73637,2262 Well folks, here we are again. Before we get into this week's news and info, I'd like to tell you a little story. This actually happened to me a little over a year ago and, every once in a while, I think about it and get a little case of the chuckles. Maybe you will too... CompuServe had just become the first online service of offer a previously un-released song as a MicroSoft WAV file for folks with DOS machines and Windows (which I normally refer to as "WinDOZE"). Being the type to be interested in every new offering that CompuServe has, I decided to download it and check it out. It was an Aerosmith tune called Head First and wasn't available anywhere but CompuServe... not even in the record stores. So I went to the Music area on CIS and chose the option to download the file. There were two choices: The stereo version, which was about four and a half megabytes long, and the mono version which was about 2.2 meg long. I chose the mono version and got set to put my 14.4 modem to work. But before the download commenced, CompuServe's software asked me several questions to make sure that I wasn't just wasting my time (and theirs). First, they wanted to know if I had an MSDOS computer. I answered yes. Then they wanted to know if I had WinDOZE 3.1 or higher. Again I answered in the affirmative. Then they asked if I had a sound card. "Of course I do" I told them. Once all the criterion had been satisfied, my modem began chugging away, transferring Head Tune from CompuServe Central to my lowly little Atari STe. You see, I don't have a DOS computer, Windows, or even a sound card. But I knew something that CIS didn't... the ST series of computers is smart! Well, I got the file, loaded it up and played it a few times. It certainly wasn't CD-Quality, it wasn't a particularly good song either. I think Aerosmith sounded better when they were younger... and when I was . Several weeks later, I was talking to a programmer friend of mine who had also downloaded the file. He has the latest DOS technology, WinDOZE, and even a shiny, new 16 bit sound card. "Have you heard about that new Aerosmith tune", he asked? "Yeah," I replied, " I wasn't real impressed, though". "Hey," he said, "when did you get a DOS machine"? "I didn't," I told him, "I used my Atari". "But you have to play it on a DOS computer... it says so on CompuServe". "Oops," I chuckled, "I guess I goofed, then". "But the Atari doesn't use DOS, does it", he asked? "No," I told him, "It uses GEM by DRI, and TOS... Atari's operating system". "Well, he asked, "Can you run Windows on it"? "Nope," I said, "And I wouldn't even if I could". "Well you had to go out and buy a sound card, though, right"? "Uh-uh" I said, "sound capability is built in". He was now getting upset. He was used to thinking of DOS as the epitome of operating systems. "Well," he asked, "what did you have to do to play it"? "I just downloaded it and played it through a sound program" I told him. To prove my point, I pulled out my trusty STacy which is a portable ST and played the song for him. After he picked his jaw up off of the floor, he said "Yeah, but I'll bet that program cost you quite a few bucks". "It sure did," I told him, "A whole fifteen dollars". His MicroSoft-riveted world was looking a bit odd to him at that moment. So he decided to find out about this wondrous new operating system. "How much memory do you have in that computer" he asked? "Four megs," I told him, "and I've almost never needed any more than that". "Four megs"? He asked incredulously, "That's not possible! It must take at least a meg for the operating system alone... Windows does!" "Ah, yes," I said, "but this isn't WinDOZE. You see, WinDOZE has to jump through hoops to get that Intel chip and all of those "optional" add-ons like monitors and sound cards to do what they do. The Atari was designed from the start to do those things, so it's not a big deal". "Well," he asked, "how much memory DOES the operating system take up"? "Just a few kilobytes for pointers and things like that" I told him. "You see, the operating system is in ROM, so it doesn't have to be loaded up every damned time you turn the machine on. And there's no chance of munging the system files that way". "I just paid two thousand dollars for my computer, several hundred for a sound card, and about eighty for a WAV sound player... How much did your Atari cost you" he asked? "Well, let's see," I began, "I paid five hundred for my STe, and... oh, that's it. I don't need any of the other stuff". I wish I had a camera to capture the look on his face for posterity. We went on talking about TOS vs. WinDOZE for quite a while, and he came away with a new respect for Atari computers... and for me. Several people have asked me to relay this story... one of them even saying that he'd pin it up on his dashboard for moments when he needed a chuckle, so here it is. I hope you enjoyed hearing about another DOS weenie eating crow... I know I did. Now let's get on with the info that's available every week right here on CompuServe... From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== Lars-Hakan Sundman asks a question that many of us are asking: "I've been a atari programer from the time I put my fingers on the atari 400 and before it the atari game console. Now i wonder as a professional programmer, is there a future??? The PC has such a large backing, everything i do is for the PC and every crown iv'e earn is from the PC so why shuld i care about which architecture is the best, My next market is the Windows NT with Open GL... may the mighty P6 Be with you...." Sysop Ron Luks tells Lars: "There is no future for Atari Computers (TOS based) at this point in time. Even the company itself has put all its resources behind the game machine." Our own dear, sweet, teddy bear of a Publisher, Ralph, tells Ron: " Too true, and the newest "clone" has an incredibly high msrp of $3000.00 on it. The C-Lab Falcon "resurrection". It's unbelievable. Like watching people at a wake.. hoping the deceased will rise and walk again. Bless them all." I'd just like to point out that Ralph has ALWAYS pointed out that the Atari hardware was fantastic, it was the marketing and lack of serious development that "done it in". Meanwhile, Jon Sanford adds his own thoughts: "I believe there is a Future for Atari Computers. As a Amature & Hobby activity. Similar to Restoring old radios & classic cars. It is very stressfull to try to keep up with the Microsoft/Intel or Apple/IBM/Motorola... computer scene. There is the lure of lotsa money, there is also lotsa competition (cutthroat). We see in this forum & the Portfolio section a steady supply of people who have recently aquired Atari computers. The inital cost of "getting into computers" with used Atari stuff is minimal." Brad Cross tells Jon: "At almost every supermarket I go to there are two monthy magazines on VW bugs.Why? Good hardware,lots of parts available, lots of mods to do. This is the future for Atari Computers, but only if people stop whining and make it so." Good point, Brad. John Amsler tells us: "Without having made ANY changes ANYWHERE, I suddenly can no longer use Associated Press Online, or U.S. New & World Report, or any other of the services of Basic News. For example, here's what I get when I try to GO APO: KAPlie AocitePrelie AocitePreVieotexNewSerice orit995AocitePre Alliteere eifortiocoti eiteAPlieewreortotelie roctoroterwiereitritewitotteriorwrittetoritof teAocitePre. Pre It would serve them right in my view. I don't think that standards should promote patented techniques or devices in any case. If a company wants their patent incorporated in a standard they should be required to release the patent to the standards organization for free use. The fact that the patent gets incorporated into the standard should be enough of a reward, since they would be able to utilize the technology that presumably they are most proficient in anyway in their version of the standard product. They shouldn't also be able to collect royalties from others as well." Steve Rimmer talks about making the process of patenting something patented: "Could we make it retroactive? Or no, wait... make it recursive. We patent it, and then patent the process of violating it. Anyone who violates it owes us for the violation, and for the violation of the violation, and for the violation of the violation of the violation, and so on... Perhaps we could patent specific hexadecimal numbers... or specific machine instructions. This would make it prohibitively expensiev for other developers to use critical instructions in their software. Imagine not being able to add two integers any more. I wonder if the royalty would be based on the number of times such an instruction appeared in an application, or the number of times it was actually executed." Russ Wood tells Steve: "You can only patent positive numbers as the government already has all the negative numbers sewn up! ...(g)...I think...." Dan Richardson asks: "How does a publicly accessible online service differ from a shareware CD, or a book including a bundled disk of freeware? Unisys has decided those are liable." David Holm tells Dan: "A CD or a book is a product, whereas an online service is a service provider." Dan counters with: "Both are systems in which you pay for the _delivery_ of information, not for the information itself. Unisys has taken the position that the fee charged for a CD means the freeware programs on it are not free. They are certainly capable of deciding that the fee charged for an online service means the freeware programs on it are not free, either." Terry Wilkinson posts: "Not to nitpick, but .GIF images on most CD *titles* (as opposed to simple image archive and library CD's) are used and viewed by the user. This requires an engine to uncompress the images, and hence, a royalty to Unisys. It seems to me that is your CD ROM title displayed .GIF images you would have to pay a royalty on each and every CD. Am I mistaken?" Glen Chapman tells Terry: "Not from what I've read based on the Unisys claims. It also seems that they want a % of SRP, without any regard to what GIF/LZW contributes. In the worst case, if I did a EBOOK and had a single GIF image as a splash screen I would be liable for the royality on SRP. Lot's of groups feel that LZW decoders should be legal without royalties, but no legal precedent has been set yet." Frank Slinkman adds: "The royalty would not be payable on the "single GIF image as a splash screen" but on the program which decodes and displays the GIF file. If no such program was on the CD, no royalty would be due." Larry Wood tells Terry: "In the senerio you discribe, a CD-publisher should be paying someone for the use of a drive-engine type decoder, thus that sum would be subject to the royalty, at least, according to my understanding of the agreement. For instance, if CSHOW is being used as a drive-engine for a CD, the CD-publisher would have (should have) negiotated with Bob Berry for the rights to use CSHOW as the drive-engine, making Bob liable for 0.8% royalty on any sum he received from the publisher. Since Unisys has said to me that royalty is only due once during a particular chain of use, I would take that to mean that the 0.8% is the only money due Unisys. Note here carefully that this senerio is only for shareware authors; I don't know how this would apply to a commercial producer who is using a licensed toolbox." Well folks, it is indeed an interesting subject, and will no doubt get more interesting since CompuServe has just announced that they will be adding another type of picture format. Stay tuned for more info... things are sure to keep on simmering. Be sure to tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" A true "Sign of the Times" """"""""""""""""" Of Human Tragedy Mr. NEWT or Ms. Reno, did you know that... Jacksonville, Florida is STILL TRYING to complete DESEGREGATION in its SCHOOL SYSTEM!! Quite an example to set for the children in those schools! They must really wonder about the validity of politics and politicians. Jacksonville's obvious tardiness is an indelible blemish on the Nation's Civil & Equal Rights track record! Hey PEOPLE!! THIS IS 1995!! YOU'RE LATE!! LET'S GET WITH THE PROGRAM! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International OnLine Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 70,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" February 17, 1995 Since 1987 copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No.1107 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""