Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) February 16, 1996 No. 1207 Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. R.F. Mariano, Editor Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo Voice: 1-904-268-3815 10am-4pm EST STReport WebSite http://www.streport.com STR Publishing Support BBS THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS Featuring: * 5.0GB * of File Libraries Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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The Staff & Editors SYSOP NEWS & CYBERWORLD REPORT "The Leading Hard Copy News Source in the BBS & Online Telecommunications World" Your own personal copy mailed to your home every month; STReport's special offer! Annual Subscription Rate of $15.00!! (normally 20.00). Please, Include the STR offer number (STR-21) for your discount. Send your subscription to: BBS Press Services, Inc. 8125 S.W. 21st Street Topeka, KS 66615 Or, to order by phone, Please Call: 1-913-478-3157 (Voice) 1-913-478-9239 (Data) 1-913-478-1189 (FAX) Checks, Mastercard, Amex, Discover & Visa ok, Please include Full Name, Address, home Number, Card type, number & expiration date when ordering. If by mail, please _sign_ your personal order. Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35 Results: 2/10/96: 4 of 6 numbers with 2 matches in 1 play From the Editor's Desk... Well now. We find Atari's current whigs, the Tramiels, very busy trying to bury the company's "gold" in another company. A tradition fond or otherwise is mercifully over. No more disappointments, no more fertilizer filled "press releases" and no more broken promises. At the same time, in their usual fashion, the Tramiels are keeping the future of the game console, Jaguar. in quite dubious state. Why?? Who are they kidding? There has yet to be a direct commitment by Atari stating the Jaguar will enjoy further development and support. In this reporter's opinion, its all over but for the noise of the lights being switched off. Oh well. times changes and so do the fortunes and futures of some. The coming months are going to be quite interesting. On many fronts the by-word is progress. for example just this afternoon, I was transferring a file from Compuserve to my computer at 57600. Not bad. it has to do with the relatively new kid on the block or, should I say the debut or coming out of the, now ready to be introduced, new kid on the block. ISDN has been around for a while but has been taken advantage of. Some of the Baby Bells around the country have been caught with their "diapers drooping" they're basic lines and systems simply cannot handle the demands ISDN places upon them. With the new communications bill now in effect, they have got to either get on the stick or, lose the business to the local cable company or power company. In any case its all to benefit of the consumer. Before too long, Internet access in the American home will be as common as electricity. This week we begin a series of articles about ISDN, the equipment it requires and uses, the various methods of implementation and its costs. ISDN is a mystery to many and an unknown to most. We hope that by the time this series is completed we will contributed heavily to removing the mystery and unknowns from the computing community as far as ISDN is concerned. We do ask one thing. if, in any of the articles you have questions, do not hesitate to send them to us. You can use the "snail mail" or email. you will get an answer. In many cases we will answer and you will also get an answer from the companies whose products we use and talk about. Ralph.. Of Special Note: http//www.streport.com STReport is now ready to offer much more in the way of serving the Networks, Online Services and Internet's vast, fast growing site list and userbase. We now have our very own WEB/NewsGroup/FTP Site and although its in its early stages of construction, do stop by and have a look see. Since We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addressees, we were compelled to put together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wished to receive STReport on a regular basis, the file is ZIPPED, then UUENCODED. Unfortunately, we've also received a number of opinions that the UUENCODING was a real pain to deal with. So, as of October 01,1995, you'll be able to download STReport directly from our very own SERVER & WEB Site. While there, be sure to join our STR list. In any case, our current Internet mailing list will continue to be used for at least the next eight weeks. Each of our readers will have by then, received their information packet about how they may upgrade their personal STR News Services. STReport's managing editors DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Editor Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors PC Section Mac Section Atari Section R.F. Mariano J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson Portable Computers & Entertainment Kid's Computing Corner Marty Mankins Frank Sereno STReport Staff Editors Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Vincent P. O'Hara Contributing Correspondents Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Angelo Marasco Donna Lines Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Leonard Worzala Tom Sherwin Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe 70007,4454 Prodigy CZGJ44A Delphi RMARIANO GEnie ST.REPORT BIX RMARIANO FIDONET 1:112/35 ITC NET 85:881/253 AOL STReport Internet rmariano@streport.com Internet CZGJ44A@prodigy.com Internet RMARIANO@delphi.com Internet 70007.4454.compuserve.com Internet STReport@AOL.Com WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.streport.com STReport Headline News LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson Hearing on ACLU Suit Delayed U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter has delayed a ruling on a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking an immediate injunction against Internet-indecency penalties contained in the new federal telecommunications reform bill. Late yesterday, Judge Buckwalter decided he would give the government until next Wednesday to file a written brief on its arguments for upholding the penalties. Associated Press writer Maria Panaritis says federal prosecutors have pledged to wait at least a week before going after people who send "indecent" and sexually explicit material to minors over the Net, but, she adds, "Internet surfers beware: What you type over the next six days might be used against you once the legal wrangling is over and the government begins enforcing all provisions of its new telecommunications law." Following Judge Buckwalter's decision not to temporarily block the anti- indecency provision in the law President Clinton signed yesterday, Stefan Presser, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, told AP, "Net users need to consider heavily what they want to say these next few days." And, added Panaritis, "Thanks to a last-minute addition by Rep. Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, it also extends a rarely enforced law into cyberspace, making it a violation to use computers to provide information about how to obtain an abortion." AP says the Hyde amendment prompted a separate effort to block the law by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and other groups. "They dropped their request for a restraining order after failing to show anyone faced impending harm, but pledged to go ahead with the lawsuit," AP said. In court, U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Coppolino, who argued against the restraining order in the ACLU's lawsuit, said restrictions are necessary because computers have become increasingly pervasive and bring pornography right into people's homes. Said Coppolino, "It's not an exaggeration to say that many of these indecent images are available on a computer by ... a click of a mouse." He added that while the contested provisions will not be enforced until at least Wednesday, AP says he "gave no assurances that people who use the Internet over the next few days would not be prosecuted in the future for indecency." Meanwhile, reporter Richard Melville of the Reuter News Service says the new law will not prompt Playboy Magazine to shut down its steamy site on the Internet's World Wide Web site. "Good heavens, no, of course we're not going to shut it off or change the content," Playboy spokeswoman Martha Lindeman told the wire service. "It's one of the most popular sites on the Web." She said the site offers text and photographs that may or may not fall under the telecommunications law's prohibition on indecent material. "Is a nude woman necessarily sexual content?" she added. "Then every museum in the country has sexual content." The new law makes it a crime punishable by up to $250,000 in fines and two years in prison to send "indecent" material that could be viewed by a minor over a computer network. As reported, even as President Clinton was signing the landmark legislation into law, the ACLU was filing its suit to try to block those provisions. Judge Blocks Communications Decency Act A federal judge in Philadelphia has temporarily blocked the U.S. government from enforcing a controversial section of the recently enacted telecommunications law that prohibits making indecent material available to minors via computer. However, in a move that greatly confused civil liberties lawyers, U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter said his decision does not apply to another section of the Communications Decency Act that proscribes distribution of "patently offensive" materials. Previously, the Federal Communications Commission has used the two terms interchangeably. Lawyer Advises Copyright Change A lawyer representing CompuServe Inc. has told a congressional subcommittee that lawmakers must change standing copyright laws to apply to computer-based information, saying that current laws simply do not fit in with the online medium. Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, an offshoot of the House Judiciary Committee, Stephen Heaton said, "Congress should look into whether the existing copyright law would impair communication and access to information on online services," suggesting current law could restrict online information dissemination enough to create a violation of constitutional guarantees to free speech. United Press International quotes Heaton as telling the committee, "Online services are growing at a phenomenal pace. No other medium in history has so empowered individuals in their ability to communicate with one another on virtually an 'all-to-all' basis. If application of (current) copyright (were to impair communications access), the constitutional ramifications, chilling the flow of electronic free speech among Americans, would be substantial." As reported, the committee, chaired by Rep. Carlos Moorhead, R-California, is discussing a bipartisan bill that would update the copyright law to cover material sent over the Internet. It has drawn support from the movie and music industries, but computer industry officials are urging caution. Heaton told Moorhead's panel that online services could potentially become "defacto arbitrators of copyright disputes" if new copyright legislation is not drafted carefully, adding that such services also should not have to bear the cost of copyright enforcement actions if one of their users is sued by an information creator whose material has been downloaded via the service. He said such trends could scare Internet providers away from allowing their subscribers free access to worldwide informational databases. "Clarifications (to existing law) are both necessary and appropriate, not only to protect copyrighted works, but also to protect the very infrastructure that will make them available, as well as the interests of those for whom they have been created," he said. UPI says the American Association of Publishers, which submitted a statement for the record but did not send representatives to the hearing, contend it is "premature" to change current law to protect online services. The AAP statement said that to ensure publisher and creator rights, Congress should alter current law to include the word "transmission" in a way that would grant it the same legal weight as the word "publication." Says the statement, "AAP supports specific inclusion of the word 'transmission' to confirm that the right of distribution in the (standing) Copyright Act includes the transmission of digital works. Congress should clarify that only transmissions that distribute a work to the public constitute publication for the purposes of the Copyright Act." UPI says the publishers called for some waivers to its suggested transmission rule, specifically to allow libraries and organizations for the blind to continue to receive and redistribute information free of charge. Bill Counters Cyberporn Measure Less than 24 hours after President Clinton signed the massive telecommunications overhaul law, two senators have introduced a bill that would repeal controversial provisions that make it a crime to distribute "indecent" material to minors on the Internet. Sen. Russ Feingold, D- Wisconsin, told the Reuter News Service he introduced the bill with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, "because Americans shouldn't have to wait for court action to have their First Amendment rights protected." As reported earlier, civil libertarians, privacy activists and Internet supporters have filed suit to challenge the Communications Decency Act, which metes out criminal fines of up to $250,000 and two years in prison for violations, saying the law is unconstitutional and amounts to censorship. Feingold said that, while the new law is "well intentioned," it is "improperly targeted at so-called 'indecent' speech on the Internet which is protected by the First Amendment." Instead, he said, lawmakers should have targeted obscenity or child pornography, the transmission of which is already a violation of criminal law, adding, "While doing nothing to further protect children online, the act compromises the right of every American to free speech." Feingold and Leahy opposed the provision, which won broad support in the Senate and was later adopted by House and Senate negotiators crafting the final telecommunications bill. Meanwhile, Leahy told Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa he doesn't know whether his bill could gain enough support to pass, but he said, "I'm hoping to get the debate started again." While supporters of the provision -- led by the Christian Coalition -- say it regulates legal speech to shield children, Leahy and other opponents say the provision would do much more than that. Writes Aversa, "They say people could be held liable for everything from writing e-mail messages containing profane language to electronically posting portions of literature like 'Ulysses.' And, people could be liable even if they don't send indecent materials to a minor, opponents say. People would be liable, they say, if a minor comes upon the material on his or her own." The provision makes it a crime to "display in a manner available to" a minor any message or material "that in context, depicts or describes in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards sexual or excretory activities or organs." Leahy adds the definition covers any of the more than 13,000 online discussion groups, bulletin boards, chat rooms and other sites that are accessible to children. Web Creator Offers Screening Tim Berners-Lee, the researcher credited with starting the Internet's World Wide Web, says he will offer a free screening program to people who want to keep objectionable material from entering their computers from the Net. Berners-Lee, director of the World Wide Web Consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Sunday's Boston Herald he would rather see parents control what their children access, instead of relying on broad censorship. He added, "The Web is a universal information medium of great importance and potential, and it should not be constrained by government fiat." As reported, the new telecommunications bill signed into last last Thursday contains a provision banning "indecent speech" on global computer networks. Berners-Lee -- who proposed the system developed by CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, that became the World Wide Web -- told the paper his free filtering software, which any computer user could install on a PC, will be available in three months. Meanwhile, Heidi Strup, a spokeswoman for the Christian Coalition, told the Associated Press the program "definitely would be a useful tool for us." AP notes the Web consortium can be reached on the Web at address http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/. Diamond Raises Hayes Offer Diamond Multimedia has raised its offer for modem maker Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. by $12 million to $225 million. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning the new deal calls for stockholders in Hayes, which now is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy-law proceedings, to receive $112.7 million in Diamond stock and $27.3 million in cash under the new offer. That is up from $103 million in stock and $25 million in cash. The Journal says that under both the new and old offers, Diamond would pay $85 million in cash to creditors of Hayes. Netscape Buys VR Software Maker Virtual reality software publisher Paper Software Inc. is to be bought by Netscape Communications Corp., a move seen as part of an effort to integrate VR software with existing technology for browsing the Internet's World Wide Web. In conjunction with that, Netscape also announced today it now is testing "Netscape Live3D," technology that enables industry-standard Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML) graphics to be integrated into the Netscape platform. Reporting from Mountain View, Calif., the Reuter News Service comments, "Virtual reality software allows computer users to view life-like, artificially generated scenes on their computer screens. These scenes have a three-dimensional quality which allow computer users to point to and manipulate illusory objects in their view. This technology would effectively allow Internet users to enter a virtual library or shopping mall and simply pick up objects such as books or products that they want to use without requiring them to know complicated computer commands." The wire service notes Microsoft Corp., CMG Information Services Inc. and others are developing similar technology. Packard Bell Launches New PC Lines Packard Bell Electronics Inc. has unveiled two new PC lines: the Platinum and Platinum Pro series. The Platinum, a multimedia system for home users, ships with a 133MHz, 150MHz or 166MHz Pentium microprocessor. The PC also features a 1.6 GB hard disk, 16MB of RAM, a quad-speed or six-speed CD-ROM drive and a remote control. The Platinum Pro systems offer a 150MHz or 166MHz Pentium microprocessor, a 2.0GB hard disk, 24MB of RAM and a six- speed CD-ROM drive. A 28.8K bps data/fax modem is also included. Both models include VoiceView Talkshop, an interactive application that allows PC users to talk and exchange data in a single phone call. Also bundled with the systems are Microsoft Encarta 96, Microsoft Works 95, Microsoft Design Pack, Microsoft Money 4.0, Quicken Special Edition and Stick-Ups Lite, a utility program for launching on-screen notes with customized fonts and colors. System prices range between approximately $2,000 and $3,000. Packard Bell is based in Sacramento, California. Exec Says Apple to Move Beyond PCs A senior Apple Computer Inc. executive says the personal computer may soon become a relic, and that his company is preparing for a future in which computers are integrated into televisions and other household appliances. "The market for personal computers is a finite market," David Dorman, Apple's European director of entertainment industry and new media, told a reporter for the Reuter News Service. "We don't see that as the largest part of our business revenues in the future," he said. Dorman noted that Apple is preparing to meet the future with Pippin, a low- cost Internet access device it is developing with Japanese toy company, Bandai. "Apple has never really defined itself as a computer company," Dorman added. "Our mission in life is to bring technology to individuals." Leading Edge Sued Over Help Line It may be the first time anyone has ever ended up in court because of busy signals, but three PC owners have sued Leading Edge Products Inc. because, they say, the Westborough, Massachusetts, firm's computer help line wasn't helpful at all. According to the Associated Press, the class-action suit, filed yesterday before the New York Supreme Court, alleges computer users typically got busy signals or recorded messages when trying to reach the Leading Edge technical support desk. And attorney Dan Drachler, who represents the three, told The New York Times that when his clients did reach someone, they were told their problems were the fault of software and hardware suppliers instead of Leading Edge's responsibility. "Many computer buyers are given a warranty and it turns out to be meaningless," Drachler said, adding that while the problem exists at other computer companies too, Leading Edge was singled out because it was the object of a "groundswell" of complaints. AP says the suit -- brought on behalf of Richard Brummel of Queens, New York; Martin Leahy of Manhattan, New York; and Carol Byron of Tacoma, Washington -- says the problems with plaintiffs' Leading Edge computers included a crashing modem and an inability to play CD-ROM software. The defendant hasn't commented. Says AP, "Calls to Leading Edge were answered by an automated switchboard, and the company's technical support line was busy." CompuServe Launches I-Net Service SPRY, CompuServe Inc.'s Internet division, has launched SPRYNET, an all-in- one, direct Internet service including access via a $19.95 unlimited hours pricing plan plus free software. Formerly code-named SPRYTE, the service is designed to give customers an instant connection to the Internet through a Web community that features tips for exploration as well as 24-hour, online technical support. SPRYNET also offers pricing plans of $4.95 a month for three hours and $9.95 a month for seven hours, with $1.95 for each additional hour. SPRY notes that SPRYNET provides local dial-up access in more than 93 percent of the U.S. through CompuServe's global data network. The service will begin its roll out beyond North America within the next few months. "SPRYNET is the best-value, all-Internet environment available for consumers who want to experience the Internet with confidence," says Robert Massey, president and CEO of CompuServe. "CompuServe can offer customers more choices, services and affordable pricing options by leveraging the infrastructure, technologies and content developed in our more than 17 years as a leader in information services." CompUSA Plans New Stores Computer superstore chain CompUSA Inc. says it has completed lease agreements for new locations in Anchorage and Dallas. The Anchorage store, the retailer's first outlet in Alaska, is slated to open this summer. The Dallas store, the sixth CompuUSA location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is scheduled to open this spring. The stores' openings will each create approximately 70 local jobs, says CompUSA. The Anchorage store will cover 34,200 square feet and will be located in the CompUSA Center on East Diamond Blvd. The new Dallas outlet will cover 30,300 square feet and will be located in the Northpark area in the HomePlace Square shopping center. Both stores will feature six main departments: PC Software; Computers and Printers; Macintosh; Multimedia; Accessories; and Upgrades. The stores will also include CompUSA's Software Sampler area, where adults can "test drive" software titles, and CompKids, a rocket ship-themed section with computer stations that are sized proportionally for tiny hands. "CompUSA continues to grow in order to more fully meet the needs of our customers -- whether they live in our backyard or in our nation's northernmost state," says Jim Halpin, president and CEO of Dallas-based CompUSA. Peripheral-Link Keyboard Unveiled At the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Developers Conference in Santa Clara, California, Key Tronic Corp. has displayed the first PC keyboard utilizing a USB interface. The new keyboard, based on the Intel 82930A controller, is designed to give users an easy way of linking together a variety of commonly used PC peripherals. Macintosh users have been able to take advantage of a similar technology for over a decade. "By utilizing the new USB interface, keyboards now become a hub for conveniently attaching mice, trackballs, scanners and any other device typically located on the desktop," says Craig Gates, senior vice president and general manager of Key Tronic's new business development unit. "This will eliminate the need for bulky serial and parallel cables and offer true plug- and-play convenience to the end-user." Key Tronic, located in Spokane, Washington, is the world's largest keyboard maker. It sells keyboards to a wide range of PC manufacturers. Iomega Ships Improved Ditto Drive Iomega Corp. says it has begun shipping an enhanced version of its Ditto Easy tape backup drive. The portable Ditto Easy 3200 is a 3.2GB unit that's designed to protect users' computer information. The product, priced at $299.95, plugs into its host PC's printer port. A pass-through capability is provided for printer support. An internal version of the drive is also available at the same price. "As computers become more prevalent in people's lives, the value of the PC is increasing exponentially," says Michael Joseph, director of Iomega's Ditto line. "The Ditto Easy 3200 is an affordable means of insuring your valuable stuff while you work on your computer." Iomega, based in Roy, Utah, will continue to sell the 800MB Ditto Easy 800 for $149.95. Ditto Easy drives support all leading QIC tape formats, including Travan, QIC-WIDE and standard QIC cartridges. 3-D Net Specification Gains Support Silicon Graphics Inc. reports that more than 50 Internet companies have agreed to support Moving Worlds as the next-generation implementation of VRML 2.0., the Internet- oriented virtual reality markup language. Moving Worlds is an open, platform-independent specification for dynamic 3-D environments on the Internet. Silicon Graphics led the development of Moving Worlds in cooperation with Sony, WorldMaker and other members of the VRML community. According to Silicon Graphics, Moving Worlds maintains the previous VRML's conformance to open standards while using Java and JavaScript to create behaviors, motion and interactions. The specification also supports third- party plug-in products. "The Moving Worlds proposal is -- without any doubt - - the leading candidate to become VRML 2.0," says Mark Pesce, one of the original pioneers of VRML. "Silicon Graphics, Netscape and their many partners are to be congratulated on developing a community-driven consensus process, which led to the current proposal. It is an endorsement of the open exchange of ideas which is the core tenet of the VRML community. Moving Worlds accurately reflects the needs of the VRML community, both as a content delivery vehicle and as a new platform for development." "Moving Worlds is extremely exciting because it extends Netscape Navigator into a whole new dimension," says Marc Andreessen, vice president of technology and co-founder of Internet software publisher Netscape Corp. "Moving Worlds enables developers to build 3-D applications and content that leverage all the technologies supported by the Netscape software platform." Florida Businesses Fight Net Tax Florida businesses are objecting to a proposed tax on Internet services. The tax sends an anti-business message, says Blake A. Wilson, executive vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. "High-tech companies that want to grow and expand in Florida will turn their backs on the Sunshine State ... as a place that is living in the Dark Ages when it comes to business climate if this tax prevails." The proposed gross receipts tax and sales tax, along with local taxes could add as much as 17.5 percent to telecommunications bills, according to the chamber. "We've been communicating with our members about this issue electronically for the last two weeks. Now we've stepped up the pace. The chamber's goal is to make certain that the Revenue Department hears, loud and clear, that small business and all business is opposed to this kind of regressive tax ... and we are going to do what is necessary to protect the Internet from this kind of tax assault," Wilson said. "We must ban this net tax." More details are available on the chamber's home page (http://www.flchamb.com). Email Probed in Murder Case In what is believed to be the first time online messages have been used to find clues in a homicide case, police in the small New Jersey town of East Windsor have seized electronic mail to investigate a murder suspect. George Hemenway was arrested early last month and charged with the murder of another man police say he had met through the America Online service, where they reportedly conversed by email and in a group chat room for gay men. Police Lt. John Funda told the Reuter News Service, "We are interviewing people who met on online services and bulletin boards and we are reviewing records." Hemenway is charged with the murder of Jesse Unger, whose body was found Jan. 4 wrapped in a tarp and covered with lime in the basement of Hemenway's house. Two other people -- Timothy Brown and Michelle Benson -- are charged with tampering with evidence. Funda says Benson told police she and Brown tried to help Hemenway remove the body. Police say a 15-year-old boy who also was involved in the online chat group was in the house during the murder and police were investigating his allegation that Hemenway shot Unger because he had sexually molested the boy. Meanwhile, an official at the Electronic Privacy Information Center of Washington, D.C., told Reuters he had never heard of such a case. "To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time this has happened in a murder investigation," said David Banisar, whose organization has monitored adherence to the legal process and is concerned with advocating better privacy laws. Added Banisar, "We've seen other cases when the crimes are computer-related such as mail fraud and exchanging of dirty pictures. But the more people who use electronic mail, the greater slice of life we'll see online, including murder." Reuters says America Online keeps records of email messages for five days after they are read and keeps unread messages for 25 days. An AOL official said this is the first time the company has been asked for electronic records in a murder case. Net Love Affair Prompts Divorce A Bridgewater, New Jersey, man has filed for divorce, claiming in court papers he caught his wife having an affair on the Internet. John Goydan contends his wife, Diane, was exchanging electronic love letters for months with a married man in North Carolina whose email name was "Weasel." Goydan alleges the two had planned to consummate their affair in New Hampshire today. Writing from Somerville, New Jersey, Glenn MacDonald of United Press International quotes plaintiff attorney Richard Hurley as saying Goydan came home from work early last October and caught his wife sending what the wire service describes as "an X-rated message" on the couple's home computer. "Confronted with the evidence, Diane Goydan promised to break off the relationship, Hurley said," MacDonald reports. "But according to Goydan, the relationship did not end, and his wife continued to correspond with her Internet lover, apparently unaware that her email could be retrieved." However, Goydan said he recovered three-months' worth of amorous messages and love poems that were posted via America Online and saved them on disk. "Goydan said he did not let his wife know he was on to her," writes UPI, "but when she arranged a secret rendezvous with Weasel at a bed and breakfast in New Hampshire on Feb. 2, Goydan decided he'd had enough." Goydan filed for divorce in Somerset County Superior Court and asked for custody of the couple's two children, ages 3 and 7. The Associated Press adds the North Carolina man is identified in court papers only as "Ray" and that this is believed to be the first divorce suit to involve email. Woman Sues in 'Net Affair' Case A New Jersey woman is alleging defamation and invasion of privacy in a suit against her estranged husband who last week accused her of adultery by writing steamy electronic mail messages to a man in North Carolina. Diane Goydan also claims extreme cruelty in the couple's deteriorating 8-year marriage, and says John Goydan, who has already filed for divorce, violated state wiretap laws by retrieving her e-mail. Her lawyer, Thomas M. McCormack, told Associated Press writer Jeffrey Gold her exchanges with a North Carolina man whose online name was "The Weasel" were "romantic" and "daydreams," adding that his client did not commit adultery because she never had sex with her electronic correspondent. "It is ludicrous to characterize this dialogue ... as adulterous," McCormack told reporters at a news conference. "My client is devastated by the allegation of adultery, that I believe is without basis in law or fact." As reported [earlier], John Goydan's Jan. 23 divorce lawsuit describes dozens of the exchanges, some sexually explicit. AP says Goydan also accuses his wife of extreme cruelty, and seeks custody of their 7-year-old daughter and 3-year- old son. Court papers suggest Goydan learned about the alleged cyber-romance by reading his wife's electronic mail. McCormack said his client never shared her password with anyone and said the messages could not be retrieved without the password. Furthermore, the online account is in her name, he said. Added McCormack, the marriage failed, because "he became distant and removed from her, which may have led to her going online." AP says this is believed to be the first divorce suit to involve email. The Toy Talks Trash An Illinois toy maker is red- faced today over the language used by one of its products. In Vernon Hills, Illinois, officials with Tiger Electronics Inc. told the Associated Press a spell-checking dictionary that hadn't been edited for children was installed in its Tiger Power Pack PC toy. The small computer, which costs under $100, includes math, spelling, trivia and reading games. Tiger spokesman Marc Rosenberg told the wire service, "It was a mistake. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we want to rectify the situation as soon as we can." Martinsburg, West Virginia, couple Pat and June Gillian discovered the problem when their 9-year daughter was spelling a word that began with the letter "f" and the spell-checker suggested an expletive. Then when they attempted to type in the river Niger, the computer displayed a racial slur. Said Mrs. Gillian, "You fight those words with your kids, then you go and buy a toy that says go ahead and use them." Rosenberg said her employer has been aware of the problem since a few weeks before Christmas, but the product was nearly sold out by then and a decision was made not to recall it. She added customers can exchange the computer for a revamped version next month. She declined to discuss how much correcting the problem will cost the company. The Blue Ribbon STR Focus A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather. We have no elected government, nor are we likely to have one, so I address you with no greater authority than that with which liberty itself always speaks. I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have true reason to fear. Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours. We did not invite you. You do not know us, nor do you know our world. Cyberspace does not lie within your borders. Do not think that you can build it, as though it were a public construction project. You cannot. It is an act of nature and it grows itself through our collective actions. You have not engaged in our great and gathering conversation, nor did you create the wealth of our marketplaces. You do not know our culture, our ethics, or the unwritten codes that already provide our society more order than could be obtained by any of your impositions. You claim there are problems among us that you need to solve. You use this claim as an excuse to invade our precincts. Many of these problems don't exist. Where there are real conflicts, where there are wrongs, we will identify them and address them by our means. We are forming our own Social Contract . This governance will arise according to the conditions of our world, not yours. Our world is different. Cyberspace consists of transactions, relationships, and thought itself, arrayed like a standing wave in the web of our communications. Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live. We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth. We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity. Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do not apply to us. They are based on matter, There is no matter here. Our identities have no bodies, so, unlike you, we cannot obtain order by physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest, and the commonweal, our governance will emerge . Our identities may be distributed across many of your jurisdictions. The only law that all our constituent cultures would generally recognize is the Golden Rule. We hope we will be able to build our particular solutions on that basis. But we cannot accept the solutions you are attempting to impose. In the United States, you have today created a law, the Telecommunications Reform Act, which repudiates your own Constitution and insults the dreams of Jefferson, Washington, Mill, Madison, DeToqueville, and Brandeis. These dreams must now be born anew in us. You are terrified of your own children, since they are natives in a world where you will always be immigrants. Because you fear them, you entrust your bureaucracies with the parental responsibilities you are too cowardly to confront yourselves. In our world, all the sentiments and expressions of humanity, from the debasing to the angelic, are parts of a seamless whole, the global conversation of bits. We cannot separate the air that chokes from the air upon which wings beat. In China, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, Italy and the United States, you are trying to ward off the virus of liberty by erecting guard posts at the frontiers of Cyberspace. These may keep out the contagion for a small time, but they will not work in a world that will soon be blanketed in bit- bearing media. Your increasingly obsolete information industries would perpetuate themselves by proposing laws, in America and elsewhere, that claim to own speech itself throughout the world. These laws would declare ideas to be another industrial product, no more noble than pig iron. In our world, whatever the human mind may create can be reproduced and distributed infinitely at no cost. The global conveyance of thought no longer requires your factories to accomplish. These increasingly hostile and colonial measures place us in the same position as those previous lovers of freedom and self-determination who had to reject the authorities of distant, uninformed powers. We must declare our virtual selves immune to your sovereignty, even as we continue to consent to your rule over our bodies. We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest our thoughts. We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before. Davos, Switzerland February 8, 1996 **************************************************************** John Perry Barlow, Cognitive Dissident Co-Founder, Electronic Frontier Foundation ***************************************************************** Caldera 1.0 STR Infofile CALDERA NETWORK DESKTOP 1.0 SHIPS Company's Internet/Intranet server provides more technologies and protocols than all competitive products, including SCO UNIX and BSDI, and ships at one- tenth the cost OREM, Utah Feb. 5, 1996 Caldera Inc., today began shipping the Caldera Network Desktop 1.0, a complete Internet/Intranet networked desktop and server environment built on the now-popular Linux technology the industry's fastest growing World Wide Web server operating system. The Caldera Network Desktop offers a fully graphical environment capable of authoring, navigating and publishing information to the Internet and Intranets. The Caldera Network Desktop is also a NetWare Client and provides client and server access to Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT and Windows 95, and all existing UNIX network systems. In addition, Caldera, a Ray Noorda company, has licensed Netscape Navigator , the widely popular client software for enterprise networks and the Internet. "Everyone is telling corporate IS managers that they need to get their companies interacting with the Internet. But until we shipped this product, no vendor was offering a complete Internet/Intranet authoring and serving platform that was both reliable and affordable," said Bryan Sparks, President of Caldera. "Not only does the Caldera Network Desktop easily automate creation and distribution of information across the network and across the Internet, it allows users to continue to work in their current environments. This is a big benefit to IS managers." Doug Bateman, Campus IS coordinator & Webmaster for the University of North Texas, concurs. "The Caldera Network Desktop provides the best Internet server and NetWare management solution available in the industry," said Bateman. "Using the CND NetWare Client, I am able to remotely manage all of the functions of the campuswide information network. The people utilizing the campus networks connected to the Caldera Network Desktop don't even know its helping them publish their documents to the Web." Complete Internet Protocols and Services The Caldera Network Desktop's complete set of protocols and technologies allows customers to interact with all of the Internet's services, including the World Wide Web (WWW), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) and Gopher services. The product's features include a multi- domain Web server / Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) server, Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) E-mail, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP) Usenet News, Network File System (NFS), and dial-in server access via Point- to-Point Protocol (PPP) / Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP). In addition to providing enhanced browsing capabilities, the Netscape Navigator World Wide Web browser included in the product allows customers to read Usenet news and e-mail. In the Caldera Network Desktop environment, the Netscape Navigator is also used for viewing on-line help and documentation and for previewing HTML documents before they are publicly served on the Web. "Netscape has partnered with Caldera in order to provide its navigating technologies to the rapidly-growing market of IS professionals who want to include Linux technologies in commercial computing environments," said Marc Matoza, Western Sales Channel Manager for Netscape. "Caldera shares our philosophy of providing well-designed, commodity- priced Internet products that parallel the industry migration away from high-cost, proprietary systems." Network Management The Caldera Network Desktop is a NetWare Client with full NetWare Directory Services (NDS) support and provides drag and drop administration, client interaction, support for NetWare printing and more. The product is also both a client and server for Windows for Workgroups and all back-end UNIX networking systems. "Southwest Airlines uses the Caldera Network Desktop to bridge the gap between our NetWare servers and our UNIX machines," said Kerry Schwab, UNIX Systems Administrator for Southwest Airlines. "Southwest also plans to use additional NetWare and Internet functionality currently under development at Caldera." Multi-user, Multi-tasking The Caldera Network Desktop is stocked with the industry's most-demanded features and technologies. Caldera's integration with Windows, DOS and UNIX networking environments allows customers using the Caldera Network Desktop to work in environments they are already familiar with, while using the additional features and services offered by the product. Caldera has broad peripheral support including CD-ROM drives, network cards, PCMCIA drivers and support, IDE and SCSI controllers, video cards, ISDN and other communication cards, and much more. In addition, to provide X Window System graphical capabilities with high performance and minimal configuration, Caldera has licensed and included Accelerated-X from X Inside, Inc. "UNIX. Affordable. These two words have never been used in the same sentence before," said Gary Anderson, President of X Inside. "The Caldera Network Desktop is an affordable, robust, reliable desktop with commercial applications ported and working! I've only been waiting 15 years for this to happen." The product's graphical desktop interface includes drag and drop, extensible file typing, graphical file browsing, program groups, preferences and many more graphical features that simplify organization and use of the desktop and files. Graphical Installation The shipping product's installation process is greatly improved over the process that shipped with the Caldera Network Desktop Previews. The new graphical installation ships on a floppy disk and a CD-ROM and takes around 30 minutes for complete installation of the Linux operating system and the Caldera Network Desktop. The help-enabled installation includes scripting that prompts the customer, asks minimal questions, interrogates the system hardware, automatically configures the operating system and loads appropriate drivers and modules as needed. Channel Partners and Third-Party Developers In December 1995, CMP Publications released survey results stating that 43 percent of Value Added Resellers (VARs) polled planned to adopt Internet technologies in 1996. Additionally, Forrester Research, Inc., recently released survey results showing that 50 percent of U.S. companies are evaluating or have current plans to install an Intranet. To accommodate this growing market demand, Caldera is introducing two partner programs focused on this rapidly growing Information Server market: the Caldera Channel Partner program and the Caldera Independent Vendor Partner program. These programs represent Caldera's initial efforts to build the industry's first Linux VAR channel and the first Internet/Intranet ISV channel. (Request a separate "Caldera Partners" news release.) Technical Support Caldera's technical support philosophy focuses on providing installation support to end users and long-term engineering support to Caldera's channel and third-party developer partners. Caldera's technical support objective is to develop a solid network of channel partners who serve as the primary front-line for technical support on Caldera products. Caldera provides its customers with up to 5 incidents of free installation support for 30 days after the customer's initial support inquiry and encourages customers to utilize the free, service-rich technical support environment served from the company's World Wide Web site. Caldera also offers fee-based direct support options beyond the complimentary installation and Internet services at $80 per-incident or $3,000 for an annual contract. The Linux Operating System Caldera's mission includes creating the products, alliances, VAR channel, ISV channel, technical support programs and corporate accountability necessary for an emerging technology to obtain widespread implementation in the business environment. Using Linux, Caldera has a solid start. Mirai, a Chicago-based consulting company, polled Webmasters worldwide in 1995 and found that nine percent of World Wide Web servers were running on the Linux operating system (http://www.mirai.com/survey). This places Linux second only to Sun as a UNIX Web server platform, while Linux holds twice the market share of Windows NT's 4.5 percent market share. Caldera has created a solid foundation on which third-parties can successfully design, develop, distribute or employ services that meet the needs of the expanding market with low product costs for consumers. Introductory Promotions and Commodity Pricing The Caldera Network Desktop retails for $99, a fraction of the cost for competitive products. Promotion #1: During the initial 60 days of shipment, anyone who purchases the Caldera Network Desktop may purchase a bundle including WordPerfect ported to Caldera's platform and Metrolink's Executive Motif Libraries for $125 additional copies for $99. Promotion #2: During the initial 60 days of shipment, anyone who purchases the Caldera Network Desktop may purchase the Caldera Internet Office suite for $250 additional copies for $199. Following the promotions, the WordPerfect/Motif bundle will retail for $250; the Caldera Internet Office suite will retail for $329. The Caldera Internet Office Suite's native applications include: WordPerfect ported to Caldera's platform, NCD Software's Z-mail e-mail package, XESS Software's NExS Spreadsheet, and Metrolink's Executive Motif Libraries. One example of how Caldera has added additional value to these products is the addition of Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) authoring capabilities to WordPerfect ported to Caldera's platform, allowing end users to author and publish information to the Internet and Intranets from Caldera's single platform. Caldera, Inc., a privately held company established in 1994, empowers the Internet community, developers, OEMs, channel partners, ISVs, industry partners, consultants and end-users to collaborate, innovate, build and deliver meaningful computing alternatives to the business community. Caldera is a registered trademark and Network Desktop is a trademark of Caldera, Inc., in the United States. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open. NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications logo, Netscape, and Netscape Navigator are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. ISDN Series STR Focus "Fully Understanding ISDN" Article one Base Graphic by 102714,3461 ctsy CompuServe's Computer Graphics Forum ISDN Single Line Service In A Home Office Environment What Is ISDN? ISDN, or Integrated Services Digital Network, is a new way of transmitting telephone traffic. Your telephone company "converts" a central office switch to ISDN by installing new equipment and programming. This document attempts to explain ISDN and its benefits for the typical homeowner, apartment dweller or small business. After reading it, you should understand how ISDN can meet your communication needs and understand some basic ISDN terms. This introduction also describes the decisions and arrangements you must make before ordering ISDN services, and how to start up ISDN sets after you've plugged them in. Background ISDN's digital technology allows the provision of three communication paths, called channels, over the same copper wire arrangement that provides traditional telephone service. ISDN Individual Line is provided through the ISDN Basic Rate Interface, also known as 2B+D. This arrangement provides two "B", or bearer, channels and one "D", or delta, channel. Each of the "B" channels can carry voice, circuit switched data at up to 64 kilobits per second, or packet switched data at up to 64 kilobits per second. The "D" channel carries signaling information between the central office and the subscriber's ISDN equipment and may also be used to carry packet switched data at up to 16 kilobits per second. For comparison, today's most commonly used modems operate at speeds of 2.4, 4.8 and 9.6 kilobits per second. ISDN was designed to work smoothly with traditional telephone service, so that customers who subscribe to ISDN services can make voice-calls to, and receive voice-calls from, customers who subscribe to traditional telephone service. Some major benefits of ISDN include its ability to provide: up to 2 simultaneous voice conversations over one physical line voice, circuit-switched data and packet data services flexibility in arrangements between services, telephone numbers and telephone sets new applications to the home and office noise-free operation over existing lines Basic ISDN Terminology Channel: A channel is a communication path that can carry a voice or data conversation. ISDN Individual Line has multiple channels [a maximum of two (2) "B"s and one (1) "D".] B Channel: This is an ISDN communication channel that bears or carries voice, circuit or packet conversations D Channel: This is an ISDN communication channel used for sending information between the ISDN equipment and the ISDN central office switch. This channel can also carry "user" packet data at rates up to 9.6 Kilo-bits. Call type: ISDN supports three types of calls: circuit switched voice, circuit switched data and packet switched data. Circuit Switched Data: A conversation between two devices (usually computers) where the devices have total use of the channel connecting them. B or D Packet mode data: In this type of conversation between two devices (usually computers), each device's "dialogue" is broken into small chunks called packets before being sent to the receiver. Unlike voice and circuit switched data calls, one communication channel can carry several packet conversations at the same time. SPID: The ISDN switch needs to have a unique identification number for each ISDN set to which it sends calls and signals. This ID is called a Service Profile Identifier or SPID. NT1: The NT1 (network termination 1) is a device (installed with your ISDN wiring) that marks the border between your phone line from the telephone company and the ISDN wiring inside your home. Your ISDN service will not work if the NT1's plug is not connected to a working electrical outlet. What is unique about ISDN? Wiring ISDN usually requires new wiring and new phone sets in the home or small business. Signaling Your central office knows that you wish to make, take or interrupt a call when it receives special signals that result from picking up a handset, dialing, or depressing buttons on your set. Before ISDN, you frequently had to interrupt or terminate your conversation to signal the switch. ISDN lets you to talk and signal at the same time. Multiple Simultaneous Conversations The Pre-ISDN network only permits one telephone call over your line at one time. Basic Rate ISDN's 2B + D architecture, allows at least 3 simultaneous "conversations" over a standard phone line. ISDN has two B channels for voice, circuit or packet conversations, and one D channel to carry signals between your set and your central office. In addition to carrying signal data, the D channel can also carry low-speed (i.e., up to 9.6 kbps) packet data calls. Data Capacity Before ISDN, normal phone lines could reliably carry only 2.4 kilobits per second (bps), or one third of the text in a single-spaced one page document. ISDN carries 144 kbps of information over the same line, enough to transmit a 22 page document every second. Each B channel carries 64 kbps, for a subtotal of 128 kbps. The D channel carries another 16 kbps, bringing the total to 144. Analog vs. Digital Transmission When you call a friend, pre-ISDN telephone sets convert the sound waves of your voice to analog electrical waves (analog transmission); ISDN sets convert your voice into voltages representing a string of 0's and 1's (digital transmission), like those on a compact disc recording. In both cases, these converted electrical signals are sent over the telephone network to your friend's set, where the earpiece converts them back into the sound of your voice. However, as an analog transmission travels through the telephone network, it can pick up analog noise from power lines, moisture in telephone cables, lightning, or crosstalk from other lines. These analog noise sources cannot usually contaminate ISDN transmission, which makes ISDN sound quality and transmission reliability far better than traditional voice service. User-Friendly Feature Use Depending on the individual ISDN set you purchase and local service availability, ISDN permits you to activate features (e.g., call forwarding) by pressing a button or by dialing the traditional two-digit access codes. For each ISDN set you have, if you have ordered optional features, your telephone company will provide a template showing which set button controls the features you've ordered. Flexible Set/Number Arrangements The pre-ISDN telephone network had many limitations in the arrangements of service, sets, and telephone numbers. For example, each line could have only one telephone number and calls could not be directed to individual sets in the home. ISDN removes these and other limitations. When you add these features to ISDN's multiple-call capabilities and data capabilities, many new applications are possible. Power Requirements Traditional telephone sets receive electrical power over the copper wires that link your home to the local central office. When there's a power failure in your neighborhood, traditional telephone service is not interrupted because backup generators in the central office send power to your set over your phone line. ISDN phones require more power than your phone line can carry, so ISDN sets must be powered from electrical outlets in your home. When there's a power failure in your neighborhood, ISDN sets must obtain power from internal backup batteries or some other source in order to function. What can I do with ISDN? ISDN's technical features can be combined to create hundreds of applications that can't be performed over a single phone line today. This section describes just a few of them. The ability of ISDN to carry multiple voice or data conversations at the same time over one line makes these applications possible. Point of Sale ISDN allows the small business to rapidly authorize credit card purchases while answering calls from other customers. A typical point- of-sale arrangement connects the merchant's ISDN voice set and "card- swipe" machine to a single ISDN line. When the "card-swipe" machine reads a credit card number and the purchase amount, ISDN accesses the packet data network containing the computer that stores credit card balances. This computer verifies that the buyer has sufficient credit for the purchase, and sends an "OK" back through the packet network to the merchant's card swipe (ISDN) terminal. With ISDN, the entire verification usually takes 5-6 seconds, compared to about 20 seconds over an analog phone line. Two Simultaneous Calls on 1 Line In many homes and small businesses, one person can make/take so many calls that others in the home or office have long waits to use the phone. Consequently, families who want to avoid missing calls when a talkative teenager is on the phone must buy an additional "teenage" phone line to meet that need. ISDN's multi-channel structure allows flexibility of additional telephone numbers and appearances, all over a single ISDN line. Video Phone This application takes advantage of the data capacity of ISDN and the technology in video phone sets to let you see, and be seen by, the person you're talking to. Special ISDN sets are required for this service. Distance Learning This application is fairly similar to video phone. A course instructor buys ISDN equipment that will broadcast a classroom image on one channel and his/her voice on the other. Students in the course just need equipment that will display classroom pictures on one channel and the instructor's voice on the other. Screen Sharing Business associates in two distant locations often need to look at the same object while discussing it. The "object" is anything that can be displayed on a computer screen - a business letter, a product diagram, or a spreadsheet. Some vendors offer screen-sharing applications that allow people to both see and edit the information on each other's computer screen. Videoconferencing Videoconferencing allows two or more people to hold a business meeting in which all parties can speak with each other, view each other and share the contents of their computer screens. Each meeting participant needs a single ISDN line and videoconferencing equipment. Videoconferencing can be considered a combination of video phone and screen sharing in which more than two parties participate. Work-at-Home In some areas, new anti-pollution laws require large companies to reduce the number of days workers must drive to the office. Many companies either supply or plan to supply employees with PCs that enable them to work at home. Before ISDN, an employee who was working at home had to buy a second line to send data between their PC and the company's main computer. ISDN eliminates the need for that second line. Employees can use one channel for normal calls and a second channel to connect their PC to the company computer. (ISDN- compatible access will need to be provided by the Employer) The manufacturers for most of the ISDN central office equipment used in the United States deliver new ISDN features every year. In many cases, they will deliver most features in the same time frame. However, one manufacturer may deliver a few features ahead of the others. Just as with pre-ISDN services, availability of ISDN services may vary somewhat from one Central Office area to another. Arranging Your ISDN Service There are a number of decisions you need to answer before ordering ISDN service from your local telephone company. The following briefly discusses those decisions - in the order that you should make them - to simplify your ordering process. Is ISDN available at my location? Your local telephone company can tell you whether ISDN is offered in your neighborhood and what the monthly charge will be . Prior to the purchase of any ISDN equipment you should verify with your local ISDN representative that ISDN can be provided to your location -- and investigate the cost for the service. If your local central office is not scheduled to have ISDN for a while, it may be possible to obtain ISDN service from a nearby switch, called foreign central office (FCO) or foreign exchange (FX) in the meantime. If you are considering ISDN via FCO or FX, there is an additional charge for this service. In some cases, the nearest ISDN service may be in an FX office that is outside your local calling area. Before subscribing to FX ISDN access, please make sure your service provider advises you whether or not your local versus long-distance calling area will be affected by the foreign exchange ISDN line. A Few Simple Questions and Answers What Do I Want ISDN To Do For Me? Deciding which ISDN application you want will simplify your other decisions. Even if all you want now is just the ability to have two (2) simultaneous calls over one (1) line, and investigate other applications later, that decision will simplify the others you need to make. What will my ISDN service cost? Your local telephone company can tell you what ISDN service will cost in your area. Will ISDN Be My Only Phone Line? An ISDN line can serve as the only phone line to your home and business - if you have a backup power supply (e.g., batteries in the set) to power your set and the NT1 in the event of a power failure. As mentioned earlier, standard phone sets receive power from central office generators over your phone line - and that's why they work during local power failures. ISDN sets won't work in power failures unless you have some type of backup power source. Based on what ISDN terminal equipment you select, you may want to keep your existing analog line and add ISDN for specific purposes that cannot be accommodated by your present line (e.g., higher data speeds, etc.) What Set Should I Buy? If you plan to use ISDN for a specialized application like point-of- sale, videoconferencing or work-at- home, you will need an ISDN set designed for that application. Your local sales representative for your telephone company can provide you a list of vendors of ISDN terminal equipment that have identified themselves to-date. After you have talked with several vendors and manufactures concerning the choices available to support your application, compare your options like you compare regular or cellular phones - on price, convenience, durability and features. The Most Critical Technical Question There is one critical technical question you should ask your ISDN terminal vendor/manufacturer when evaluating a particular set: "Will this set work properly with all ISDN switches?" If the answer is "no," this set may only work with the central office switch that serves your area. If you move, or later give the phone to a relative when you upgrade, the phone may not work in its new area. Standard Voice Sets or other 'analog' equipment Since ISDN access is not available in all areas at present, if you are not keeping an analog line, you may want to investigate ISDN terminal equipment that allow you to continue to use your existing (analog) equipment (e.g., standard voice sets, modems, etc.). This will insure that you will still have access to all data- destinations that you currently call today even if they are not able to access an ISDN data- call. Analog devices require an ISDN terminal adapter to convert the analog signaling commands the device makes into the signaling commands your ISDN switch understands. You will need to ask your ISDN terminal vendor what equipment they have that can support your existing (analog) equipment. PC Terminal Adapters If you plan to use your ISDN to connect your PC to a large computer, a local area network (LAN), or an on-line database service like Prodigy, you can connect your line to an ISDN card installed in the PC, an ISDN terminal adapter built into the PC (if available) AN EXTERNAL ISDN TERMINAL ADAPTER CONNECTED TO YOUR PC Will I Need To Wire My Home/Shop for ISDN? Just as you had to wire your home to get cable TV or wire your car to get cellular phone service, you may have to change, or add to, the wiring inside your home for ISDN. Completing the Order for ISDN From Your Phone Company Once you've decided on your application, your set and your wiring, you can complete your order for ISDN service from your local phone company. Obtaining SPIDs ISDN central offices require each ISDN set to have a unique identification number, called a Service Profile Identifier (SPID), before the switch will let you make or take calls from that set. When you order your service, the telephone company will give you a SPID for each ISDN set you plan to connect. The instruction manual provided by the manufacturer of your set should describe how to enter the SPID. You should carefully file or store your SPID number where you can refer to it in cases of an ISDN trouble. The SPID will be helpful to telephone repair personnel on those infrequent occasions when you have an ISDN service problem. Initializing ISDN Sets The Basic Steps After your local telephone company puts your line in service, you'll need to plug in your ISDN equipment and initialize it. All ISDN sets, PCs, fax machines, etc., must have unique SPIDs and must be initialized. Consult the instruction manual for your equipment on how to enter SPIDs and then initialize the equipment. If this information is not in the manual, call the technical support number provided by the manufacturer of your ISDN device. A Final Word Like the personal computer, ISDN gives you new and improved capabilities at an attractive price. And like personal computers, it requires a little thought and research before you buy the set and order the services that will meet your needs. However, if you consider the issues raised in this pamphlet, your first experience with ISDN can be a more pleasant and productive one. ISDN Single Line Service Support Data Customer Support Center 1950 West Exchange Place Suite 500 Tucker, GA 30084 To place an order: 800-858-9413 or 770-496-2925 For technical support: 800-256-6923 or 770-496-2901 BELL ATLANTIC, MICOSOFT TO PROMOTE ISDN SOLUTIONS TO WINDOWS CUSTOMERS Microsoft, Bell Atlantic Collaboration to Supercharge ISDN Demand, Acquisition Arlington, VA - Bell Atlantic and Microsoft Corp. announced today they will work together to accelerate and simplify the acquisition of ISDN (integrated services digital network) telephone service by users of the Microsoft* Windows* operating system. The two companies will collaborate in a marketing effort to enhance awareness of ISDN and streamline the ordering, provisioning and configuration process for users of Windows 95* and Windows NT* operating systems. ISDN integrates voice, data and video signals on a single high- speed, digital phone line. "Windows 95 and Windows NT support for ISDN will make it convenient and easy for PC users to get connected with ISDN," said Curt Koeppen, Bell Atlantic vice president for ISDN. "We believe Windows will give a tremendous boost to the use of ISDN by computer users, whether they are telecommuting or surfing the Web. ISDN makes browsing graphics and rich multimedia content on the World Wide Web faster, smoother and much more pleasurable." Software facilitating ISDN use with Windows 95 will be available later this quarter, with support for a variety of ISDN hardware adapters, including the Bell Atlantic/U.S. Robotics Sportster** ISDN 128K. Current users of Windows 95 will be able to download the software through Microsoft sites on the World Wide Web, MSN* (The Microsoft Network) and other Microsoft online sites at no charge. Bell Atlantic also may provide this software to customers. The current version of Windows NT already supports ISDN. "ISDN is the most broadly available, higher bandwidth solution for access to the Internet and commercial on-line services, such as The Microsoft Network, as well as for remote access to corporate LANs used by telecommuters," said Cameron Myhrvold, vice president of public networks at Microsoft. "With Windows 95 support for ISDN, Bell Atlantic customers can supercharge their access to the Internet or a corporate LAN." ISDN lines transmit data up to nine times faster than most personal computers can communicate over an analog modem, allowing customers to get high-speed access to the Internet as well as remote access to information to improve their use of resources. Bell Atlantic already is the ISDN market leader with more than 145,000 ISDN lines installed in its mid-Atlantic service area. Bell Atlantic is adding about 6,000 ISDN lines per month and is forecasting that it will install more than one million ISDN lines by the year 2000. The Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed(r) Center serves Bell Atlantic's residential customers, providing them with a single point of contact for their ISDN needs. The center handles customer orders for ISDN and makes optional installation and equipment arrangements for inside wiring and ISDN adapters. "We are providing one-stop shopping for ISDN service. When we leave the premises, the customer is ready to work from home or go into cyberspace," said Koeppen. Bell Atlantic's ISDN pricing is among the lowest offered by a regional Bell operating company, he said. Later this year, the company plans to introduce a variety of attractive optional pricing packages to residential customers, similar to current usage plans available from on-line service and Internet providers, he said. Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, entertainment and information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high- growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing high-growth national and international business opportunities in all phases of the industry. Canon's 4025 STR InfoFile Questions and Answers for the IX-4025 Scanner 2/14/96 Q: What is shipped with the IX-4025? A: IX-4025 Scanner, Adaptec "Plug and Play" SCSI Interface Board, SCSI interface cable, Power cord, IX-4025 User's Manual, IX-4025 Quick Start Guide, Ofoto Manual, OmniPage Foldout, TWAIN Driver Disk, Host Adapter Configuration Utility Disk, Ofoto Software, OmniPage Limited Edition Software, and Image-In Copier Software. Q: What accessories can you currently purchase? A: Automatic Document Feeder. Q. What type of scanner is the IX-4025? A. Color flatbed scanner. Q. What is the resolution which you can scan? A. The Optical Resolution is 300 dpi x 600 dpi and Enhanced Resolution is 1200 dpi. Q. What is Optical Resolution? A. Optical Resolution is the actual scanning unit resolution. Q. What is Enhanced Resolution? A. Enhanced resolution is the resolution in which can be generated from various software programs. Q. What is the scanning speed* of the scanner? A. Color: 20 seconds (US Letter/ A4 size @ 300 dpi) Monochrome: 10 seconds (US Letter/ A4 size @ 300 dpi *Raw scanning speed. Actual scanning performance depends on CPU and software used Q. What are the operation modes? A. Color: 27-bit (256 levels) Gray Scale: 8-bit (256 levels) or 4-bit (16 levels) Q. What is the scanning mode? A. Single Pass Q. Can you use the IX-4025 with a Macintosh? A. No, the IX-4025 is for PC's only. Q. Where is the terminator for the SCSI interface cable? A. The IX-4025 has a built in terminator. Q. Can you chain other devices to the IX-4025? A. Yes, the SCSI ID number would need to be adjusted accordingly. If the scanner is the only device or at the end of the chain, use the red set of numbers (by default the scanner is set to red (ON) 2). If the scanner is in the middle of the chain, use the white set of number. Q. What other ASPI-Compliant SCSI cards can be used with the IX-4025? A. Any ASPI-Compliant SCSI card can be used. The Adaptec 1510, Adaptec 1542, and Adaptec 1640 have been tested and found to work with the IX-4025. IX-3010 IX-4015 IX-4025 Product: Scanners Subject: Windows 95 32-bit support Canon Computer Systems, Inc. is committed to providing our customers with quick, easy solutions to product upgrades. Our goal is to keep our customers updated throughout the process so that the final result is complete and meets with their satisfaction. Following is an update on our progress to upgrade our TWAIN driver so that our scanner customers with a Canon IX-4015, IX-4025 or IX-3010 have full 32-bit support under their new Windows 95 software. Although the driver is in final stages of testing, we would like to explain our plans for this upgrade. We're doing this for two reasons. One, we want to make sure you know we are committed to providing this solution to you. And secondly, we want you to understand how this upgrade will provide 32-bit support in Windows 95 for your particular scanner, whether it's a Canon IX- 4025, IX-4015 or IX-3010. Twain Driver, version 2.3 Canon Computer Systems will provide full 32-bit support for Windows 95 with the release of this new Twain driver. IX-4025 Scanners Customers who have purchased the IX-4025 and use the Canon provided ASPI compliant interface card (AVA-1502P) will be able to install the new Twain driver and immediately support 32-bit applications when scanning. IX-4015 and IX-3010 Scanners Customers who have purchased either of these scanners, and use Canon's provided SI-50 interface card, will be offered an upgrade that includes both the Twain 2.3 driver and the ASPI compliant interface card (AVA-1502P). Since the SI-50 interface card is not ASPI compliant, we will provide IX- 4015 and IX-3010 customers both the driver and the newer card. Twain driver upgrade availability We will provide the Twain 2.3 upgrade free of charge to any IX-4025 customer. It will be available for downloading from our electronic services. For customers who do not have access to our electronic services, we will provide a disk upgrade through our customer care center. Twain Driver and Interface card upgrade Registered IX-4015 and IX-3010 scanner customers will be able to order the Twain 2.3 driver and interface card for a nominal charge, covering shipping and handling. Our plan is to ship this kit first and ask that customers return their SI-50 card in the same package. We will publish final details on this program, as soon as they become available. We hope this preliminary information on the scanner upgrade program is helpful, and we believe that it will provide you with a very satisfactory experience using our scanners with 32-bit Windows 95 applications. 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 EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed Edupage Contents Apple Turnover Phone Companies Get Ready To Compete Judge Rules Against Employee In E- Mail Snooping Case M &A Frenzy In Information Technology Open University On The Internet Murdoch Sells Educational Publishing Group Media Consolidation In The United Kingdom Approval For Disney Merger With Capital Cities/ABC Anniversary Of ENIAC CD Match Takes The Guesswork Out Of CD-ROM Shopping Librarians, Unite -- For Buying Power News-Flash Screen Savers MCI And AT&T Talking Of An Alliance Netscape, Silicon Graphics Team Up For 3-D Apple Inks Deals With Adobe, Disney Advertisers Debate Web Privacy Issues CompuServe Launches Internet-Only Service Judge Greene Worries Telecom Bill Isn't Tough Enough Virtual University Slated For 1997 Licensing On The Web Virus Does Windows 95 No Help At The Help Desk PC Sales In Europe Motorola Smart Card Contracts New Process Yields Sturdier, Faster Chips Visa And Microsoft To Develop Home Banking System Entrepreneur's Resource On The Net Time Bomb Still Ticking For Year 2000 Compuserve Offers Software Filter For Indecent Material Tariff Talks On Technology Products Papers Move Online Internet Users Don't Want To Share Their Cookies Three Ways To Make Money On The Internet Spreading The Word APPLE TURNOVER A new calm appears to have cover over Apple headquarters, in spite of the fact that its operating loss in the second fiscal quarter will surpass its first quarter deficit. The company say it has discontinued all merger talks with other companies (including Sun), and now plans to go it alone, under the new leadership of Gil Amelio, the new chairman and CEO who replaced ousted Michael Spindler. Amelio has been credited with turning around National Semiconductor, which he left in order to take his current position with Apple. Apple's announcement departs from its usual practice of refusing comment on merger talks, and was made because it thinks rumors and speculation have been hurting sales. Vice Chairman A.C. "Mike" Markkula says: "I have completely lost faith in the press to report anything even near the truth." (Wall Street Journal 9 Feb 96 B1) PHONE COMPANIES GET READY TO COMPETE With the new telecommunications legislation now passed and signed, the providers of long-distance and local phone services are rapidly moving ahead with plans to compete against each other in offering a full range of communications services. AT&T CEO Robert Allen says his company will offer local, long-distance and TV services, and will be leasing local telephone capacity from the Bells and other local service providers, as well as developing local (and possibly wireless) communication networks of its own. Two regional service providers, Bell Atlantic (in the mid-Atlantic states) and Nynex (in New England and New York), may counter AT&T's moves by merging or forming some sort of alliance. Bell Atlantic's president says: "We've got to figure out how we can offer long-distance and local service in competition with the likes of AT&T. In between where we are today and something that falls short of a full merger, there are things that make sense." (New York Times 9 Feb 96 A1) JUDGE RULES AGAINST EMPLOYEE IN E-MAIL SNOOPING CASE A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled against a former employee of the Pillsbury Co. who filed a suit claiming invasion of privacy after his e-mail messages threatening to "kill the backstabbing bastards" and referring to an upcoming party as the "Jim Jones Koolaid affair" were deemed to be inappropriate, unprofessional and offensive, leading to his firing in October 1994. The company had repeatedly assured its employees that all e- mail communications would be kept confidential, but the court found that, "Once plaintiff communicated the alleged unprofessional comments to a second person (his supervisor) over an e-mail system which was apparently utilized by the entire company, any reasonable expectation of privacy was lost." (BNA Daily Labor Report 6 Feb 96 AA1) M &A FRENZY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The number of mergers and acquisitions in the information technology industry peaked in 1995 with 1,563 North American deals, up from 879 in 1994. The total value of the transactions was $82.8 billion, up from $69.2 billion a year earlier. And the party's not over yet -- 64% of companies surveyed by Broadview Associations LLP said they viewed more mergers and acquisitions as "very likely" in 1996. (Information Week 29 Jan 96 p28) OPEN UNIVERSITY ON THE INTERNET The British Open University, whose pioneering work in distance learning has served as a model for institutions around the globe, now is making some of it courses available over the Internet to English-speaking students internationally. < http://cszx.open.ac.uk/zx/ > or send e-mail to Internet-Course-Info@open.ac.uk. (WICHE Communique Jan 96 p13) MURDOCH SELLS EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING GROUP Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is selling HarperCollins Publishing to the U.K.-based media conglomerate Pearson PLC. A Smith Barney analyst says that "Educational publishing doesn't fit News Corp.'s image as a global distributor of information. Rupert has a lot of different objectives, and this is not one of them." Pearson PLC will now rank fourth in educational book publishing, behind McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Harcourt-Brace. (New York Times 10 Feb 95 p19) MEDIA CONSOLIDATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM London media analyst Lorna Tilbian explains: "The whole global media industry is converging. This is the beginning of the U.K. side of that." The latest development: United News & Media PLC is merging with MAI PLC, to create a $4.5 billion media conglomerate. (Wall Street Journal 9 Feb 96 B13) APPROVAL FOR DISNEY MERGER WITH CAPITAL CITIES/ABC The Federal Communications Commission has voted 5-0 to approve the transfer of broadcast licenses from Capital Cities/ABC to Disney. Commissioner Chong says: "This is a merger that makes a lot of sense. Disney will marry its wealth of content with the vast ABC distribution network." (New York Times 9 Feb 96 C2) ANNIVERSARY OF ENIAC To mark the 50th anniversary of the ENIAC computer and in conjunction with ACM Computing Week '96, Vice President Gore will give a speech "The Technology Challenge" at the University of Pennnsylvania on Wednesday of this week. The speech and other celebrations will be carried on the MBONE. Info: < http://homepage.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/ >. CD MATCH TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF CD-ROM SHOPPING The Interactive Multimedia Association is promoting its CD Match program, designed to help consumer match CD-ROM purchases to their PC configurations. The software creates a printout of a computer system's capabilities, which consumers can then take to retail outlets for comparison to the IMA- recommended uniform label to determine if their computer will support a particular title's system requirements. Free CD Match software will be distributed to consumers via IMA's Web site, < http://www.ima.org >. (Heller Report Feb 96) LIBRARIANS, UNITE -- FOR BUYING POWER College librarians are banding together to purchase electronic resources for their institutions. "We've found that this sort of group purchasing power has really enabled us to leverage the dollars that we have and to get resources we couldn't have otherwise," says an associate librarian at the University of Texas at Austin, which buys publications through the TexShare consortium. The group buying arrangement is also advantageous for publishers, who don't need to spend as much on marketing: "As a group, we'll pay the vendor more money than they can realistically get by slogging it out school by school," says the executive director of OhioLINK, which includes more than 40 colleges and universities. The president of Britannica Online figures that more than half of the 293 institutions using his product are doing so under consortium-based licenses. (Chronicle of Higher Education 9 Feb 96 A21) NEWS-FLASH SCREEN SAVERS Software from Cupertino, California-based Pointcast, Inc., will be used by Netscape Communications in a joint venture with news organizations Reuters, ESPN, Boston Globe, and Los Angeles Times to offer financial and sports news over "screen savers" of PCs attached to the Internet. Supported by advertising, the news service will be made available this spring both as a commercial software product and as an extension of Netscape's Navigator WWW browser software. (New York Times 13 Feb 96 C6) MCI AND AT&T TALKING OF AN ALLIANCE An MCI spokesman confirmed as "essentially correct" a Wall Street Journal story saying that long-distance phone service rivals MCI and AT&T were trying to reach an agreement to share the cost of building phone networks in certain markets and swap their facilities to bypass Bell companies and other local phone service carriers. (Atlanta Journal Constitution 13 Feb 96 F1) NETSCAPE, SILICON GRAPHICS TEAM UP FOR 3-D Netscape Communications and Silicon Graphics have endorsed the Moving Worlds standard for 3-D images on the Web, using Sun Microsystems' Java networking language to animate objects. The move is significant in its opposition to Microsoft's proposed Active VRML language, which would work with Java, but not with most other existing software. Netscape reports it has more than 50 companies signed on to support Moving Worlds, and Microsoft plans to publish a list of its endorsers next month. (Wall Street Journal 13 Feb 96 pB5) APPLE INKS DEALS WITH ADOBE, DISNEY Apple computer has signed agreements to develop multimedia partnerships with Adobe Systems Inc. and Walt Disney Co. "This is our way of showing that life goes on, that our fundamentals are good and that we are where the market is headed," says the president of Apple Europe. The Adobe deal allows Apple to bundle the company's multimedia publishing software into PowerMac computers. Disney has pledged to create new interactive CD-ROMs for Apple's Performa PCs. A separate agreement with U.K.-based Digital Village will result in more Apple products for the Internet, for CD-ROMs, and for broadcast television. "We want to show that the Mac can be a hi-fi, a TV, and above all, a good communicator," says Apple Europe's president. (Investor's Business Daily 12 Feb 96 A7) ADVERTISERS DEBATE WEB PRIVACY ISSUES With the World Wide Web emerging as the new advertising nirvana, the Coalition for Advertising Supported Information and Entertainment has developed a set of privacy goals to serve as guidelines for how personal information can be bought, sold and used. They recommend that marketers always disclose their identity; that they make only "appropriate" use of personal information; that consumers have options to limit what information they reveal about themselves; and that they have access to their personal electronic records. However, a spokesman for the Association of Accredited advertising Agencies warns against regulating too much, too soon: "Let's not create new rules for a new medium before the medium develops. If you write them first they almost always have unintended consequences." (Wall Street Journal 12 Feb 96 B3) COMPUSERVE LAUNCHES INTERNET-ONLY SERVICE CompuServe has started a new Internet-only service called Sprynet, offering unlimited access for a flat fee of $19.95 a month. At the same time, the company announced it initially would block Sprynet customers from access to more than 200 online forums where sex-related issues are discussed, becoming the first big Internet service provider to restrict that kind of information. Meanwhile, AOL's chairman announced America Online's Internet- only GNN business has attracted more than 100,000 customers in the past 90 days. (St. Petersburg Times 12 Feb 96 p9) JUDGE GREENE WORRIES TELECOM BILL ISN'T TOUGH ENOUGH Referred to by some as the Judge Greene Retirement Act, the telecommunications reform bill recently signed into law by President Clinton removes Judge Harold Greene from his position as the most powerful authority over U.S. telecommunications regulation for the past 12 years. But Greene warns that the new competitive rules may not turn out to be the best prescription for the industry: "I'm a little concerned whether there are sufficient safeguards against the kinds of mergers and acquisitions that might give some small group of companies or individuals a stranglehold" over U.S. telecom markets. "I'd hate to see the AT&T monopoly be reconstituted in some form. It would be like I'd wasted the past 18 years." (Wall Street Journal 12 Feb 96 B1) VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY SLATED FOR 1997 The Western Governors' Association, led by Gov. Roy Rohmer of Colorado and Gov. Mike Leavitt of Utah, are rapidly pulling together plans for a western virtual university and now say they expect to begin admitting students by the summer of 1997. The Education Management Group, a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster, has donated $150,000 to the planning effort. (Chronicle of Higher Education 16 Feb 96 A21) VIRUS DOES WINDOWS 95 A new virus detected by British researchers targets PCs running Windows 95, disabling programs before spreading to other machines, says an analyst for U.K. antivirus software firm Sophos. The virus is named Boza, after a Bulgarian liquor "so powerful that just looking at it will give you a headache." So far, Boza is concentrating its efforts mainly among companies that make antivirus software. (St. Petersburg Times 12 Feb 96 p8) LICENSING ON THE WEB Oracle and Microsoft will announce new strategies for licensing their database products for use on the Internet, and IBM and Infomix are also discussing ways to charge for Web use, where the number of potential "users" could be thousands. "Traditional client-server database pricing is based on the number of users, and that just doesn't work in the Web environment," says a senior VP at Computer Associates, which has already established CPU-based pricing as its model. "There is no way that we want to do per-user licensing," says a technology chief at Carnegie Mellon University. "Server- based pricing will be much more cost-effective." (Information Week 5 Feb 96 p18) NO HELP AT THE HELP DESK Three frustrated PC owners have filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court, charging that the technical support system at Leading Edge Products was virtually worthless. Callers allegedly got a busy signal or recorded message when trying to reach the help desk, and on the rare occasions they did make contact with a human, they were told the problem was the fault of the software and hardware suppliers, not Leading Edge. "Many computer buyers are given a warranty and it turns out to be meaningless," says an attorney representing the plaintiffs. (St. Petersburg Times 12 Feb 96 p9) PC SALES IN EUROPE The Dataquest market research group says that Germany is Europe's biggest PC market, with 1.04 million machines sold in the final quarter of 1995, followed by the U.K. and France. The fastest-growing markets, with growth rates above 30%, are Belgium, Finland, Italy and the U.K. Germany's growth rate is 7%. (Financial Times 12 Feb 96 p22) MOTOROLA SMART CARD CONTRACTS Motorola has signed two new European contracts for its smart card technology. Its deal with Spain is the first nationwide contract of its kind, says Motorola, and its arrangement with the Czech Republic will result in the distribution of "10,000 chips for a pilot health insurance smart card project in the Litomerice region. A countrywide health card project for 10 million people is intended for introduction during 1997-98," according to a Motorola statement. Motorola anticipates that the smart card market will increase from the current $100 million a year to more than $1 billion by the end of the decade. (Investor's Business Daily 13 Feb 96 A9) NEW PROCESS YIELDS STURDIER, FASTER CHIPS Engineers at the University of Illinois have discovered that a simple substitution in the computer chip manufacturing process could increase chips' lifespan by 10 to 50 times, or alternatively, allow them to operate at faster speeds. By treating a chip with deuterium instead of hydrogen in the final stage of the manufacturing process, the resulting product is better able to weather the battering it takes from the electrons that store and transmit messages. "The tantalizing thing w will be to use the trade-off between lifespan and performance to make the chip work even faster," says one researcher, who estimates the substitution process would add only about $1.50 to the cost of a wafer of chips. (Investor's Business Daily 15 Feb 96 A9) VISA AND MICROSOFT TO DEVELOP HOME BANKING SYSTEM Visa and Microsoft will jointly develop a complete system for home banking and bill-paying services, based on Microsoft's Money software and Visa's financial processing systems. Their system will provide formidable competition for Intuit, which markets the Quicken software and offers a back- end financial transaction system through the Intuit Services Corporation. However, Intuit and Microsoft will continue their separate agreement to provide home banking services to a number of banks, such as Chase Manhattan. (New York Times 15 Feb 96 C8) ENTREPRENEUR'S RESOURCE ON THE NET The U.S. Business Advisor offers small businesses online access to guides and government forms needed to comply with regulations or apply for government- backed loans or other federal assistance. The new service, unveiled Tuesday by Vice President Gore, supplies "one-stop access to federal agencies that regulate and assist business," says Gore. It's expected to be the first in a family of electronic products aimed at "customer groups" such as veterans, travelers, the research community, and state and local governments. < http://www.business.gov >(Wall Street Journal 14 Feb 96 B2) TIME BOMB STILL TICKING FOR YEAR 2000 The Gartner Group predicts that half of all companies affected by the year 2000 date field problem will still be unprepared when the fateful day arrives. "A lot of companies are like deer frozen in the headlights of a big truck coming right at them," says a Gartner analyst. Some industry experts estimate the cost of fixing the problem at $40 million per large corporation, with the global price tag pegged at $400 billion to $600 billion. Many corporations are wondering if their old systems are worth all the trouble: "Do we just fix the millennium bug, or should we take this as an opportunity to put in some new systems?" asks one CIO. (Information Week 5 Feb 96 p30) COMPUSERVE OFFERS SOFTWARE FILTER FOR INDECENT MATERIAL CompuServe has begun offering Cyber Patrol Internet software made by Microsystems Software Inc. that automatically restricts access to newsgroups, bulletin board systems and files containing "indecent" material. The move effectively ends an eight-week ban the online service had imposed on more than 200 sites following an inquiry by a Bavarian district attorney. CompuServe will continue to block access to five sites containing child pornography that are under ivestigation. The Cyber Patrol software is currently available in English and German, and French and Spanish versions will be available soon. (Investor's Business Daily 14 Feb 96 A9) TARIFF TALKS ON TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS The U.S. Trade Office plans to talk to European Union counterparts about removing the tariffs now levied on information technology products. The move would cut the cost of U.S. computers and related products significantly, making them much more attractive to foreign buyers. (Computer Reseller News 29 Jan 96 p12) PAPERS MOVE ONLINE The number of North American papers available through online services nearly tripled last year to about 175, and is expected to double again this year. About 600 other newspapers published outside North American are also available online, according to the Newspaper Association of America. (Toronto Sun 14 Feb 96 p35) INTERNET USERS DON'T WANT TO SHARE THEIR COOKIES In response to complaints from consumers, Netscape Communications says it will alter a feature in its browser software that allows merchants to track what customers do in their online storefonts and how much time they spend there. The feature, called Cookies, stores that information on the customer's own hard drive, a design that Net surfers say ties up the resources on their computers. Future versions of Netscape will allow customers the choice of refusing merchants the capability of tracking their movements over long periods of time rather than a single Internet session. "We want to give the user as much control as possible," says a Netscape product manager. (Wall Street Journal 14 Feb 96 B2) THREE WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ON THE INTERNET Digital communications guru Nicholas Negroponte predicts business on the Internet will be conducted at low prices and high volumes, but says a new system for payments will have be developed before business can take off. He also predicts that the Internet will be an excellent advertising medium. (Toronto Financial Post 14 Feb 96 p7) Negroponte also thinks censorship of the Internet is almost impossible, as is trying to protect cultural identity. (Ottawa Citizen 14 Feb 96 F2) SPREADING THE WORD The Washington Post has reported that a Maryland family received a number of threatening calls after a University of Maryland student used the Internet to circulate a hearsay allegation that a daughter in the family was being mistreated by her mother. Posting his message on Internet news groups concerned with child welfare, psychology, left-wing politics, and civil liberties, the student urged people to call the mother "at home and tell her you are disgusted and you demand that she stops." The student claims: "You should be able to write what you want on the Internet, whether it's true or not." (Houston Chronicle 14 Feb 96 2A) Bits & Baud STR InfoFile BITS, SYMBOL RATE, BPS, AND BAUD by Dr. David Rife, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. 1. INTRODUCTION This note is intended to explain terms such as bit rate, symbol rate, bps, and baud. 2. DEFINITIONS BIT Bit has two meanings: an amount of information or a binary digit. Binary digit, 0 or 1, is the meaning used here. BPS The rate at which bits are transmitted or received is described in units of bits per second (bps). SYMBOLS Symbols, pulses of specified shape and duration, are used in many modems to convey bits. The rate at which symbols are transmitted or received is expressed in units of symbols per second (symbols/s). BAUD Baud is a unit of signaling speed equal to the reciprocal of the duration (in seconds) of the shortest binary signaling element. For example, if one is using Morse code with dots (which are the shortest signaling elements) that last 10 ms, the signaling speed is 100 baud. Since each dot must be followed by a space, 50 dots per second can be sent at this speed. Baud is a convenient measure of signaling speed for systems that use (binary) signaling pulses of varying duration. The bandwidth required to transmit binary signals is generally proportional to the signaling speed. CHARACTERS The bits sent and received by computer asynchronous serial ports are organized into groups called characters. A character consists of a start bit, several information bits, possibly a parity bit, and a stop bit. The number of information bits may be 5, 6, 7, or 8. The duration of a stop bit may be 1, 1.5, or 2 times the duration of the other bits, which all have the same duration. The speeds at which characters may be sent by a serial port are (usually) the speeds given by 115200/N bps, where N is an integer between 1 and 65535. For example, a speed of 19200 baud is selected by using N equals 6. CPS Characters per second (CPS) is often used as the unit of character rate. 3. USE OF BAUD The speed of a serial port is properly expressed in baud. That is, when the speed is set to, say, 19200 bps, the speed is actually 19200 baud. In fact, if the character format is 8n2 (8 information bits, no parity, and 2-element stop bits), then the speed is only 10*19200/11 bps (17454.55 bps), but is still 19200 baud. The word baud should be used in the same way as hertz. One never says "hertz rate" instead of frequency; one should never say "baud rate" instead of signaling speed. Baud should not be used to express symbol rate. The ITU uses symbols/s (symbols per second) as the unit of symbol rate. 4. PSK and QAM The symbols of a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modem are pulses of carrier with different amplitude and phase. The symbols of a QAM modem, such as a V.22 bis modem, are usually described in terms of the carrier phase and amplitude of each symbol, which is equivalent to the amplitudes of the cos() and sin() parts of each symbol. The collection of valid symbols is called the constellation. One may see the constellation plotted as dots on a graph, with the vertical positions representing the amplitudes of the sin() part and the horizontal positions representing the amplitudes of the cos() part. The constellation of a V.22 bis modem consists of 16 points as shown below. The amplitudes of the sin() and cos() parts are proportional to -3, -1, 1, and 3. 3 * * 3 * * 3 * * 3 * * ŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽ * * 3 * * 3 * * 3 * * 3 Four-phase modulation is QAM with a four-point constellation. The constellation of a V.22 modem is indicated below. 3 * 3 3 ŽŽ*ŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽŽ*ŽŽ 3 3 * 3 It takes log(M)/log(2) (log of M to the base 2) bits to identify one of M items. Thus, each symbol of a 16-point constellation conveys 4 bits. That is, each of the M=16 symbols is associated with a unique 4-bit sequence. 5. BIT RATE VERSUS SYMBOL RATE Since one symbol may convey several bits, the bit rate is more than the symbol rate. For example, the V.22 modem uses four-phase modulation and each symbol conveys 2 bits. Since the modem provides a speed of 1200 bps, the symbol rate is 600 symbols/s. V.22 bis modems operating at 2400 bps use the same symbol rate and carrier frequencies as V.22. However, each symbol conveys 4 bits. 5. BANDWIDTH The bandwidth required by a QAM modem's signal is a little more than the symbol rate (if the symbols are properly shaped). Thus the bandwidth of the signal from a V.22 modem is just over 600 Hz. The modem sends in one band and receives in another band. The two carrier frequencies are 1200 Hz and 2400 Hz. Normally the answer modem sends in the high band. Adobe Acrobat Amber Frequently Asked Questions Basics What is the "Amber" version of Adobe Acrobat software? "Amber" is the codename for an update to Acrobat Reader with several new features: ú Integration withWeb browsers like Netscape Navigator 2.0 to allow PDF files to be viewed seamlessly within the same window as the browser page. ú A new way to optimize PDF files for delivery on the Internet or on-line services. Instead of waiting for the whole PDF file to be downloaded, you view the document a page at a time. ú Navigation among PDF, HTML, and other web content transparently by integrating with Netscape's navigation functions -- Go Back, etc. ú PDF embedded in HTML pages. ú Progressive display of the PDF file, so you see the text first, then images, then embedded fonts. ú Font blitting -- when viewed over the web, embedded fonts display first as substitution fonts while the embedded outline is retrieved then "blitted" onscreen for absolute fidelity. ú Dockable Toolbar within the Netscape window. ú New views -- continuous scrolling and 2-up pages. ú Antialiased text for crisper onscreen viewing. Why is Acrobat software important for the Web? The Adobe Acrobat suite of universal electronic publishing products is being used by a growing number of Web publishers to bring visually rich, compelling content to the web. The freely available Acrobat Reader is the universal way to view, navigate and print electronic documents created in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). What is a PDF file? The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is the unique cross-platform PostScript-based file format developed by Adobe. A PDF file can describe documents containing any combination of text, graphics, and images in a device and resolution independent format. These documents can be one page or thousands of pages, very simple or extremely complex, and make rich use of fonts, graphics, color, and images. The format encompasses not only the visual appearance of a document, but additional information only possible with an electronic representation. What benefits do PDF documents offer to the Internet? PDF documents offer significant benefits to the Internet community by offering design control, print-ready documents, and an endless array of authoring applications. Because PDF files are extremely compact, platform independent, visually rich -- and can be created from virtually any authoring application -- they are a perfect vehicle for sharing information among the diverse computing environments that make up the net. PDF will help accelerate the move from sharing the lowest common denominator (ASCII) to sharing documents as rich as any that we see printed today. PDF, like the Adobe PostScript language, will define new boundaries for expressiveness and versatility in digital communications. Already, Acrobat Exchange users can add World Wide Web links (URLs) to PDF documents that enable "live", two-way links on the Web. Acrobat "Amber" Reader integrates PDF viewing directly into web browsers and delivers speedy, page-at-a-time display over the net. Publishers like the Center for Disease Control or Intel, with large amounts of tabular or scientific data, or Time Magazine, with a distinctive "look" find that PDF documents integrated into the infrastructure of the Web offer a powerful new publishing proposition. PDF documents offer compelling benefits that complement HTML: ú Design control and integrated graphics ú Print-ready documents ú Document-level security features ú Cross-document search capability ú Compressed, cross-platform files ú Ease of authoring, especially for legacy documents For communicators who want to use the internet infrastructure to reach the widest audience most efficiently, PDF documents provide a smooth transition from the desktop to cyberspace. Is PDF "competing" with HTML? No. Acrobat software's open architecture and flexible file format allow us to extend the integration that current World Wide Web clients offer (Helper Applications for non- HTML files) at both the application and file level, so that PDF documents can take advantage of the benefits of the World Wide Web's hypertext infrastructure. PDF and HTML offer complementary benefits to electronic publishers. Viewing PDF Page-at-a-Time Over the Web What do I need to do to serve PDF files a page-at-a-time? What do I need to take advantage of the Amber Reader? There are four components to the Acrobat on the Internet picture: ú The Amber Reader for integrated viewing over the web. ú Web servers that can "byteserve" PDF files a page at a time to the Amber Reader. ú Optimized PDF files for progressive display and maximum file compression. ú Weblinks to connect your PDF files to other content on the web. Any nonoptimized PDF file can be viewed in the Netscape window (without page- at-a-time display) with the Amber Reader and Netscape Navigator 2.0 version B3 or better. Page-at-a-time display requires a web server with byteserver capability, either built-in (as with the Netscape and Open Market server products) or as a CGI script. Adobe plans to freely distribute the CGI script when it is finalized. Best viewing performance (page-at-a-time display and progressive rendering) for PDF documents over the web comes from optimized PDF files and a server with the ability to byteserve the files. The optimized PDF format and byteserver protocol are not yet final, so we have provided a set of demonstration files on Adobe's server to allow you to test the page-at-a-time performance for yourself. See for yourself how Cool PDFs Get Even Cooler. Integration with other browsers and servers is under development. How do documents get into the optimized PDF format? It's simple to optimize PDF files for on-line viewing. Just "Save" any PDF document with the Amber version of Acrobat Amber Exchange. Beta versions of Amber Exchange are expected to be available on Adobe's web site early in 1996. For now, you can experiment with some early versions of optimized files to see how Cool PDFs Get Even Cooler. What is the Weblink plug-in? How do I get it? The Weblink plug-in extends the link tool in Acrobat Exchange 2.0, Reader 2.1, and the Amber Reader to allow you to create and follow links containing Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in PDF documents. It is included in the 2.1 release of Acrobat Reader and Exchange, available without cost from several on-line services, from the Adobe World Wide Web Server (http://www.adobe.com/) for use with Exchange 2.0. It will also be bundled with Web clients and on other Web servers as we reach agreements with the vendors. Platforms What platforms does Adobe Acrobat software currently support? Amber is currently available only for Windows 95 and WindowsNT. What platforms does Adobe expect to support in the future? Adobe expects to deliver versions of Amber for all the platforms we currently support. Features supported on individual platforms may vary. For example, web browser vendors may not support the APIs necessary for Acrobat integration on all platforms (Netscape 2.0 currently doesn't have an API available for UNIX products) so viewing PDF files in the browser window would be disabled. Windows: Acrobat Amber Reader D1 Macintosh: Not Available. Expected 1Q, 1996. UNIX: Not Available; schedule depends on Web browser APIs. No DOS version of the Amber Reader is planned. Can I run the Windows version of Acrobat software on my UNIX workstation using WABI? Adobe has not tested Amber under WABI. It is unlikely to be a solution, since most Windows emulators emulate Windows 286, which Acrobat does not support. Requirements What type of computer and system software do I need to use the Amber Reader? Release D1 of the Amber Reader supports only Windows 95 and Windows NT in the following configurations: ú 386 or 486-based or better personal computer (486 recommended) ú Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT ú 4 MB application RAM ú 3 MB hard disk space, plus 2 MB TEMP space available ú Netscape Navigator 2.0 B3 for web integration ú Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 (use "open" command in dialog box) When will the Amber Reader be available for other platforms? Adobe expects to deliver versions of Amber for all the platforms we currently support. Features supported on individual platforms may vary. For example, web browser vendors may not support the APIs necessary for Acrobat integration on all platforms (Netscape 2.0 currently doesn't have an API available for UNIX products) so viewing PDF documents in the browser window would be disabled. Macintosh: Not Available. Expected 1Q, 1996. Windows: Acrobat Amber Reader D1 UNIX: Not Available; schedule depends on Web browser APIs. No DOS version of the Amber Reader is planned. Distribution How do I get Acrobat Amber Reader? Download the Amber Reader from Adobe's Web site. Is the Acrobat Amber Reader freely distributable? You may make unlimited copies of the Acrobat Amber Reader software and give copies to other persons or entities for evaluation and trial use purposes only as long as the copies contain the Electronic End User License Agreement and the same copyright and other proprietary notices that appear on or in the software. Your License expires upon receipt of a later unreleased version or a publicly released commercial version of the software. See the Electronic End User License Agreement for details. Keep in mind that the Amber Reader is a pre release version, does not represent final product from Adobe, and may contain bugs, errors and other problems that could cause system failures. What rules should I follow when distributing PDF files? If you are creating PDF files for distribution over the Internet or via an electronic mail system, note these conventions: Because many network and e-mail programs truncate long filenames, the safest way to name the PDF files you plan to distribute is to use the MS-DOS filenaming convention. This convention requires an eight-character filename followed by a three-character extension. For example, the PDF filename "Q1 Profit and Loss.pdf" could be named "Q1PNL.PDF." Using the MS-DOS file-naming convention ensures that PDF files retain the .pdf extension as they are transferred among computers. Adobe recommends that you add the extension .pdf to distinguish PDF filenames for the following reasons. The .pdf filename extension must be preserved for a PDF file to be recognized by Windows versions of Acrobat programs. (This is not true for UNIX, although files without the .pdf extension may not display in the Open dialog box if your filter pattern is [Directory]/*.pdf.) In addition, many e-mail and network programs can be set up to recognize any file with the .pdf extension as a PDF document, enabling Macintosh users to open files with the .pdf extension by double-clicking. For CD-ROM publishing, observe the ISO 9660 Interchange Level 1 conventions, which are a subset of the MS-DOS filenaming convention. To name files consistent with ISO standards, use only the letters A through Z, the digits 0 through 9, plus the underscore and period characters. Language Support What languages are supported by the Acrobat Amber Reader? The pre-release version of the Amber Reader is currently available only in English. Final versions Amber products for Macintosh and Windows will be available in International English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian. UNIX localizations are yet to be determined. Does Amber have the same MIME type as the other Acrobat products? Yes. application/pdf. Installation How do I install the Amber Reader? Download the Amber Reader from Adobe's Web site. ú To install Acrobat Amber Reader on your hard drive, from the Windows Program Manager, double click on My Computer to open the My Computer window. ú Locate the temporary location that you specified to download the Amber archive AMBER32D1.EXE (eg. \TEMP) ú Double-click: [drive]:\TEMP\AMBER32D1.EXE ú The installation files will expand into the temporary directory ú Locate and double-click: [drive]:\TEMP\setup.exe ú Follow the instructions on your screen ú Installation requires approximately 3 MB of free hard disk space. The Amber Reader won't display in the Netscape window. What's wrong? If you saw the installer message "Warning! Setup couldn't install Netscape Plugin (NPPDF32.DLL). Failed to locate Netscape Plugins directory." the Amber installer was unable to install the plugin necessary for Acrobat to communicate with Netscape. ú Make sure Netscape Navigator 2.0 B3 or greater is installed on your system. ú Locate the Netscape plugin NPPDF32.DLL in the [drive]:\Acroweb directory. ú Copy [drive]:\Acroweb\NPPDF32.DLL to \[Netscape directory]\Program\plugins Reporting Bugs How do I report bugs in the Amber reader? You may report problems to Adobe with the Bug Report form on Adobe's web site. Check the Known Problems section to see whether your problem has already been reported. Please provide as much detail as possible about the problem you encounter. Detailed instructions are included with the Bug Report form. Due to the volume of reports we receive, Adobe cannot respond directly to individual bug reports. We do screen each report, and make every effort to keep the Known Problems list up to date. We appreciate your assistance in making the Acrobat Amber Reader a top quality product. Developer Information (Customization and Integration) I'm interested in integrating Amber in my application. Where can I find information on the APIs? An overview of Acrobat "Amber" integration issues is posted as Developing with Amber . General Developer and SDK information is available on http://www.adobe.com/Support/ADA.html and ftp.adobe.com. For a complete Acrobat Developer Information Kit or other details on any of the resources offered by the Adobe Developers Association, contact the ADA. In the USA, Canada & countries outside Europe: Adobe Developers Association Adobe Systems Incorporated 1585 Charleston Road P.O. Box 7900 Mountain View, CA 94039-7900 USA ADA Hotline: 415-961-4111 Fax: 415-967-9231 Fax Request Line: 408-986-6587 E-Mail: devsup- person@mv.us.adobe.com In Europe: Adobe Developers Association Adobe Systems Europe B.V. Europlaza, Hoogoorddreef 54A 1101 BE Amsterdam Z.O. The Netherlands ADA Hotline: +31-20-6511-355 Fax: +31-20-6511-313 E-Mail: eurosupport@adobe.com Support How do I receive Technical Support? Adobe does not provide direct end user technical support for unreleased products. You can view the latest Release Notes and Known Problems or Report Bugs on Adobe's Web site. Is there an internet address for Tech Support? Adobe does not currently support application products via email. You can view the latest Release Notes and Known Problems or Report Bugs on Adobe's Web site. Version What is the latest version of the Acrobat Amber Reader? Windows 95 and Windows NT: Acrobat Amber Reader D1 Macintosh: Not Available. Expected 1Q, 1996. UNIX: Not Available; schedule depends on Web browser APIs. No DOS version of the Amber Reader is planned. Are there any plans to update the1.0 Readers for DOS so that it can read PDF files that use the 2.0 security features? Based on lack of commercial demand for the product, Adobe has no current plans to update the 1.0 DOS Reader. Copyright c 1995 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Certain names, logos, designs, titles, words or phrases on this page may constitute trade marks, service marks, or tradenames of Adobe Systems Incorporated or other entities which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Please activate this link to view a list of trademarks, servicemarks, and attributions. Kids Computing Corner Frank Sereno, Editor The Kids' Computing Corner Slopestyle Windows CD-ROM MRSP $34.95 for ages 10 and up L3 Interactive 3000 W. Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404 310-264-4188 Program Requirements CPU: 486SX/33 RAM: 8 MB OS: Windows 3.1 Video: 640 x 480, 256 colors HDISK: 10k CD-ROM: Double-speed Misc.: Sound card, mouse, printer optional Snowboarding is one of America's fastest-growing participant sports. But is it the sport for you or your loved ones? Slopestyle's interactive multimedia CD-ROM provides important information about the sport's equipment, techniques and pratfalls so you can decide. Slopestyle includes more than forty minutes of action video backed by a wide selection of very interesting alternative and grunge rock music. This program really exudes the atmosphere and attitude of snowboarding. Some videos were dark or grainy, but most of the footage was excellent and the action was very exciting. L3 Interactive products feature The Learning CubeT interface. It is very easy to use. It is a cube that is three by three by three. The face of the cube has nine squares which represent subjects. Each of these subjects consists of a row of three topic cubes for a total of twenty-seven lessons. Subjects and topics can be accessed in any order the user chooses. Once a topic is chosen, the user can view the narrated video presentation or he can read the Transportext. The Transportext often expands on the information from the video narration. The text can be sent to the printer for hard copy. The text also has highlighted links to a glossary which defines the many specific snowboarding terms. Snowboarding has its own lingo just as skateboarding and surfing do. The glossary will help you to know your heelside from your toeside. The lessons run the gamut from selecting equipment to riding the chair lift through beginning maneuvers to difficult stunts such as riding rails to the proper technique on falling (bailing). The videos will give you a good idea on how to do each maneuver. However, it also advises that expert instruction is necessary for stunts and that professional fitting is best for obtaining proper equipment. The information on basic snowboarding is very detailed and helpful. On the more difficult stunts, the instruction is more vague but the photography is more inspiring. This program has a narrow range of appeal. It is an excellent resource and tutorial for those who are interested or who have just begun snowboarding. The great music and excellent photography make it extremely entertaining. And for concerned parents, the videos of bails may help convince your youngster to not take up snowboarding. OUCH! But I have to say this is a mondo cool title if you like snowboarding. # # # MATTEL, INC. LAUNCHES MULTIMEDIA COMPANY MATTEL, INC. LAUNCHES MULTIMEDIA COMPANY... MATTEL MEDIA, INC. Leading Worldwide Kids' Brands -- BARBIE, FISHER-PRICE, HOT WHEELS, SEE 'N SAY, POLLY POCKET and CABBAGE PATCH KIDS -- To Be Extended To Multimedia New Unit To Release More Than 15 Children's Consumer Software And Coin- Operated Products In 1996Largely Untapped Girls' Software Market To Be Key Focus EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Positioned to aggressively extend some of the most powerful toy brands in the world to multimedia software and coin-operated products, Mattel, Inc. has established Mattel Media, Inc., it was announced today by Jill Barad, president and chief operating officer of Mattel, Inc. Spearheaded by multimedia industry veteran Doug Glen as its president, Mattel Media is teaming up with key developers to create a variety of exciting, new children's products that target girls, boys and pre-schoolers. The new company has identified the largely untapped girls' software market as a primary focus. Optimizing its parent company's well-established distribution channels and global marketing expertise, Mattel Media's initial products will be available worldwide this fall. "We are taking the characters and play patterns children love and giving them exciting new dimensions via multimedia and coin-operated products," said Barad. "This is a product extension strategy that leverages the time-tested appeal of our established brands." "Most of the competition in the entertainment multimedia marketplace is crowded into the action game area, with the majority of it designed for adolescent-to-adult males," said Glen. "At Mattel Media, we believe that a real mass market will emerge for family-oriented software driven by trusted brands and built on interactive fun which is accessible to younger children, girls and adults alike." Mattel Media's Mission The mission of Mattel Media is to become a worldwide leader in children- oriented multimedia entertainment, inside and outside the home, by extending Mattel's toy brands and characters into interactive play. Mattel Media is taking full advantage of its parent company's global strengths in marketing and distribution. Mattel Media products will be cross- promoted with the corresponding toy lines, and they will be merchandised side- by-side on retail shelves. Brand advertising will be expanded to cover the full range of products, from traditional toys to computer software. Extending World-Class Brands To Interactive Multimedia The BARBIE, FISHER-PRICE, HOT WHEELS, SEE 'N SAY, POLLY POCKET and CABBAGE PATCH KIDS toy brands currently account for the majority of Mattel's revenues. Mattel Media is relying heavily on the brand equity of these properties as it releases a diverse line of consumer software titles for Macintosh and PC platforms, as well as coin-operated machines, beginning in fourth quarter 1996. BARBIE - The world's most famous doll, BARBIE, celebrates her 37th anniversary this year. The popularity of BARBIE dolls with girls is unmatched by any other brand, with nearly 99 percent of American girls between the ages of three and ten owning at least one BARBIE doll. In fact, the typical American girl between those ages owns an average of eight BARBIE dolls. BARBIE dolls are currently sold in more than 140 countries around the world. FISHER-PRICE - Founded in 1930, FISHER-PRICE is ranked as one of the top quality brands in the world. The name has become synonymous with knowledge and expertise of infant and pre-school children. Currently, 98 percent of parents positively respond to and recognize the FISHER-PRICE name. FISHER- PRICE and Compaq Computer Corporation recently unveiled the Wonder Tools line of multimedia products for home PCs. HOT WHEELS - Since its launch in 1968, the HOT WHEELS brand has produced more than one billion miniature cars, which is more than Detroit's Big Three auto makers combined. With nearly 100 percent awareness among boys ages five through ten, HOT WHEELS is one of the most dominant brands in the boys' toy market. SEE 'N SAY - From infants to pre-schoolers, SEE 'N SAY has kept children "listenin', laughin' and learnin'" for more than 30 years. In 1963, SEE 'N SAY introduced the original "talking toy" for pre-schoolers, which has become the best-selling pre-school toy line year after year. Today, with more than 50 million units sold since its introduction, the brand offers an entire line of toys, providing fun learning with many interactive sight and sound features. CABBAGE PATCH KIDS - New to the Mattel family in 1995, the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS stormed the toy industry more than 13 years ago with what many trend-watchers say was the biggest craze ever to hit the children's market. Since 1983, more than 80 million of these lovable "kids" have been embraced by children worldwide, making it one of the ten best-selling toy brands of all time. POLLY POCKET - Introduced in 1990, the POLLY POCKET line of small dolls and miniature play environments is the number two girls' toy brand worldwide -- second only to BARBIE. Approximately 90 percent of girls ages four through eight currently own four POLLY POCKET items. Product Development Alliances Mattel Media's product line is a collaboration of Mattel's world-class toy designers, marketing researchers, software producers and outside developers. The company has established alliances with Digital Domain, R/GA Digital Studios and Media Station, among others, to develop the company's initial slate of products. Mattel Media will continue to strategically align itself with other top outside publishers and developers for additional programming. With BARBIE FASHION DESIGNER as their debut CD-ROM program, Mattel Media and Digital Domain are teaming up to create a new generation of multimedia software for girls. Digital Domain, a full-service digital production studio, has been hailed for its innovative visual effects on such feature films as "Apollo 13," "Interview With The Vampire" and "True Lies." Mattel Media and Academy Award-winning special effects wizards R/GA Digital Studios will introduce BARBIE MAKEOVER MAGIC as their initial CD-ROM product. R/GA Digital Studios has made cars come to life for Shell Oil, paired Paula Abdul with Gene Kelly for Diet Coke and brought the 3-D Scorpion and Reptile to life for "Mortal Kombat: The Movie." International Distribution Mattel Media has allied with the leading European entertainment software republisher/distributor, The Funsoft Group, to bring its line of children's multimedia software to market in Western Europe. Through its pan-European network of software developers, publishers, and distributors, Funsoft will handle translation, localization, consumer support and trade sales for Mattel Media's diverse software line-up. Consumer Software Highlights The following outlines some of the innovative computer products currently in development by Mattel Media and its allied companies, which target girls, boys and pre-school markets: BARBIE FASHION DESIGNER blurs the boundary between toys and software. This unique multimedia software lets girls use their computers to design and make imaginative fashions, from trendy sportswear to career clothes to wedding gowns, for their BARBIE dolls. Once designed, the patterns are printed onto printer-compatible fabrics, which are included with the CD-ROM along with everything else needed to color, decorate and assemble the patterns; no sewing is required. Girls ages five and older will find it easy and fun to assemble the patterns into outfits which their BARBIE dolls can really wear. HOT WHEELS CRASH & SMASH OFF-ROAD RACING is an exciting around-the-world racing and fighting game that pits players against extreme terrain, weather and other obstacles. The HOT WHEELS F/X RACING MOUSE is a fully functional computer mouse with working lights and horn and a revving, vibrating "motor" plus realistic acceleration and braking when used with HOT WHEELS CRASH & SMASH software. SEE 'N SAY JUNGLE FRIENDS ABC's, as part of the pre-school software early learning series, builds letter recognition and vocabulary skills. It allows parents to record words of encouragement in their actual voices and have them automatically played back as a child progresses through the skill-building activities and games. Based in El Segundo, California, Mattel Media, Inc. was established in early 1995 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. and will release its initial slate of products in the fall of 1996. The Mattel Media product line consists of family-oriented home software and coin-operated entertainment, all based on Mattel's brands, characters and play patterns. The consumer software division of Mattel Media is headquartered in El Segundo and the coin- operated division is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. # # # New Labeling System for CD-ROM's The Interactive Media Association, a consortium of multimedia producers, has launched a new campaign to label CD-ROM software to ensure fewer compatibility problems. A major reason for software returns is because a purchaser's computer did not meet the system requirements of the software. The key to this mission is a freeware program which will benchmark your system's hardware and then provide a printout similar to the new CD-ROM labeling system for comparison. The program is named CD Match. The software is available for both Windows and Macintosh computers. It can be downloaded from Horizons Technology's home page at http://www.horizons.com/cdmatch. The webmaster advises bookmarking the site as the software will be updated frequently. Among the companies who will be using the new labeling format or providing the CD Match software on new computer installations are Apple Computer, Corel, Electronic Arts, IBM, Intel and Philips Media. More manufacturers and software companies will be brought into the system in the future. Product with the new labeling will be available this spring. I will be bringing my system requirement listings into compliance with this new standard as well. And that is the end of the column for another week. I thank you for reading. Portable Computers Section Marty Mankins, Editor WinSocks and NavCIS 1.76 "What is a WinSock?" "How do I use it?" "Do I need to use it?" These are questions that we have been hearing ever since the release of NavCIS 1.76. This file will explain WinSocks as they relate to NavCIS 1.76. What is a WinSock? A WinSock is a file that acts as a translator between the Internet's TCP/IP protocol and Windows. The WinSock works in conjunction with a dialer program to provide a PPP connection to the Internet. This allows a Windows application (such as NavCIS 1.76) to communicate with the Internet. Do I need to use it in NavCIS 1.76? No. Actually, most users will not want to use a WinSock with NavCIS. If you want (or need) to connect to CompuServe by going through the Internet, a WinSock is required. If you don't want (or need) to go through the Internet, then you will probably not want to use a WinSock in NavCIS. (Please see the "Disadvantages of WinSocks" section below.) Why would anybody want (or need) to go through the Internet for a CompuServe connection? Many users don't have a local CompuServe access number, so they have to pay long distance charges to connect to CompuServe. Purchasing an account with an Internet Access Provider (IAP) can help alleviate this problem. Accounts with an IAP usually cost around $20 dollars each month, and many of them allow unlimited connect time. Since most IAPs don't charge by the minute (as do long distance calls), one can save significant amounts of money. In fact, if you have an account with an IAP for any reason, you can use it to connect to CompuServe. Advantages of WinSocks There are two main advantages of using a WinSock connection in NavCIS. First, as noted above, if you already have access to the Internet, you can save on long distance charges if you don't have a local CompuServe access number. Second, WinSocks allow one or more applications to communicate on the Internet at the same time. For example, you can send a file to CompuServe with NavCIS while using a Web browser to surf the World Wide Web. Disconnecting NavCIS from CompuServe won't disconnect the Web browser connection. In other words, two or more applications can use the same telephone line at the same time. Disadvantages of WinSocks There is one major disadvantage of using a WinSock with NavCIS. Speed. Because a WinSock connection has to travel through the Internet before reaching CompuServe, slowdowns will occur. Slowdowns of 20 - 30% aren't uncommon. Therefore, we recommend that you use a regular direct-dial connection (as opposed to a WinSock connection) to access CompuServe, unless a WinSock connection is absolutely necessary. How do I set up NavCIS to use a WinSock? If you decide that you want to use a WinSock with NavCIS 1.76, you will need to acquire a winsock.dll and its respective dialer, and configure them properly so that they work correctly. Two popular WinSock/dialer pairs are the CompuServe Internet Dialer and Trumpet. The CompuServe Internet Dialer can be obtained by GOing WINCIM and downloading the WCINST.EXE file. If you have trouble with a WinSock/dialer pair, please consult their developer for assistance. Once you have them working correctly, copy the winsock.dll file to the \NavHMI directory. Then, start NavCIS 1.76 and select Configuration | Session Settings from the main menu and make the following changes: 1. In the "Connector:" drop-down list, select WINSOCK. When you make this selection, the LAN button will become enabled. 2. Click on the LAN button and make sure that the "Host Name:" field says compuserve.com and the "Connect Timeout:" value is set at 30 seconds or more (if you have problems connecting, you may want to increase this value - up to 255 seconds). Then, click on the OK button. 3. In the "Network:" drop-down list, select Internet. 4. In the "Dial Type:" drop-down list, select Direct. 5. Clear the phone number from the "Access Phone:" field so that it is blank. (When using a WINSOCK connection, this phone number won't be used.) That's all there is to it! The next time you logon with NavCIS 1.76, you will connect to CompuServe using a WinSock. Note: If you have problems after following the steps above, please try gateway.compuserve.com instead of compuserve.com in step #2 above. Atari Interactive - software/Jaguar/Computer Section Dana Jacobson, Editor From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" There are normally two sections in this spot within STReport: Atari Computing and the Atari Jaguar. This week, there's only one. Why? Because the headlines this week pertaining to the recent merger of Atari Corporation with JTS, to JTS Corporation, is the dominant theme that would likely overshadow any computing articles we were to include. In my heart, it would be unfair for me not to focus on this latest saga in Atari's history. The news is what will happen to Atari.. what we knew was focusing on a game console. All that has changed. Next week, we will resume with both sections, including some original articles from our friends in the U.K. Until next time... Jaguar Section Atari, Back To Its Roots? The End of An Era, OR A New Beginning.. Supercross-3D Review! Minter Speaks! Rocket Science Games! From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! If you haven't heard by now, or skipped my very brief remarks above, Atari Corporation has entered into a new beginning, and expected to mark the end of an era. There are a number of news articles included in this week's issue pertaining to Atari's recent merger with JTS, makers of hard drives for notebook computers. Although Atari sources state that the Jaguar will continue to be supported; and that Atari Interactive will also continue to port games over to the PC experience, history, and the facts point to the conclusion that the Jaguar is being phased out. It will not happen overnight. Atari still has approximately 75,000 Jaguars in stock. Look for the games that are close to completion to appear over the next months, at a trickle. There are at least two completed games, Fight For Life and Attack of the Mutant Penguins, that have entered and gone through final production, sitting in the warehouse. There may be others. When has Atari ever held a game up when it was completed? Speculation, maybe. Yes, Atari released Defender 2000 on time and didn't hold back on it. They had to get that game out.. people were clamoring for it and it's likely the single-most anticipated title to appear for the Jaguar. With a potential drop-off of new Jaguar sales as well as current owners ready to abandon their machines after this merger news, Atari had to get Defender out now. My opinion. But, Atari hasn't released the others. FFL is slated for April; no date set yet on Penguins. I can't say that I'm surprised at this latest move by Atari; it's been coming for quite some time. I've been a huge fan of their products over the years. Other than the gap between the 2600 and the ST, I have been a supporter of all of their products. I've had my battles with the company line over the years, but I could rarely argue over their products. To me, this is truly the end of an era. All that will be left, at least until Atari makes another "move" in the future, is reminiscing over what was and what could have been. There's not much news involved with hard drives other than a new model coming out every six months or so. How many stories do you see about hard drives? Atari, as we knew it, loved it, hated it, and endured it has moved on. I really have a lot to say about these recent events, but in order for me to get my thoughts, facts, and other pertinent information together will take more time than I have for this week. The "presses" can't wait for me - deadlines are deadlines and this news just happened; it never happens at a convenient time for editors to make deadlines! So, while I want to try and hasten my article to make this week's issue, I'm going to refrain doing so in order to "do it up right". Meanwhile, we've included as many of the news articles that have crossed our desk over the past few days pertaining to the merger. It's interesting, it's sad, it's true. We know that many of you have little interest in the story, so we're also including some of our other usual Jaguar section features. Gaming news is hot this week.. see the Rocket Science Games articles (and recognize some very familiar names!). Jeff Minter has been online and "speaks" for the first time since leaving Atari. Reviews? We've been promising them and we have Supercross 3D for you this week. And, there's a little more. We have not included the current or "upcoming" game lists this week.. it didn't seem appropriate for some reason. These and other features will be returning in the coming weeks. So, let's get on with the news and features, it has been a busy week! I also urge you to grab next week's issue as I'm sure that there will be other opinions of the JTS merger included other than my own; and how this decision will affect us all. Until next time... Industry News STR NewsFile The Latest Gaming News! Atari, JTS to MERGE SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Struggling video-game producer Atari Corp. and privately held disk drive maker JTS Corp. announced Tuesday they have agreed to merge in a stock-swap deal worth $80 million. The combined company will be named JTS with Atari shareholders owning 60 percent. Stock of Atari was up 19 cents to $2.06 a share in active trading on the American Stock Exchange. Atari, of Sunnyvale, Calif., helped get the video-game business off the ground in the early 1980s with such arcade games as Pac Man and Asteroids, but eventually lost the market to Nintendo Co. and Sega Enterprises Ltd. It has been focused in recent years on its advanced Jaguar game player against rival players from Nintendo, Sega, Sony Corp. and 3DO Co. and has sold about 200,000 Jaguars since the machine was launched in 1993. "This merger puts us in a great position to capitalize on a very experienced management team and a rapidly growing disk drive market," said Jack Tramiel, chairman of Atari. JTS said the partnership with Atari would give it the ability to expand and pursue new opportunities. Tom Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of JTS, said, "Dataquest has predicted that 115 million disk drive units will be shipped worldwide in 1996, and it is a great time for us to be participating in this market." Under the terms of the agreement, the new corporation will operate under the name of JTS Corp. and the officers of JTS will become the officers of the merged company. The Atari entertainment business and the JTS disk drive business will operate as separate divisions of the new merged company. The board of directors of Atari and JTS have approved a definitive agreement. The companies said the deal will close in the second quarter. Atari said it has extended a $25 million loan to JTS that can be converted into JTS preferred stock if the deal does not go through. JTS was formed in 1994 by Jugi Tandon, who will remain chairman of the merged company and is credited with development of storage products. Mitchell was a cofounder of current disk drive leader Seagate Technology and president and chief operations officer of both Seagate and Conner Peripherals. JTS is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in Madras, India. JTS employs 1,300 people worldwide. An unconfirmed report emerged Tuesday that Atari was actively in negotiations to license its video game assets including hardware, software and various patents to another company or entities. Some analysts believe Atari's exit of the video game business is still a possibility should no licensees surface. Atari's video game assets include the Jaguar console game machine as well as video game titles as Defender and Tempest and several patents. CONTACT: Atari Corporation Jack Tramiel, 408/745-8830 August Liguori, 408/745-2069 or JTS Corporation Tom Mitchell/Virginia Walker, 408/468-1800 SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 13, 1996 Atari Corporation (AMEX: ATC) and JTS Corporation today agreed to merge the two companies. Atari is the pioneer in multimedia video entertainment and JTS is a manufacturer of computer disk drives. "This merger puts us in a great position to capitalize on a very experienced management team and a rapidly growing disk drive market. JTS is using innovative technology, particularly in the 3" disk drive market, and we are excited about its prospects," said Jack Tramiel, chairman of Atari. "Our partnership gives us the ability to expand our capabilities and pursue new opportunities," said Tom Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of JTS. "Dataquest has predicted that 115 million disk drive units will be shipped worldwide in 1996, and it is a great time for us to be participating in this market," said Mitchell. Terms of the Agreement Under the terms of the agreement, the new corporation will operate under the name of JTS Corporation and the officers of JTS will become the officers of the merged company. The Atari entertainment business and the JTS disk drive business will operate as separate divisions of the new merged company. Atari has extended a bridge loan to JTS in the amount of $25,000,000. In the event that the merger is not consummated, the bridge loan will be convertible into shares of JTS Series A Preferred Stock at the option of Atari or JTS and subject to certain conditions. As a result of the transaction, Atari stockholders will hold approximately 60% of the outstanding shares of the new company following the merger. The transaction is structured to qualify as a tax-free reorganization and will be accounted for as a purchase. The board of directors of Atari and JTS have approved the definitive agreement. The merger is subject to certain shareholder and regulatory approvals and other conditions to closing. The parties anticipate the transaction will close toward the end of the second calendar quarter of 1996. JTS Management Team JTS was formed in 1994 by Jugi Tandon, the company's current chairman of the board. Tandon is well-known in the computer storage industry for his ability to develop innovative products for the marketplace. Tandon will remain chairman of the board of the new company. Tom Mitchell was a co-founder of Seagate Technology and president and chief operations officer of both Seagate and Conner Peripherals. Mitchell brings unparalleled industry and operational experience in the high-volume disk drive market. He is a pioneer in disk drive manufacturing in Singapore, Thailand, China and India. About Atari Corporation For more than twenty years, Atari has provided consumers with high-quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari markets Jaguar, the only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system and licenses and markets software in the multi-platform, multimedia market. Atari is located in Sunnyvale, California. About JTS Corporation Founded in 1994, JTS Corporation develops and manufactures hard disk drives for the computer industry. JTS has recently introduced its new 3" Nordic product for the portable computer market. Headquartered in San Jose, California, with manufacturing facilities in Madras, India, JTS employe 1,300 people worldwide. The above statements regarding the disk drive industry and JTS' prospects are forward looking statements and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that would cause actual results to differ materially are the following: business conditions and growth in the portable computer industry and in the general economy; competitive factors, including pricing pressures; availability of components from third parties; risks associated with manufacturing of products in India or other overseas jurisdictions and risks associated with JTS' ability to ramp its manufacturing operations, including cost and yield issues. CONTACT: Multimedia Wire, Bethesda Chris Sherman, 301/493-9290 multimediawireinterramp.com Atari merger puts company's video game business 'In Play' BETHESDA, MD., Feb. 13, 1996, In today's news alert to subscribers, Multimedia Wire reports that Atari is actively in negotiations to license its video game assets including hardware, software and various patents to another company or entities. As previously reported by Multimedia Wire, the interactive entertainment news service, Atari Corp. will merge with a computer components manufacturer (JTS Corp.). Multimedia Wire first broke news of the proposed merger in an exclusive report on Jan. 18, 1996, suggesting at that time the company would exit the video game business. Atari's exit of the video game business is still a possibility -- should no licensees surface. Licensing discussions have been taking place over the past several months, Multimedia Wire has learned. Any such licensee would likely be responsible for further software and/or hardware development, marketing and distribution. "The news of the merger could very well hold opportunity for Atari shareholders," said Chris Sherman, editor of Multimedia Wire, "but it leaves in question the state of Atari's video game hardware and software business, particularly the Atari Jaguar." Multimedia Wire has learned through sources close to Atari that Ted Hoff, former president of Atari's North American operations, was in discussions with several major Atari shareholders to take the video game portion of the business private. Those discussions subsequently fell apart. Atari's video game assets include its Jaguar console game machine as well as such classic video game titles as Defender and Tempest. Additionally, Atari owns several patents. "Regardless of the outcome, the landscape of the video game industry changed significantly today," said Sherman. From Multimedia Wire 1-18-95 Atari exiting video game business, liquidating gaming assets Atari Corp. is throwing in the video game towel. Company sources tell MMWIRE Atari is liquidating all its video game assets, including the Jaguar, Jaguar CD and Atari Interactive, the company's recently launched PC software division. It would appear that the Tramiel family, the largest Atari shareholders (with approx. 47%), have decided to apply Atari's $50 mill. cash reserves in a business other than video games -- or any consumer product for that matter. The sudden move comes on the heels of the recently launched Atari Interactive. Just last week Atari told MMWIRE it expected to use a portion of that $50 mill. to invest in video game software companies. The closed video game division leaves behind an installed based of 150,000 Jaguar game systems and outstanding title development contracts amounting an estimated $6 to $8 mill. Approx. 20 employees have been laid off, leaving 30 remaining. These too are expected to depart shortly. Layoffs include the entire Interactive division including management, accounting and legal personnel. The Tramiels intend to exit the video game business, liquidating those assets. MMWIRE believes the Tramiels intend to merge the resulting company with a computer components manufacturer. While it is not known who Atari intends to merge with, the combined companies are expected to trade under the current Atari stock symbol (amex: ATC). -0- Founded in June 1994, Bethesda, Md.-based Multimedia Wire is the leading new service dedicated to interactive entertainment and new media business. An archive of Multimedia Wire stories, including stories on Atari and other interactive entertainment companies, can be found on MMWIRE Online on the Internet at ttp://www.mmwire.com Atari is in active negotiations to license its video game assets, including hardware, software and various patents to one or more companies, as it moves to broaden its market scope, reports Multimedia Wire, an entertainment news service. Earlier today, Atari announced that it will merge with disk drive maker JTS Corp in a stock swap deal valued at about $80 million. For the time being, Atari says it will continue to support its Jaguar video game system through 1996, despite cutthroat competition from Sony Corp.'s Playstation and Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Saturn systems. The Atari entertainment business and the JTS disk drive business will operate as separate divisions of the merged company. After the merger, Atari shareholders will own about 60 percent of the outstanding shares of the new company, which will operate under the name of JTS Corp. The deal is set to close in the second quarter. But Atari's exit of the video game business is a possibility should no licensees surface, notes Multimedia Wire, which reports that licensing discussions have been taking place over the past several months. It notes that any licensee would likely be responsible for further software and/or hardware development, marketing and distribution. "The news of the merger could very well hold opportunity for Atari shareholders, but it leaves in question the state of Atari's video game hardware and software business, particularly the Atari Jaguar," says Chris Sherman, editor of Multimedia Wire. Multimedia Wire says sources close to Atari told it that Ted Hoff, former president of Atari's North American operations, was in discussions with several major Atari shareholders to take the video game portion of the business private. Those discussions subsequently fell apart. Atari's video game assets include its Jaguar console game machine, several patents and such classic video game titles as Defender and Tempest. CONTACT: Don Thomas Atari Corporation 408/745-2000 Defender(r) 2000(tm) Hits Store Shelves with Explosive Fury SUNNYVALE, CA (February 14) -- Atari announced today that the long awaited 64- bit Jaguar title, "Defender 2000", is now shipping to better video game retailers across the country. The title is the newest addition to Atari's classic collection of renowned hits from the golden age of video games. As one of the most popular video games of all time, "Defender", helped set the standard of video game evolution with fast-paced simultaneous action aided by smart bombs and an integrated real-time radar. Developed by Jeff Minter, the ingenious mastermind behind "Tempest(r) 2000(tm)", "Defender 2000" is a complete software package for the "Defender" aficionado. "Defender 2000" updates the game play and visual thrill with a nineties flare. "Defender Plus" transports the player through worlds of cosmic rainbows and mystic clouds. "Classic Defender" takes the player right back to his favorite arcade of yesteryear with impeccable attention to detail. All three games sizzle with fun and explode with excitement like no other game of its kind. "'Defender 2000'not only exploits the raw 64-bit power of the Jaguar, but it transcends the new standard of mediocrity that gamers often settle for in software these days," stated Don Thomas, Marketing Director of Atari Corporation. "'Defender 2000' is considered a system seller because new gamers will gladly pay the low $99 console price to play 'Defender 2000' once they've seen what it can do." "Defender 2000" features upgradeable weapons, human helpers, AI droids and spectacular Algo-Vision(tm) effects for one or two players. It also features an intense CD-quality techno-rave soundtrack by the award-winning team from "Tempest 2000". The Atari Jaguar is the worlds first 64-bit multimedia gaming system and the only game system manufactured in the United States. Over 50 powerful game titles are already available for the Jaguar including hits like "Alien vs. Predator", "Doom", "Tempest 2000", "NBA Jam Tournament Edition", "Myst", "Zoop", "Highlander", "Ruiner Pinball", "Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure!" and Time Warner Interactives Power "Drive Rally" and "Primal Rage". For more than twenty years, Atari Corporation has provided consumers with high quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari Corporation markets Jaguar the only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system and is located in Sunnyvale, California. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Jaguar is a trademarks of Atari Corporation. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. Defender and Defender 2000 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Williams Electronics Games, Inc. Defender 2000 is developed and manufactured by Atari Corporation under license. Alien and Predator are trademarks and copyrights of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Used under sublicense from Activision. CONTACT: KillerApp Communications John Foster, 213/938-7600 johnfkappcomm.com or Rocket Science Games Inc. Tom Crosby, 415/442-5000 tcrosbyrocketsci.com Rocket Science Games brings in seasoned team to ... SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 1996 Rocket Science Games Inc. has laid the foundation from which it will spring-board into 1996 with the hiring of a strong and seasoned corporate team: Jim Wickett, chief operating officer; Keith Schaefer, executive vice president of marketing and sales; and Richard Booroojian, chief financial officer, it was announced Tuesday by President, CEO and Co-Founder Steve Blank. "It is imperative that Rocket Science has a strong corporate foundation backing the creative teams who are designing our upcoming titles," said Blank. "Jim, Keith and Richard bring to the table the operational, marketing and financial expertise that is vital to the success of a company like ours." As Chief Operating Officer, Wickett, who reports to Blank, oversees the operation of the Rocket Science studio. He is also responsible for negotiating all Hollywood licensing, strategic partnering and joint technology development agreements for the company. He was recently named to the board of directors of Rocket Science Games. Before joining the Rocket Science team, Jim Wickett was chief operating officer at Structural Analysis Technologies, an analysis and design optimization software company. He was formerly an executive vice president of business development and a board member at Scanline Communications/The Editel Group and also vice president of development and a board member at One Pass Inc. He is a member of the California Bar Association. Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Keith Schaefer, who reports to Blank, is responsible for overseeing marketing and sales for Rocket Science, as well as the overall Internet business strategy. Previously, Schaefer was chairman and CEO of OnLive! Technologies, a California based company that developed networked audio technology to enable multi-participant communication over the Internet with real-time voice and 3D graphics. Before that, he led Paramount's Technology Group, where he developed award- winning interactive software, interactive television, on-line programming and a venture fund. Schaefer has also held top executive positions at such companies as Computer Curriculum Corp., NEC and Atari. As Chief Financial Officer, Booroojian, who reports to Blank, will use his extensive industry experience to identify potential investments and projects, in addition to overseeing finance, operations, facilities and human resources for the company. Before Rocket Science, Booroojian was chief financial officer at Accolade, a privately held interactive games company that grew from $7 million to $40 million. Booroojian led Accolade's finance department and all financing efforts, which included securing millions of dollars in outside financing. Rocket Science Games publishes and markets next-generation gaming and interactive entertainment software for PCS, the Internet and video game consoles. Rocket Science products and merchandise can be ordered on-line at http://www.rocketsci.com or by phone: (800) 98 ROCKET. CONTACT: KillerApp Communications John Foster, 213/938-7600 johnfkappcomm.com or Rocket Science Games Inc. Tom Crosby, 415/442-5000 tcrosbyrocketsci.com Rocket Science Games on new trajectory with... SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 1996 Rocket Science Games Inc.'s President, CEO and Co-Founder Steve Blank Tuesday announced a major step in Rocket Science's studio restructuring campaign with the hiring of a new creative team: Bill Davis, vice president of product development and Will Harvey, vice president of engineering. "Rocket Science Games is moving forward with a simple, clear and vital philosophy, that great games begin with great game play, first and foremost, supported by leading edge technology," said Blank. "Bill and Will both have proven track records in the games business, with a high success quotient. In a relatively young industry, they have a rare level of experience." Davis, who reports to COO Jim Wickett, leads game design and production for the Rocket Science studio and is also Rocket Science's spearhead for pursuing outside licensing relationships and forging creative partnerships for the company. Before joining Rocket Science, Davis was vice president of creative development at Sierra On-Line. Joining Sierra in 1989 as their first art director, Davis' art and visual arts experience was critical to the development of such hit titles as Sierra's first CD-ROM game, "Mixed Up Mother Goose," and the SPA award-winning "King's Quest V." In 1992, six more of Davis' Sierra On-Line games were nominated for SPA awards. Prior to his experience in the interactive entertainment industry, Davis honed his technical/art skills in television and film. During this period he designed and directed more than 150 animated television commercials, created numerous illustrations for a variety of television shows, and won an Emmy Award for his work on the piece "NBC, The First Fifty Years: A Closer Look." Harvey, who also reports to Wickett, is responsible for managing the engineering and programming of games and building the technical teams. Prior to beginning his tenure at Rocket Science, Harvey headed his own company, Sandcastle, whose titles include "The Immortal." Rocket Science absorbed Sandcastle in 1995, with Will joining the Rocket Science team. Harvey's game developing experience began at the age of 15, when he developed "Music Construction Set" for Electronic Arts, which went on to sell more than 400,000 units. Rocket Science Games has hired more than 20 experienced game designers, producers and engineers this past year, among them James "Purple" Hampton, game designer and producer on "Alien vs. Predator" for Atari Jaguar; Parker Davis, award-winning designer for Disney's "Jungle Book" for Super NES, design developer for "RoboCop vs. The Terminator" and "Ectosphere" for Virgin; Darren Atherton, Electronic Arts' "Bump in the Night" producer for PlayStation and associate producer and assistant producer for half a dozen Learning Company titles; and J. Patton, former director of licensees and contracts at Atari, who helped bring "Brett Hull NHL Hockey," "Breakout 2000," and the "Interactive Rocky Horror Show" out for Jaguar. Rocket Science Games publishes and markets next-generation gaming and interactive entertainment software for PCs, the Internet and video game consoles. Rocket Science products and merchandise can be ordered on-line at http://www.rocketsci.com or by phone: (800) 98 ROCKET. Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Supercross 3D" -= Available Now =- "Supercross 3D" By Steve Watkins Developed by: Tiertex Published by: Atari Corp. Price: $59.99 Number of Players: 1 Rating Code: KA (Kids ages 6+ to Adults) I sometimes have a problem writing the introductory paragraph for a video game review. This is because, typically, a reviewer is expected to fill the first block of a review with flowery, cliche filled, PR fluff to introduce the game. You know, "The roar of the crowd ... buckle up for gut splitting excitement ... mud in your eyes ... " type fluff. Consider yourself spared this time around. Let's get to the game! Rev it Up When you fire up Supercross 3-D you are greeted with a tower view of a supercross stadium that rotates 360 degrees as the camera zooms in and out. An impressive opening to a much anticipated Jaguar racing game. Unfortunately, it's a misleading introduction. Supercross 3-D is a mixed bag of good and bad in every area: graphics, sound, control and overall gameplay. First, let's cover what you'll find if you purchase Supercross 3- D. In The Starting Gate The Main Menu is the where you'll discover that Supercross 3-D has a lot of nice play options to help you get your racing fix. The following choices are presented: Practice, Race, Tournament, Load Game and Options. The first two are self-explanatory; pick a track, a rider, nationality and racing team and you're off! Choosing Tournament enters you in a fourteen stadium supercross tour in which you compete against a pool of 27 other racers. Each stop on the tour consists of three main rounds: Qualifying Heat A, Semi-finals and the Finals. To reach the finals in each tour event you must place among the top three competitors (out of eight total in each race) in the Qualifying race and then also the Semi-Final. If you don't finish in the top three in either round, you will be entered in a "last chance" race. The last chance race takes the two best riders and moves them to the next round. If you fail during a last chance race, you miss the Finals and a chance to collect valuable Tour Points. Miss too many finals and you won't have a prayer of becoming the next Tour Champion. Options allowed are: turn in-game music on/off, set the competitor skill level (Rookie, Rad, Pro, Tuff or Ace), turn crash replays on/off, and customize the control buttons. Having *5* skill level settings was a pleasant surprise. The manual says very little about ANYTHING in the game, so I'll give you a general guideline for a few of the skill levels. During a ROOKIE race, you may crash as many as half-a-dozen times or more and still win. A PRO setting will allow you a couple of crashes with a chance to still beat out the other bikers. ACE will definitely push your abilities - and your sometimes your patience - to the edge. Moving Pictures: Graphics The entire game is played from a view that is slightly behind and above your racer. It is in 3-D, but the lack of true first person perspective, like a cockpit view in a formula-one racing game, takes away from that 3-D feel. I was hoping for such a view, in which mud might splatter across your "face" and obscure your view (with maybe a "wipe goggles" button to clear it), but no dice. Be that as it may, the view works well and you shouldn't have any trouble following the action. The Competitors The PR sheet that was included with the review cart had a few interesting points. Among them I noticed, "Choose from five SGI-rendered riders created with Advanced Kinematics and Wavefront modeling." Sounds impressive, right? Well if they did employ SGI technology, they must've used a limited shareware version! (Sarcasm, folks.) Donkey Kong Country (TM Nintendo) puts these riders to shame. They are a poor excuse for SGI- rendering technology. First, the "five SGI-rendered riders" and bikes are IDENTICAL, except for their solid colors. Next, the riders are plain, a bit goofy looking (those arms!) and totally devoid of personality and character. There are no racing numbers, team logos, sponsorship patches one the bikes or riders. You can't even guess whom you're racing against, nor do you know where they are in the race! Maybe most players don't care about knowing which racer is which and where they are during a race, but I do. Tracks While there are fourteen different tracks to race on, the stadiums are one in the same. The crowd is the standard, blocky, "mushed together" look you'll find in most sports games (with crowds) and there are a few signs along the walls. The best graphic touch in the game is part of the stadium. Twin giant screen televisions display your racer as s/he cruises around the track. They add atmosphere to the surroundings, which is sorely needed in this game, but I think it was best left on the cutting room floor if it would've helped the frame rate or allowed for more important graphic and sound additions. Plus, you see a screen for only a brief snip of time and they only show YOUR RACER. Heck, I know what I'm doing! The tracks are a mixture of texture maps and polygons. The texture maps are the same for every track and only the color changes to show a difference in track surface. They are not seamless and they have no interesting features, like ruts, holes, puddles, etc. The red and white outer walls that line each course are your best friend in this game. They are extremely forgiving. They keep you going in the right direction, whether you want to or not. It basically takes a head-on smash to crash over a wall. Jumps do not have guard walls, so be careful of your angle when you jump or you'll wipe out. I had a problem with the lack of interior guard walls. Basically all you see is an empty background color. I expected more red & white walls or hay bales, but instead there's just NOTHING there. I call this characteristic of the track a "magic dirt barrier." It looks harmless, but it isn't. If you catch a corner of a "magic dirt barrier" you will crash. My guess is the designers intended for inside wall graphics, but this idea was scrapped to improve an already poor frame rate. Winning I will only write this about the graphics you see when you win a race or a Tournament; they are small, extremely brief (3.5 seconds) and worse looking than Sega Genesis static pictures. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the "tricks" your rider can perform during a race. This is another, "Why did they bother with this?" feature. The "tricks" are very simple and serve no purpose at all (except perhaps to help you crash more often). I counted three total! I won't spoil the fun by giving them ALL away. Overall, the graphics are completely average. The racers and tracks both lack character. Some tracks are more fun to race than others, but they are still bland and repetitive. Smile, You're On Candid Camera: Replay Feature Replay is another feature which begs the question: Why? It replays each and every crash and they all look exactly the same. A replay lasts a whopping 3.5 seconds (I timed dozens of them) and a full second is the delay between the end of the replay and where the race action picks up again. I don't understand why they implemented this feature. It's Still Rock 'N Roll To Me: Music & Sound FX Musically this game will not break any barriers, like the Madden and Hockey music did for EA Sports games, but it isn't bad either. It's your average video game rock 'n roll and it's quickly repetitive. The dilemma you will have is this: Do you turn the repetitive in-game music off or do you leave it on to help soothe your nerves from the ultra simplistic sound effects? To write about the sound effects, I dug out my combination dictionary/thesaurus to locate a word meaning "less than minimal." I didn't find one satisfactory, so the descriptive phrase will suffice. I counted about a half-a-dozen separate sound effects and that included the two different race start countdown beeps. The stadiums are always full, yet there's zero crowd noise - cheering, muttering or booing. There's no announcer. No wind. There's barely any sound during a race, except the repetitive motor effects. The worst part is that the engines of the other racers are constant and they are BACKGROUND noises that are not directly related to any particular racer. Sit still during a practice race, in which no other bikes are present, and you'll see what I'm talking about. The serious lack of sound effects was a big drawback for me. Again, character and "game feel" is completely lacking. And I wanted to turn off the effects that were included. I Can't Drive 55: Controls Steering is, at best, an imperfect science in Supercross 3-D. The racer responds well to your controller input, but the bad frame rate makes controlling the rider an exercise in patience. You will have to fight your way through a learning curve on this one. Don't fret - it's not nearly as horrible as the steering in Checkered Flag. During any given race (before you "master the control") the sluggish frame rate will cause you to over-steer, miscalculate turns and misjudge opponents. Be patient. The toughest part of the control involves successfully maneuvering through a pack of riders. It's very difficult because you bounce off other riders like a superball in a geometric nightmare. Almost all of my crashes occur when I'm pushed off a jump at a nasty angle because another rider bumped me off in a wild direction and I couldn't come close to recovering in time. I found the Houston track the toughest in the game, strictly because of the way other racers bounce you around. That's not "challenge" that's poor design. Since the manual is so poor, I will give you a little info about steering. Push down on the control pad to make your rider stand (gain lift off jumps and "do wheelies"). Push up to force your bike down quicker. Learn (quickly) to use these basic moves together to take off and land on jumps smoother and faster. Basic rule of thumb: Get out front right away and you will have little trouble maneuvering the courses. By The Book: Manual Jaguar owners will know precisely what I mean when I say it's a typical Atari manual. For those of you who haven't read one before, I'll tell you what that means. It's poor. It takes the word "basic" life-and-death seriously. The two "hints" that were included are either wrong or meaningless. An example, "Get out in front early so you don't get tripped up in other riders' [punctuation theirs] falls." I've *never* bene tripped up by other riders crashes. I race right through the middle of them. Control of the supercross bike is not covered at all, except for the mention that the buttons control the brakes, throttle and tricks. Other than a couple of pages of fluffy text to draw you into the game and quick descriptions of the bike components and the save feature, there's not much else. There are four different racing teams and eight different nationalities in S 3-D, but they are not mentioned in the manual and I have no idea what purpose they serve, other than to add a bit of character to your racer. I wasn't sure where to bring up the point that the track record time save feature is screwy. I'll do it here, because it's mentioned (incorrectly) in the manual. The manual says, "Your rider's name ... as well as your best times ... are retained in the cartridge ..." This is correct, but not the way you would expect. Here's how the record time save feature really works: ú Break a lap record during *practice* and the new record time is saved along with the OLD RECORD HOLDERS NAME. So you beat the record, but the previous record holder gets the credit. Neat. ú Break the lap record during a *race* and the new time is recorded correctly, but instead of using your name, the program lists your RACING TEAM name as the new record holder. What the heck good is that?! There is a bug in the code that places your rider back on the track after a crash that might very well give or cost you a win, but it happened only once (so far) to me, so I don't consider it bad. Unless, of course, you lose the points championship because of it. I describe the Bug and also talk about some amusing design flaws (I consider them flaws) in the HELP SHEET if you'd care to read more about the finer points of this game. A Ticket To Ride: Entertainment Despite the lack of any above average effort in ANY area of Supercross 3- D, I can't consider this a bad Jaguar game. To me it is the definition of a fair to good video game effort. I spent many hours playing and picking through all the nuances and features (I played the Tournament through twice on PRO - 206 and 251 pts out of 280 possible, respectively) and played every track with every possible bike set-up at least once. During this time I did find I enjoyed racing a few of the tracks with different bike configurations. However, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the sluggish play and completely average (or worse) presentation. My conclusion is that Supercross 3-D will leave the majority of players saying, "What if ... the frame rate had been improved ... I had felt any illusion of high speed ... there weren't ANY extra graphic touches like weather, different views, track conditions (pot holes, ruts, water puddles) ... numbers or graphic differences to identify opponents ... it would have been a much improved game." Plus, this is another ONE PLAYER ONLY game from Atari, the company that once upon a time hyped a Link Cable capability and VoiceModem technology. Jaguar gamers are drooling for two player and multi-player games. Heck, even alternating turns, to compete for best track time, would have been nice. My gut tells me that Atari and Tiertex rushed this puppy out the door, possibly in anticipation of the rounds of layoffs that came in the last couple of months. It was a disjointed production; nice features that were not well implemented, mixed with sparse sound effects & music, poor to average graphics, and not enough *basic* gameplay elements to satisfy many Jaguar owners. It's a real shame. This game could have been so much more, with not a lot of extra effort. And the bigger shame is that this could very well be the last new racing release for the Jaguar, unless the Formula-1 racing game does actually make it into and out of production. Ratings Scores are from 1 to 10 - 1 being the worst and 10 the best. Graphics: 5.0 Sound FX/Music: 2/5 Control: 4/6 Manual: 3.0 Entertainment Value: At $60.00 even diehard dirt bike fans would be better off passing. GOOD gameplay value, but *try before you buy.* Reviewer's Overall: 4.5 Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! More NEXT GENERATION ONLINE reports. WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Jaguar, Atari Extinct. It's official -- not from Atari themselves, but from a high placed former employee -- Atari is out of the game business. As we reported late last week, Atari laid off nearly all its remaining employees on "Black Friday." Today the company consists of one receptionist, three customer service representatives, and a single product developer (who, it is rumored, was only retained because he's been with the company so long that it simply cheaper to keep him on staff under salary than pay any severance package). Allegedly, the small team left (including a part time tester) will attempt to complete and ship some nearly completed titles, including Defender 2000. And, of course, the Tramiels remain for now. It is rumored that family is planning to sell off the rights to all Atari's current products and intellectual properties and begin a new venture designing and manufacturing some form of removable media drive. So, the company that started the videogame industry under Nolan Bushnell, and which had, in the end, only one truly successful consumer product, the 2600, now fades into videogame history. RIP. [Editor: "World Exclusive"??] From CompuServe's Atari Gaming Forum: Sb: #JTS Drives m: Laury Scott [ATARI] 75300,2631 To: All There has been a lot of speculation in here over what sort of drives JTS makes. Just to clear it up for everyone JTS make normal IDE Hard Disk Drives (the kind that go into your PC!). They are currently making 3 1/2 inch drives and will start production shortly with their 3" drive (good for laptops as it is very thin). -Laury The following is an update from Minters web page: >> Here Is The Gnus (I will get around to locating an appropriately beastly image RSN) The Llatest From Llamaland 10 Feb '96 Not much here right this instant, I am just getting a comfortable HTML editing set-up together on my new P-166. My old 486 died the death the other day and I haven't extracted his hard drive yet, and all my old tools, and indeed my local copy of the Zoo, was on there.. I have just had to download the lot into this here PC. And honest, I will try and keep it a bit more updated than it has been of late... anyway, basically the Gnus is as follows - I shall elaborate on each subject when I next upload. YaK is no longer with Atari.. YaK is working for somebody else.. Defender 2000 is completed... T2K/PC is completed... YaK saw Flossie at Christmas! I shall turn these topics into links tomorrow (maybe later tonight, depends on whether I get ensnared in online chat or not when I go up for an ftp session in a minute). More information *is* coming... Back to the top layer of my Zoo! YaK is no longer with Atari This is, lamentably, true. Recent events caused me to have a long, hard think while I was on holiday after completing D2K, and I decided that the time had come to move on to other things. That wasn't an easy decision to make; although I have only been an Atari employee for a year, I have worked off-and-on with Ataris UK and US for the last five or six years, and indeed all of Llamasoft's business was built on one or another of the Tramiel machines.. hell, I cut my teeth on a Commodore Pet. Anyway, I duly resigned from Atari as soon as I got back from the UK - I could never do that in the middle of a project, you understand; I reluctantly gave back the Pentium they had given me (ohh, I was sad to see it go.. until I got my P166, that is) and left the Bunker for the last time with a somewhat heavy heart.. My parting with Atari was entirely amicable; and indeed there is still a chance that I might do some work for them as a game design consultant on some of the Interactive titles. I am sorry to be giving up the Jaguar after having spent the last few years getting to know it pretty well.. YaK is working for somebody else Yes, this is true; however, things are at such an early stage at my new abode that I am going to keep totally stumm about what we're working on until such time as we're ready to make it public. Suffice to say that the work is extremely interesting to an inveterate lover of strange and powerful silicon like me; I am having a lot of fun and there are a few familiar faces around when I go in to the orifice. 'Nuff said for now. You will be hearing much more about this at the proper time. You're gonna like it. Defender 2000 is completed Indeed it is. D2K passed final test on the 6 December 1995 - less than 24 hours before I was off to Hawaii for a break. The game should be getting out there round about now (11 Feb) and I hope you like it. The game's quite different from T2K; if I had to rate each game I would place T2K still a weensy bit higher than D2K, but nonetheless the game delivers the goods. The emphasis in 2K mode is on intensity of gameplay and extremely violent weaponry - wait until you get your first Lightning Laser activation on a crowded screen, with your shields on and five Humanoids dangling.. bits of alien everywhere and you're almost invincible. Very satisfying indeed. I shall be putting up a D2K information page Real Soon Now - I have to grab some of the graphics off my archive ZIP disk, as the bulk of my D2K stuff is either on my 486 (may its poor departed soul rest in peace) or on the Atari Pentium, which is back at the Bunker.. For now, I shall tell you: there are three easter eggs in the game, and whilst one is quite conventional, the other two are *cool*. T2K/PC is completed Finally this game is completed (shipped is another matter, but here's hoping). The game has already had some excellent press in the UK computer rags, and I hope that it will introduce the joys of Tempest to a new audience.. there are some changes from the Jaguar version - slight changes on the poly shading, other effects substituted for the Melt-o-Vision, and some differences in the Bonus Rounds.. but then again, the music is a lot better (as it's coming right off the CD), you have the option of full-screen head-to- head gameplay via PC link-up, and if you have a good PC then the main gameplay actually runs a bit smoother than on a Jaguar. Naturally I still prefer the Jag version - of course I do, I bloody wrote it - but this is a pretty damn good game nonetheless. YaK saw Flossie at Christmas! I did, I saw the Prettiest Sheep in the World again for the first time for *months* when I returned to the UK over the holiday period.. I went up to Wales in order to be present at my old local boozer, the Fox and Hounds in Cwmcych, for New Year... stayed around the area for a couple of days, hanging out with my old mates, drinking, going to Newcastle Emlyn fish and chip shop, drinking, catching up on all the local gossip, drinking, going to various pubs and, of course, drinking. I also took the opportunity, being in the UK, to go out for a succession of most excellent, piping-hot, glowing, nuclear chicken Vindaloos. And there, like a lustrous, ovine eye in the middle of this storm of beer and curry, was Flossie; looking rotund and appealing as ever, bleating melodiously and waggling her fluffy little tail. Oh, how my heart ached to see her graceful form, her dainty little hooves, and the lovable angle at which she inclines her left ear sometimes. Oh, how I longed to dig my fingers deep into her thick wool and scratch her in the place that I know she liked best.. *sigh*.. I do miss my Flossie. However, she seems to have settled down in her new abode, with Alastair the goat; she has plenty of room to mosey around on and is well looked-after, so she'll be fine... but one day I shall return at last to Wales, and then I'll bring her home, where she belongs, with me. *sigh*... ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! PEOPLE... ARE TALKING On CompuServe compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hi! Neighbors. If you haven't heard the news about Atari yet that means that you jumped right to this column without reading the various assorted editorials and articles from the masthead to this point. To reward you for your diligence I'll fill you in... Atari announced this week that they are merging with JTS, a manufacturer of hard drives. The current plan is to manufacture hard drives, keep trying to get Atari Interactive off the ground, and lease or sell the Jaguar portion of the business. My info says that, aside from the obvious merger benefits, this is another way for particular folks to try to dodge the S.E.C. bullet that's been homing in on them for a while now. Keep an eye peeled for further developments. And remember that we mentioned it first. But for right now, let's take a look at what's going on with the folks on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forums Jody Golick asks: "Is Atari fax software compatible with Atari SLM 804 laser printer? Can a fax be sent directly to the Atari without resorting to a phone line? That is, from a PC with a fax modem directly to the ST?" My pal, Brian Gockley, tells Jody: "Yes, the software I use, STraight FAX!, prints to the printer, or can save to a disk file. I'm not sure what you mean... All faxs use a phone line?" Jody explains: "I mean putting 2 computers next to each other and sending a fax directly from one to the other. Why, you ask? It looks like the only way to use the SLM 804 to print from a PC." Brian replies: "Wow, I don't know! You would lose the laser quality though, faxs are 160DPI." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Jody: "Yes, STraight FAX 2.5x is compatible with SLM 804 laser printer. I am sure it can be done with right hardware. I believe there is Telephone hardware that can simulate phone lines ... I believe the author of Straight Fax used it as some of the Atari shows." Rob Krul asks for help: "I've tried to send a picture file (.pi1) to a friend a mine but every time he retreaves it from the net it won't work any more. The thing it does is just write him a mail and attach a file (.pi1) to it, but it won't work. What I'm I doing wrong ? Or can it be done ? How can it be done ?" Sysop Jim Ness tells Rob: "PIC files are "binary" files, which cannot be sent over the internet without first being converted to pseudo text files (internet is a 7-bit text environment). There are several converters available. I believe we have one or two in our Telecom library here. Your friend will need to decode the file back to binary on the other side." Alfredo Alvarado asks: "Is it possible to get a SC1224 monitor to go into hi res mode? I was reading some specs on videomodes and there in they mention the SC1224 capable of going into hi res mode. I have a program that need the hi res mode for proper display." My friend Myles Cohen, as ready to help a fellow Atarian as ever, tells Alfredo: "Is it possible to get a SC1224 monitor to go into hi res mode??? Absolutely... There are several mono-emulator programs out there...the very best of which is SEBRA 1.33..." Sysop Jim Ness adds some technical stuff: "You can't actually get the color monitor to display at high rez, but as Myles says, you can run software that emulates mono mode on your color monitor. It shows up as mono, with every other vertical scan line missing (mono mode is 640x400 lines, and color is 640x200). Net result is a screen that's not as sharp as the mono, but which is still very legible." Beth Jane Freeman posts: "Have you heard that Atari is merging with a manufacturer of disks drives? Yes, that's right! If you want to read about it, there's an article in the February 14th, 1996 edition of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. It's a fairly short and straight forward article. It's not from the wire services, so I doubt you'll see the same information in other large Newspapers (except possibly ones that cover the San Francisco Bay Area (where Atari Corp is located)." (Hi!! Beth Jane!! .. Ralph) Well folks, there's lots more information, but with all the talk about this merger thing, I'll leave room for all the info coming from "official" channels. So tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING EDITORIAL QUICKIES "We learned our lessons well.. And we shall not make the same mistakes again." Sam Tramiel at . at BCS, The Atari Falcon Debut. STReport International OnLine Magazine [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport HTTP://WWW.STREPORT.COM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 100,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS 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. STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" February 16, 1996 Since 1987 Copyrightc1996 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1207