Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) June 07, 1996 No. 1223 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: 1-904-292-9222 10am-5pm 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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That is until the Government gets its way. with trying to hobble the Internet even more, tax the life outta the Net's services and of course, the "Johnny Jump on the Bandwagon" politicos trying to put even more Net Regulation in place. Whatever became of the Bill of Rights?? The Constitution?? Or, better yet.. The American Way?? Leave it up to the likes of the Rostenkowsky's, Amato's etc., and you find the old, worn out principle of "don't do as I do. DO as I say.. very much the order of the day. ATTA BOY Amato!! Milk `em for all they're worth. after all, that's what Politics are all about. Right?? According to your latest EXPOSED Escapades it MUST BE! Compared to you and your various ventures since you "Hit the Hill".. Nixon should be put up for Sainthood! Then we have the good politician from Utah. Mr. Hatch trying to introduce more legislation to regulate the NET. Why are these politicians so afraid of the net?? Because they cannot shut up any one who is exposing them for what they really are. opportunistic charlatans trying to make some sort of legislative history with their names in "lights". Each of them gives this reporter the impression they're convinced they are "legends in their own minds". Someone ought to tell them they really are vultures looking for a place to blight! Hey, .. the US Government designed and then created the NET. Now, let `em live with it! But wait. the "Control Freak of Control Freaks" is at it too!! Janet "Control `Em or Lock `Em Up" Reno has declared she's convinced .as a result of some sort of "whatever" study, that the NET needs to have its VERY OWN Law Enforcement Group, Contingency or what-chama-callit.. Perhaps she's fearful that somehow, someone will figure how to suck your hardware back to their site thru the phone lines. well, maybe not that drastic a happening. Maybe she's worried about Martians taking over the net posing as programmers and users. DUH! I say, let's lock up the "Control Freaks and Censorship Nuts"!! Leave the NET alone. Meanwhile, Florida's "Revenuers", from the Keys to Pensacola, are driving themselves crazy trying to come up with all sorts of ingenious methods to TAX the new technology and the NET in one greedy way or another! Somebody out to tell them and the good Governor, Lawton Chiles, that the rest of the world feels sorry for Florida not being able to GRAB the BIG Tourist Bux its used to grabbing. But then Flordia ought to put an end to the constant massacre of foreign Tourists, Drug Smuggling, Speed Trap Cities and the God Forsaken Ill-Trained "Pork Chopper Red Neck Cops" with only a "Big Mouth" and a pair of "Shades" and their ever present "Glock" being all they can actually brag about having mastered. Oh! I almost forgot. have you EVER seen what many of the Florida Police Chiefs aka .. "DA SHERIFF" look like in Uniform?? Remember the Goofy, stupid (almost comical) looking South American Generalissimos?? You know, the ones with twenty Gold Stars on each shoulder and an equal amount on each side of the collar?? Next time a Florida Sheriff is "On the Tube" in uniform. take a good look. This. is what we have protecting us?? I'd rather have New York's Guardian Angels any day. At least those people look and act real. No doubt, Florida has to find Virgin territory to tax.. Until they get with the social times. instead of trying to create such. Florida will desperately need new sources of high revenue. The tourist trades in Florida are comatose. Its really Florida's own fault. But why must software and the Net pay for Florida's mistakes? By the way. don't forget where Janet Reno is from.. is Dade County, Fl. Hey, Dade Countians!! Is Dade County any better a place to live in because of Reno's ways of doing things?? Hmmm. This country was built upon the concept of free speech. By responsible adults who felt that the country would always produce responsible, well educated citizens who would bear in the mind the concept of being responsible for one's actions. Nowadays, we have politicians who are among the biggest of thieves, liars and cheats this man's world has EVER known. How in heaven's name can we expect our youngsters to respect the law and at the same time, teach their children to do so when they are repeatedly shown that most politicians are on "the take" or, have "the fix in" in some way or another!! The sleaze ball politicos had better clean up their own acts if we ever expect to have law and order be the normal way of life ever again. This is an election year.. maybe we should all stay home and make a mockery of slobs that are in power or, trying to gain power. Out of whole lot... maybe a baker's dozen are honest to goodness genuinely interested in the welfare of their constituents. Maybe! That's my opinion. I could be wrong. Maybe not. let's hear from you! 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. STReport's managing editors DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Editor Dana P. 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Jacobson Apple Management Reshuffles Apple Computer Inc. has changed its management structure in a move, its leaders say, to meet the needs of a new strategy announced two weeks ago to guide it back toward profitability. According to The Associated Press, the new structure, which officially takes effect next week, creates a layer of six managers just below Apple CEO Gilbert F. Amelio. Two of the six executives joined Apple after Amelio, the former CEO of National Semiconductor Inc., replaced Michael Spindler as Apple CEO in February. And James J. Buckley, the head of Apple's domestic operations, has become what AP characterizes as "a victim of the shakeup." Buckley is leaving after 11 years at the company. As reported, Amelio on May 13 said Apple will cut costs by simplifying its product line and will increase its development focus on Internet-related products. The six managers include the chief operating officer, chief administrative officer, chief technical officer, chief financial officer, senior vice president of corporate marketing, and vice president of strategic planning, AP says, adding Amelio appointed: ú Marco Landi, the leader of Apple's European operations, to be chief operating officer. He will oversee Apple's product divisions, including its core Macintosh development operation. ú George Scalise to be chief administrative officer, a position similar to the one he held at National Semiconductor before Amelio asked him to come to Apple in March. ú Fred Anderson, hired last month, to be chief financial officer. ú Satjiv Chahil to be senior vice president for marketing. ú Douglas Solomon to be the vice president responsible for development and implementation of strategic plans. The wire service says Amelio will assume the duties of chief technical officer until he hires one for the company. As noted, Apple suffered a $740 million loss from January to March, its worst quarterly performance, as it wrote off the value of unsold inventory and set aside money for severance to 1,300 employees being laid off. "Another 1,500 job cuts are planned this year to help restore the company to profitability," AP observes. "Executives have said they expect Apple to continue losing money for the rest of the year." DEC, Compaq Offer New Computers In time for the Spring Comdex trade show in Chicago, new personal computers for businesses have been introduced by Digital Equipment Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. while Hewlett-Packard Co. has cut prices on its commercial line. Business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press notes that earlier this year, PC makers accelerated their price cuts, denting their profit margins, as growth slowed, "but the more recent cuts, capped with those by Hewlett-Packard, have been part of a standard pattern in the PC industry as products age and new models come along. Hewlett-Packard's cuts ranged from 4 percent to 26 percent." Digital changed its main line of desktop models, being renamed from Venturis to Venturis FX, to make the machines easier to service, a move designed to appeal to technicians within companies. "For instance," notes Ramstad, "the main circuit board, or motherboard, has been placed on a rail to slide out in a few seconds and most of the components that are routinely upgraded have been placed at the front of that circuitry." AP says the firm's lowest-cost Venturis FX, which has a 100 MHz Pentium chip, 8MB of main memory and a 845MB hard drive, will be $1,695. DEC also introduced higher-priced PCs that act as servers. Compaq introduced an advanced line of servers called the ProLiant 5000, starting at $11,900. The most powerful versions, with up to four microprocessors running, will cost around $200,000. "Both Digital and Compaq said they had also developed new ways to improve performance of servers that are bundled or clustered together," AP reports. Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard also introduced two new PC servers run by the Pentium Pro chip. The company is introducing new models of a more powerful group of workstations based on an advanced microprocessor, called the PA-8000, that it has developed. NEC Merges Unit Into Packard Bell In a deal valued at approximately $300 million, NEC Corp. is merging its worldwide PC operations outside of Japan into Packard Bell Electronics Inc. The new firm will be named Packard Bell NEC. The transaction is expected to be completed by July 1. Current Packard Bell chief Beny Alagem will serve as chairman, CEO and president of Packard Bell NEC. "Our commitment to world-class technological innovation, efficiency, quality and service is enhanced by NEC's management team and its track record for technological advances and engineering quality," Alagem said in a statement. Annual revenue for the combined entity will be about $8 billion, making it the world's fourth-largest PC maker after Compaq Computer Corp., IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. The firm will pose serious competition to U.S. PC market leader Compaq. Had Packard Bell and NEC been a single company in 1995, it would have led U.S. PC sales. Packard Bell NEC's nine-member board of directors will include five individuals appointed by the founding shareholders of Packard Bell, two appointments by NEC and two appointments by Groupe Bull. The deal follows earlier NEC investments in Packard Bell, including the assistance it provided with a merger in February of Packard Bell and Groupe Bull's Zenith Data Systems Inc. CompuServe, Microsoft Set Alliance Microsoft Corp. and CompuServe Inc. have unveiled a broad strategic and technological alliance. Under the partnership, CompuServe will deploy Microsoft's new platform for commercial Internet services, code-named "Normandy," in its suite of online services, including the CompuServe Information Service, WOW! and SPRYNET, as well as in its commercial network and data hosting offerings. CompuServe is the first major online provider to license Microsoft's Normandy technologies, which are specifically designed for Internet service providers and commercial Web publishers. Normandy provides a set of software tools for delivering interactive services and creating, managing and distributing content. The technologies licensed by CompuServe include the major components needed to run a commercial fee-based service, including mail, forum areas, chat, news, indexing and other content-management services. By taking advantage of externally developed technologies such as the Normandy platform, CompuServe says it will be able to decrease time to market, significantly cut development costs and more effectively deliver leading-edge information products and services to its members. The alliance will also make access to the CompuServe Information Service and WOW! service more easily available to Windows 95 users. Microsoft will include icons for the services in a folder on the Windows 95 desktop. Additionally, CompuServe says it will reinforce its commitment to market, promote and distribute Microsoft Internet Explorer as its primary browser for CompuServe online services, including CompuServe Information Service, WOW! and other customized branded services. Microsoft Internet Explorer will be the default Web browser distributed on the installation CDs for the CompuServe Information Service and WOW! as well as in CompuServe's packaged software offerings. "Easy access to CompuServe services in Windows 95 adds tremendous value for users of our operating system," says Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and CEO. "As the primary browser for CompuServe, Microsoft Internet Explorer provides a rich and interactive browsing experience for CompuServe users." "Microsoft will implement icons within a desktop folder that can connect users to the CompuServe Information Service and WOW! This is a significant opportunity for us to expand distribution channels and be part of the most successful desktop operating system in the world," adds Bob Massey, CompuServe's president and CEO. Wall St. Wondering at Wired IPO As Wired Magazine prepares for its initial public offering on the stock market, the Wall Street Journal wonders out loud whether it will be "the latest sign that the hype about the future of Internet-related companies continues to far outrace reality." Wired Ventures Inc., publisher of the hot, hip computer magazine, is set to offer 6.3 million shares -- 17 percent of the company -- at $12 each, valuing the company at $450 million. "The company has ambitious plans to become a cyberspace media empire," Journal reporter G. Pascal Zachary writes this morning, "with Wired as its print vehicle, online offerings and its own search engine for combining the Internet's vast amounts of information. ... But Wired Ventures has never turned a profit." The paper notes that in a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Wired disclosed it lost $3.4 million on sales of $7.6 million in the first quarter. A year earlier, the company lost $6.5 million on sales of $25.3 million. "Moreover," adds Zachary, "many other companies have targeted, or are planning to target, some of the same cyber-markets Wired Ventures is going after." In addition, the paper says, questions remain about "what kind of business model can produce profits for companies hoping to capitalize on the so-called new media of the digital age. To some degree, Wired Ventures' high expected valuation reflects seemingly insatiable investor appetite for Internet IPOs, which has driven stocks of many obscure and small companies to towering levels recently." Still, says the paper, Wired's flagship magazine, launched in 1993, remains "the most recognizable publication in the world devoted to the latest advances in computing and the culture that these innovations have spawned." It remains to be seen if success in print -- circulation is 300,000 and growing -- translates into success in electronic media. The Journal quotes the SEC filing as saying the offering is expected to raise $75.9 million. "It will make paper millionaires out of some computer journalists and pundits," says the paper. "Founder and Chief Executive Officer Louis Rossetto will have a stake valued at $71.3 million, while computer visionary Nicholas Negroponte will see his stake valued at $29 million." Disk Drive Market to Rise 13.5% Researchers are projecting worldwide shipments of floppy disk drives will jump 13.5 percent year-on-year to 92.2 million units in 1996, helped by strong PC sales forecasts. Reporting from experts at the San Jose, California, headquarters of market research firm Dataquest, the Reuter News Service cites "the enormous installed base of flexible disk drives, its virtually universal acceptance as a standard item on PCs and the fact factory prices are under $20" as factors in the market's success. Dataquest Vice President Phil Devin, chief of the firm's computer storage unit, says the market outstrips sales of PCs in strict unit volume, adding, "The floppy drive market continues to exceed that of the total computer market by as many as 20 million units annually, indicating some degree of multiple drive use and a continuing replacement or upgrade market." Reuters says the major vendors remain fairly constant, with TEAC Corp. moving into first place, increasing its estimated market share to 19.3 percent in 1995, compared with 16.8 million in 1994. Mitsumi slipped to second place, selling an estimated 14.3 million units in 1995 for a 17.6 percent market share, slightly below its 18 percent in 1994. Seiko Epson gained share to 11.2 percent from 9.7 percent, and Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co.'s Panasonic upped its share to 10.5 percent from 9.9 percent. Sony Corp.'s share slid to 10.1 percent from 11.9 percent. Reuters adds the total market grew to an estimated 81.2 million units in 1995 from 75.2 million a year earlier. PC World Cracks RAM Scam A group of mail-order companies that buy and sell RAM are ripping off consumers, suppliers and banks, with losses totaling $1 million, reports PC World. The publication investigated nearly 40 complaints made in the past year against five mail-order memory brokers located in Southern California and Nevada. Consumers alleged that the companies accepted payment or trade- ins and delivered defective products -- or nothing at all. The firms, including Nevada Computer, Windows Memory Corporation, Advanced Micro Solutions, California Memories Plus and Pacific Coast Micro, have failed, leaving banks, suppliers and customers in the lurch. PC World says all the firms can be traced back to one man: Don Royal Smith, now under investigation by the U.S. Secret Service. PC World also uncovered several new mail-order firms being operated by Smith, his familyand former employees. The firms follow similar patterns, notes PC World. They take out ads in computer magazines (including PC World), buy supplies, and set up shop. Some consumers receive products as promised, others don't. When people complain, the firms relocate, change names, switch owners or shut down. Sometimes the new owners are the same people using different names. According to PC World, Smith and his associates buy companies with solid reputations, transfer control of the firms between family members and use front people to disguise ownership. One source interviewed by PC Worldreporters estimates that Don Royal Smith alone has started about 25 companies in the past 15 years. Another source called Smith and his partners, "The godfathers of the industry." PC World suggests consumers take the following steps when ordering computer products by mail: ú Check with the Better Business Bureau. But remember that this is most helpful with established companies; new firms may have no track records. Don't assume that no news is good news. ú Try and verify that the equipment is new. ú Request written verification of your order. This will save you the hassle of shipping back an incorrect product, and provides you with documentation should the company go out of business. Note who you talked to, and what you were promised by whom at the time of ordering. ú Pay with a credit card. With a credit card you can usually get your money back by canceling the charges; if you pay by cash or check, you might get stuck. FTC Warns of New Net Scam Threat The Federal Trade Commission says scam artists, already skilled at ripping off consumers through telephone fraud, soon may stalk new victims over the Internet. In a report titled "Consumer Protection Policy in the New High- Tech, Global Marketplace," the FTC says the Net offers crooks advantages such as anonymity and cheap startup costs, making it tougher for law enforcement officials to track down con artists in cyberspace, adding, "Fraudulent marketers will continue to use the telephone, but they soon may gravitate to the Internet in large numbers." The Reuter News Service says the report adds that in general new technologies involving telephones, television and computers will give consumers access to unlimited amounts of information and other benefits. But they also offer fertile ground for old-fashioned scams. "There is no sign," says the report, "that low-tech scams will go away and strong evidence that 'next-tech' scams will increase and be more difficult to detect and track across international borders. Law enforcement agencies must work harder, smarter and in concert to maximize the impact of their limited resources." Reuters reports the FTC is reviewing its regulations "to assure that they are well-suited to the new global marketplace," the commission says. As reported earlier, the FTC recently halted an illegal pyramid scheme on the Internet that bilked thousands of investors out of more than than $6 million. Reuters says that was the 12th and largest case pursued by the FTC against fraud on the Internet, a network of more than 60,000 computer networks in more than 90 countries. Hatch Proposes Cyberporn Bill Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is proposing a bill he says will combat computer- aided child pornography. Reporting from yesterday's hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Hatch heads, Associated Press writer Marcy Gordon says the legislation (S. 1237), which also is supported by key Senate Democrats as well as the Clinton administration, would: ú Protect federal, state and local governments and law enforcement officials from civil lawsuits resulting from searches and seizures in child pornography and exploitation cases. ú Establish a federal legal definition of child pornography that includes computer-generated material not using actual children, including "morphing" technology. Says Gordon, "Hatch stressed that the bill does not propose new restrictions regarding the Internet and is targeted instead at use of computers to alter sexually explicit photographs, films and videos in ways that make it difficult for prosecutors to prove that the material was produced using children." However, Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, testified that the nation's librarians "are deeply concerned by this bill because we offer a broad range of visual materials that might be affected." Viruses Still Proliferating From a handful of computer viruses in 1989, the worldwide count has now surged to 9,000, report the experts at Dr. Solomon's Software Inc., an anti- virus software publisher. The experts warn that 150 to 200 new viruses are appearing each month, adding that the large-scale proliferation of viruses increases the likelihood of virus attack and the potential for data loss or computer damage. According to Dr. Solomon's, the three most common types of computer viruses are boot sector, file and macro-file codes. "Computer viruses can threaten the integrity of systems and data," says Rick Haigis, Dr. Solomon's vice president of North American marketing. "The rapid growth of computer viruses coupled with ever-increasing communication and file sharing abilities means that computer users need to be more careful than ever." According to Dr. Solomon's, the five most common computer viruses in circulation are: ú Concept, a macro-file virus that infects Microsoft Word documents. It infects the NORMAL.DOT template, which is the default document form. Each time a user selects the File/Save As command, the virus infects the document. ú Empire.Monkey, a boot sector virus that encrypts a critical area of a user's hard disk. ú AntiCMOS, a boot sector virus, attempts to modify the computer's configuration information, CMOS. ú Antiexe, a boot sector virus, infects computers when users start the computer from a floppy disk. Antiexe infects a program's "start" file, which causes unpredictable errors. In most cases, the computer hangs. ú Form, a boot sector virus that infects computers when users start up from a floppy disk. Then, on the 18th day of each month, the keyboard makes a beeping noise for every key typed. Single 'SOHO' Market a Myth? The existence of a single SOHO (small office/home office) market is a myth, according to new research from Computer Intelligence InfoCorp. CII reports that technology use in the home-based businesses of self-employed individuals differs from that used in small businesses (1-19 employees) and from consumer use. The researcher also notes that self-employed people tend to use a wider variety of software, and to spend more time on the Internet. "There really isn't a single consistent 'SOHO' or small office/home office marketplace," says Dave Tremblay, senior industry analyst at CII. "The self- employed constitute a distinct segment that has some similarities with each of the other two, but also important differences. For example, says CII, Packard Bell was the number-one brand choice for PC purchases in 1995 for both the home and the self-employed segments, while for small enterprises Packard Bell ranked third, behind IBM and Gateway 2000. According to CII, self-employed people are automating their businesses at an increasing rate. The percentage of first-time PC buyers has been going up, from 32 percent of the PCs acquired by self-employed individualsin 1993 to 35 percent in 1995 -- the opposite of the trend seen in the home segment, where first-time percentages have declined from 48 percent to 43 percent over the same period. Additionally, says CII, self-employed people spend more for their PCs. More than half of the PCs acquired by the self-employed in 1995 cost $2,000 or more, and a mere 7 percent were acquired for less than $500. By comparison, only 46 percent of home users spent more than $2,000, and 18 percent spent under $500. Additionally, according to CII, the self-employed are much heavier users of online services and the Internet than small business PC users. Nearly one of three self-employed PC users connects to at least one online service -- that is two-and-a-half times the rate in small enterprises. About one in four self- employed PCs connects to the Internet, which is about three times the rate of small business PCs. On average, self-employed people use about 6.5 types of software, nearly one-third more than the number of types used by small business users. Not surprisingly, word processing software is the most common type of software used by both groups, and spreadsheets are next. However, there are some differences in profile. Self-employed users are somewhat more likely to use desktop publishing software, for example. More notably, self- employed users are much more likely to use home-oriented types of software such as personal finance, entertainment and education. This clearly reflects the fact that the majority of the self-employed are located at home, where their PCs see use as home/family machines in addition to being used for business. Although the self-employed use more types of software, CII's data indicates that they don't use their PCs as much as people in small businesses. More than a third of small- enterprise users said that they use their PCs 30 or more hours per week, compared with 21 percent of self-employed users. "This doesn't come as a surprise," says Tremblay. "It's a situation where the self-employed have to be more self-reliant. Their businesses' demands may be more diverse, and may not require using a PC." EDITOR NOTE You simply have to LOVE "important sounding" but less than totally accurate demographic studies. They're so full of it! I imagine I'm a MYTH. I am part of the SOHO. I use the computers in this installation at least 50 - 60 hours per week. I was NEVER approached by anyone doing any sort of a study. Yet I'm registered far and wide as who and what I do and am. Clark Calls Net Death 'Ludicrous' The Internet is not dead, says Netscape Communications Corp. Chairman Jim Clark. It's not even sleeping. On the contrary, he says, the Net is the future of communications. Speaking to a standing-room-only audience at this week's Comdex computer trade show in Chicago, Clark added, "I personally think it's ludicrous to say the Internet is going away. In fact, I think it's so pervasive that there may not even be conferences about it, just like there aren't about telephones." The Reuter News Service notes Clark's comments came in response to a recent editorial in a trade magazine that warned of a decline of the Internet. However, Clark said the Net effectively will take the place of the telephone, with travel plans, catalog orders all being done via the World Wide Web. Added Clark, "I've been talking to the telecoms over the last few years trying to get them to embrace the Internet because that is the future of all communication -- and I really believe that." Clark added, though, that Netscape sees the technology of "intranet" - an organization's internal computer network, built on Internet protocols and linked to the worldwide network -- as a key to its own business. "A lot of our focus," he said, "has been on intranet because that's where the money is." To enterprises setting up their own networks he stressed the need for open systems. As reported, Sun Microsystems Inc., IBM, Oracle Corp. and Netscape recently announced an effort to define open software standard based on the Internet TCP/IP protocol. Micron Seeks Dumping Review Boise, Idaho, chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. has filed a request with the U.S. Commerce Department seeking to expedite the annual review of alleged dumping of DRAM chips by Hyundai Electronic Industries and LG Semicon in the U.S. market. According to United Press International, Micron accuses the Korean companies of selling the dynamic random access chips at below production costs. UPI notes spot market prices for the 16-megabit DRAM have plunged to below $15 from $50 six months ago. At current levels, analysts have said, companies could lose money on a product that was highly profitable a few months ago. Micron filed an antidumping suit several years ago against the three Korean manufacturers and small tariffs were imposed on Korean chips imported into the U.S. market as a result. Samsung was not included in Micron's filing last week. Micron Chairman/President/CEO Steve Appleton told the wire service, "These companies have previously violated U.S. trade laws, and there are active penalty provisions to deal with it. Prices have been dropping veryrapidly, and we have asked the Department of Commerce to take immediate and decisive action by doing a quick review of the amount of dumping now occurring. We have strong evidence that Hyundai and LG Semicon have once again chosen to sell below production costs." Court to Rule on Software Tax The state of Florida has been sued by several major technology firms in a bid to block property tax levies on their software. This opens the door for the courts to wrangle over whether computer programs are intellectualor tangible property. The Airbus Industrie unit Airbus Service Co. initially sued in Miami to block a Dade County property tax bill for a program used to run flight simulators for commercial pilot training. Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Electric Co. jointly sued to block Volusia County property tax bills on similar equipment that GE sold to Lockheed Martin. Meanwhile, Encore Computer Corp. has a similar suit pending in Fort Lauderdale against a Broward County tax assessment. Reporter Jane Sutton of the Reuter News Service quotes attorney Mark Holcomb, representing plaintiffs, as saying the bills involve "hundreds of thousands of dollars." "Some assert that software is taxble; many do not," Holcomb commented. "Even those who assert that software is taxable have no commonly accepted rationale that apply." Meanwhile, Florida Department of Revenue spokeswoman Donna O'Neal told the wire service, "There are no rules or state guidelines addressing the issue." Reuters notes the Florida Legislature failed during its 1996 session to enact bills that would have clarified the issue. It notes other states that have addressed the issue have come up with "a hodgepodge of approaches." For instance: ú Colorado and Mississippi exempt all software from property taxes. ú California taxes only basic operating programs needed to run a system. ú Idaho taxes mass-produced or "canned" software but not customized programs. ú Virginia taxes operating software but not applications software. ú Washington taxes embedded software that is an integral part of the computer but exempts some other software and only taxes "canned" software for two years. ú North Carolina exempts all software except embedded software and that is only taxed if it is capitalized on the taxpayer's books. As reported, Florida also is debating whether Internet services should be subject to sales taxes. The business lobby group Associated Industries contends that would be double taxation, since Internet users already pay taxes on the telephone services they use to access the Internet. Dems Protest GOP Web Wrangle Democrats are crying foul because of a new policy that requires anyone wanting to find certain party views on the World Wide Web to travel through Republican territory. Associated Press writer Laura Meckler notes that until now Web pages produced by Republican and Democratic staffs of House committees were all accessible from the main menu on the House's Web page. "No more," she reports. Now users "will find Democratic committee pages listed only on the committee's main page, which like the committees themselves are controlled by Republicans." Rep. Vic Fazio, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told the wire service, "What we're talking about is an attempt to control the minority's communications with the American people. There is absolutely no reason that the majority should control information freely disseminated over the Internet." Fazio says that to access Democratic views, Web surfers may have to scroll through Republican rhetoric and a large photograph of the Republican chairman. Also, if Republicans on a particular committee decide not to have a Web site at all, Democrats can't have one either. "If a chairman doesn't like the contents of the minority's Web page," Fazio says, "he could simply decide not to have a Web page at all." AP notes a few committees currently have Democratic pages but no Republican pages. If a committee chairman wants to, he could kill the Democratic page until there's a GOP counterpart, said Bill Pierce, spokesman for the Oversight Committee. "The old policy gave each side disk space to produce Web pages but did not regulate how they are accessed," says Meckler. "Republicans explain that the party in power controls all committee activities and should control this as well. They note that all members use the same committee stationery, which highlights Republicans." According to minutes of a May 23 meeting where this was discussed, Oversight Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., commented, "We are not going to enter a whole new relationship with the Internet, which is simply an additional way of communicating. Committee activities are under the control of the chairman of the committee." Democrats contend the Net is more like a press release, which they can distribute on their own. In a May 28 memo, Martha Coven of the House Democratic Policy Committee wrote her party's deepest concern is that this is a first step toward Republican control of content, adding, "It is even possible that committee chairmen may interpret the new policy to mean that they have direct control -- or veto power -- over the information that the minority chooses to post on its Web page." But Pierce, the Oversight Committee spokesman, says there's no chance of that, that "it has nothing to do with content." The House of Representatives' page on the Internet is located at Web address http://www.house.gov/. Vietnam Issues Net Regulations Vietnam has issued regulations requiring Internet service providers and their customers to be licensed by the government, giving the government broad powers to shut down any services deemed harmful to nationalinterests. Reporting from Hanoi, The Associated Press says the new guidelines also require service providers to agree to government inspections and absolutely obey the government's decisions on mobilizing parts of or the entire network for its own use." AP notes Vietnam has several tiny email networks with Internet links, serving mainly government officials, universities and foreign aid organizations, but anyone wanting to connect with the World Wide Web or international chat groups must dial servers outside the country. "The state telecommunications company, Vietnam Datacommunications, has the equipment to establish a full- fledged Internet link," says the wire service, "but is waiting for the final regulations before starting service." Corel Corporation Ships Two New Just In Time LearningT Products Ottawa, Canada - June 6, 1996 - Corel Corporation has begun shipping Learning CorelDRAWT 3 and Learning CorelDRAWT 6, the latest in its CD HOME line of titles developed by JIT Learning Products Inc. These fully comprehensive training courses guide the user step by step through the tools and functions of each software package. Benefits include learning the equivalent of two full days of classroom training at your own pace and an easy-to-use topic map that navigates the user through each program. Users will also be able to quickly practice what they have learned by simply clicking on the link to CorelDRAW, provided it has been installed, at any time during the tutorial. Both CDs carry a suggested list price of $24.95 US. "Both versions of Learning CorelDRAW are easy, interactive reference tools that will teach users how to create any number of professional-looking projects," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "The JIT feature offering additional instruction on functions, tasks and tools will help users become CorelDRAW experts in no time." Unique tips and tricks, in-depth details on all CorelDRAW 3 and CorelDRAW 6 tools, as well as VCR-style controls which pause, repeat or skip over parts of each of the seven interactive projects will allow users to explore topics at their own pace and guide them quickly through the functions of these award- winning graphics packages. Modules for Learning CorelDRAWT 3 include: Getting Started: Run through an introduction to JIT and an overview of the projects. Learn how to launch CorelDRAW 3, set preferences, use the control panel and navigate the tips and tricks. ú Browse: Click on any part of a mock page to launch pop-up boxes with indepth explanations of all the tools. ú Greeting Card: Learn the basic tools of creating a mock-up, setting up a document, importing, resizing and repositioning clipart, as well as creating, formating and rotating text. ú Logo: Import and edit a symbol; break apart, then colour and group items; and kern text to fit curve. ú Business Card: Create a customized size, align multiple cards and set up crop marks for printing. ú Fax Sheet: Insert a special character, import and resize a bitmap graphic, and blend objects. ú Org Chart: Learn to set up a grid, draw a rounded rectangle, create a drop shadow, and space and duplicate a row of rectangles. ú Presentation: Create distinctive borders and backgrounds, and shape text around a graphic. ú Brochure: Design elements such as folded panels, headings, and illustrations, while creating and adding embossed text and a fill-in form. Learning CorelDRAWT 6 Learning CorelDRAW 6 runs the user through more advanced projects in all of the same categories as CorelDRAW 3, but Browse is replaced by What's New. A total of 33 new and improved features, from right-clicking to wizards to the redraw and spiral tool, are listed. The user need only select a topic and click for a full demonstration of the most helpful features. System Requirements System requirements for both CDs include Windows 3.1x, MS-DOS 5.0 or Windows 95, a 486 33, 8 MB of RAM, 640x480, 256 color graphics display, 8-bit audio capabilities, and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. Corel has teamed up with JIT Learning Products Inc. to give consumers the most effective multimedia training available by distributing JIT's learning products line on CD-ROM. Other JIT learning products to be released as part of the CD HOME line of titles include Learning CorelDRAWT 4 and 5 and Learning the Internet. Corel's CD HOME series consists of reference, education, entertainment, personal productivity, and games titles for all ages. JIT Learning Products Inc. JIT Learning Products Inc. is focused on delivering highly effective, fully interactive multimedia training products to computer users around the world. JIT's approach is so unique that it was selected as one of 150 examples worldwide of exemplary technology at the recent G7 Summit Conferences on the Information Society in Brussels and in Halifax. The company was founded in 1994 and has a staff of over 20 highly trained and experienced production and marketing professionals. Corel Takes a Medieval Journey With New CD Home Title Ottawa, Canada - June 6, 1996 -- Corel Corporation has begun shipping Nikolai in Time: In the Time of the KnightsT, the latest in the imaginative adventures of NikolaiT and his toy cat Neow-NeowT. Following their previous adventures in Nikolai's TrainsT and NN'n N Toy MakersT, the two friends take a journey through time to a magical, medieval land. This "mixed-mode" CD-ROM not only runs on Windowsr 3.1x, Windowsr 95 and Macintoshr, but also on the home stereo - it is one of the first children's titles to present its 12 original soundtrack compositions as audio tracks that can be played on any audio CD player. Nikolai in Time: In the Time of the Knights is shipping now and carries a suggested list price of $59.95 US. It is designed for children aged four to 10 and features 17 full color, interactive storybook pages as well as various educational tools -- a click on any word will elicit the correct pronunciation. In addition, children may choose to either have the story read to them in full by the narrator or to explore each page at their own pace. "Nikolai in Time: In the Time of the Knights is really three interactive storybooks in one," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "Children may choose to explore three different tales -- the Battle, the Joust or the Quest -- all of which will offer hours of entertainment." Some of the over 20 interactive hot spots per page lead to jesters dancing for the court, musicians playing a tune and knights in shining armor racing recklessly across the horizon. Other hot spots lead to quick, medieval history lessons and historically-based activities where children can design and print their own coat-of arms or compose tunes with on-screen medieval instruments. Development and System Requirements Nikolai in Time: In the Time of the Knights was developed for Corel by Toronto-based ABCD's, a division of I. Hoffmann + Associates Inc. Windows users will require a minimum of an IBM PC or compatible 486 33, Windows 3.1x, MS DOS 5.0, 8 MB of RAM, a double-speed CD-ROM drive and an 8-bit Sound Blaster or 100 percent compatible sound card. Macintosh users will need a minimum of a Macintosh LCIII, System 7.1 with Sound Manager, 8 MB of RAM and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. Corelr Ships Corel WordPerfectr Suite 7 for Windowsr 95 OREM, Utah - May 29, 1996 - Corelr Corporation and its subsidiaries today began shipping Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 for Windowsr 95. This 32-bit version of the award-winning Corel WordPerfect Suite puts the Internet to work while tightly integrating Corelr WordPerfectr 7, Corelr Quattror Pro 7, and Corelr PresentationsT 7. Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 takes advantage of Windows 95 with 32-bit applications and enables users to finish faster and work smarter with improved output. "Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 redefines the "office suite" by including integrated best-of-breed graphics and Internet power as well as standard office applications," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "We listened to our customer base when they asked for more choice, more power and easy access to the Internet. Corel WordPerfect Suite makes the most of Windows 95 by enabling users to finish faster with less effort while putting the Internet to work. We are very pleased with the early response." Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 goes beyond traditional suites by setting a new standard in Internet connectivity-a standard illustrated by industry acclaim since its release this quarter. The June 1996 issue of Home Office ComputingT awarded Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95-4 out of 5 stars and a "Best Buy Award" with these words, "Feature for feature, the new Corel Suite outperforms its competitors." Government Computer NewsT recently named Corel WordPerfect Suite the "Best New Product" at their April awards gala in Washington, D.C. while the May issue of Computer ShopperT declared that, "The forthcoming Corel Office Professional for Windows 95 offers a set of the most advanced PC applications available, together with the integration and consistency once possible only in underpowered, all-in-one packages for beginners." The March 18, 1996 edition of InfoWorldT goes one step further to say, "Now it's Microsoft's turn to play catch-up." Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 includes the following full-featured applications: ú Corelr WordPerfectr 7: Innovative key features such as Guidelines, Make It FitT and Spell-As-You-GoT as well as Internet capabilities, continue to make this the word processor of choice. ú Corelr Quattror Pro 7: This award-winning spreadsheet contains new chart styles, a new mapping feature, QuickTemplates, Internet connectivity, and right mouse-button support for fast access to formatting options. ú Corelr PresentationsT 7: This presentations graphics program includes the ability to move from a slide to an Internet site or to other slides with a single click, as well as the ability to convert slide shows to HTML format, and the option to combine multiple backgrounds, graphics, text, video and sound within one presentation. ú EnvoyT 7: The perfect workgroup electronic publishing tool for CD-ROM and the Internet. ú AT&T's WorldNet Service software including Netscape NavigatorT 2.01 Internet Browser: Obtain access to the Internet with a premium service provider and best-of-breed Internet browser. ú CorelFLOWT 3: Powerful business graphics. ú Starfish Software's SidekickT 95: The most popular personal information manager and scheduler. ú Starfish Software's DashboardT 95: Integrated application and task- automation launcher, as well as a Windows 95 system performance monitor. ú DAD: Desktop Application Director ú QuickView PlusT: View over 200 file formats quickly and easily. ú IBMr VoiceTypeT Control: Use a microphone and your voice to navigate and activate each core application's graphic user interface. ú 150 top quality fonts ú 10,000+ clip art images Making the Most of Windowsr 95 Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 makes the most of 32-bit power with more core application integration (Corel WordPerfect 7, Corel Quattro Pro 7, and Corel Presentations 7) than any other suite. All Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 core applications offer performance improvements and increased multi- tasking-plus features like: 1. File/macro conversion 2. Common address book 3. Integrated Speller, Grammatikr and Thesaurus 4. Simultaneous task performance with multi-tasking support 5. Simultaneous program function with multi-threading support 6. Long file name support, tabbed dialogs and drag and drop 7. Drag and drop to task bar 8. Extensive right mouse button support 9. File and property viewing from desktop 10. An Open dialog with more functionality than Windows Explorer 11. QuickFinderT indexing technology integration into Windows 95 shell 12. View over 200 file formats from the Windows 95 shell with QuickView PlusT All are integrated with full OLE 2 and OLE automation support as well as support for the Windows 95 registry. Putting the Internet to Work Access to the Internet has never been simpler or easier with AT&T's WorldNet Service software including Netscape NavigatorT 2.01 Internet Browser. Online assistance is available directly from Help menus in any application with one click. Other features include: ú Internet links to link information directly to Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 documents through URL cell support. ú Import and export to and from HTML in Corel WordPerfect 7, Corel Quattro Pro 7 ú and Corel Presentations 7. ú EnvoyT 7 electronic publishing solution for sharing Internet documents with all fonts, graphics and formatting intact. ú QuickConnectT instantly connects users to Bookmarks in Netscape NavigatorT 2.01 or favorite places in America Onliner, CompuServer or Microsoftr Network. ú Envoy 7 document viewing directly from Internet browser. ú Create web-ready Corel WordPerfect documents that can be directly exported to HTML. Finish Faster with Less Effort Learn faster and easier in Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 with similar toolbars plus: ú Spell-As-You-GoT ú Ask the PerfectExpertT for help in your own words ú QuickMenuT instant option menus ú Improved QuickFinderT to rapidly access files ú Integrated Speller, Grammatikr and Thesaurus ú PerfectSenseT improved writing technology ú QuickTasksT for instant automation of 60+ tasks ú QuickCorrectT error correction as you go ú QuickFormatT automatic document formatting ú QuickTips online help ú OLE Automation Interface ú Advanced speech capabilities Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 goes beyond the standard ease-of-use features found in competing suites to automate entire tasks across all core applications. QuickFormat, QuickTasks and new QuickArt let users concentrate on the work at hand rather than applications. Customer Support Corel is the only software vendor to offer free, unlimited technical support (toll charges apply) for the life of the product. The life of the product is defined as the time period commencing when Corel last introduced the product until 6 month after Corel stops selling the product. Corel also offers these additional support options: ú IVAN: Corel's Interactive Voice Answering Network provides customers with instant access to the most current product information available. Customers can obtain this service 24-hours a day, 365 days a year by calling (801) 765-4038. (Toll charges apply) ú Bulletin Board Service (BBS): A 24-hour product information and program file resource that may be accessed through the following numbers: (801) 221- 5197. ú Fax on Demand Service: Customers may obtain faxed information by calling ú (801) 765-4037. ú CompuServer Information Services: CompuServe subscribers can access the Corel Technical Support forum by typing GO COREL. ú Corel Home Page: An Internet World Wide Web site @ http://www.corel.com or http://wordperfect.com with product information, technical documentation and press releases. Pricing and System Requirements Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 requires a 486/25 processor (486/66 recommended), 8 MB RAM (16 MB recommended), VGA monitor or above and 30-220 MB of free disk space depending upon installation and configuration. Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 is available for a suggested list price of $395 US for the CD-ROM version only and $449 US for both diskette and CD-ROM. WordPerfect users may upgrade to Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 for a suggested list price of $129 US for the CD-ROM version and $179 US for the diskette version. Corel Corporation Incorporated in 1985, Corel Corporation is recognized internationally as an award-winning developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics and multimedia software. Corel's product line includes CorelDRAWT, the Corelr WordPerfectr Suite, Corelr Office Professional, CorelVIDEOT and over 30 multimedia software titles. Corel's products run on most operating systems, including: Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, MS-DOS and OS/2 and are consistently rated among the strongest in the industry. The company ships its products in over 17 languages through a network of more than 160 distributors in 70 countries worldwide. Corel is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol: COS) and the NASDAQ - National Market System (symbol: COSFF). For more information visit Corel's home page on the Internet at http://www.corel.com. Neow-Neow, Nikolai, Nikolai's Trains, NN'n N Toy Makers and Nikolai in Time: In the Time of the Knights are trademarks of I. Hoffmann + Associates Inc. Corel is a registered trademark of Corel Corporation. Corel, WordPerfect, Quattro, Presentations, and CorelFLOW are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. All products and publications mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and publishing houses. EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed Edupage Contents Report Opposes Administration's Cryptography Plans Silicon Alley Vs. Silicon Valley Definitely Dense Data Companies License Java Chip Technology OECD Report Targets Information Technology Issues Pippin -- From The Living Room To The Board Room Hybrid Modems Gov't Stats On The Web Dish Wars Funds Management By Internet NCR Makes Deal In South Korea Intel Promotes The "Connected" Computer Writing Is On The Wall (Unencrypted) GlobeSpan Speeds Up The Infobahn Chip Wars Continue Big Board Goes Wireless Java Plans More Jive Bell Atlantic Opens Its Market To Competition "Green" Product Design Software OTA Reincarnated New TV Show Targets Technology Internet Is "Fundamental Change" In Telecom Technical Problems Packard Bell Becomes Packard Bell NEC The Information Imperative Index Eliminate Paper, Save Big Bucks Voluntary Guidelines For Privacy Protection On Net Satellite Time Is Getting Expensive For Schools Yahoo! Targets Europe For Growth Internet Banking The UnGame BellSouth And Time Warner Local Phone Service Agreement Reno Wants Protection From Cybercrime Satellite Dish Prices Headed Down PC Is "Desktop Hairball" REPORT OPPOSES ADMINISTRATION'S CRYPTOGRAPHY PLANS Rejecting Clinton Administration arguments that law enforcement efforts would be hampered by cryptography technology now based on a "key escrow" system allowing the government to decode any electronic communications after obtaining a court order, a report prepared for the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences says that unbreakable cryptography would actually help prevent crime by preventing criminals from intercepting legitimate business transactions. The report recommends dropping steep export controls currently placed by the government on products using the 56- bit key Data Encryption Standard, which offers significantly greater communications security than the 40-bit-key code that may be freely exported. (New York Times 31 May 96 C1) SILICON ALLEY VS. SILICON VALLEY While California still reigns supreme as the undisputed center of the hardware and software industries, a third high-tech market is emerging in New York City -- the content capital of the U.S. The new media boom builds on New York's established strength in traditional publishing, but is made up primarily of small start-up companies that thrive on the synergy between the old and new publishing realms. In response, Big Apple landlords are taking notice and one apartment building now bills itself as the first housing to be hardwired for the information revolution, providing built-in computer networking and high-speed Internet access for every tenant. (The Economist 25 May 96 p90) DEFINITELY DENSE DATA Templex Technology Corp. is claiming a world record in data-storage density, using a yttrium aluminum garnet crystal treated with billions of ions from the rare-earth mineral thulium. The result is a crystal that theoretically can store up to 1 million bits of data, although in practice it's produced a density of only 8 gigabits per square inch so far. Still, Templex researchers note that that's six times the storage capacity of IBM's latest magnetic disk drive. (Business Week 3 Jun 96 p123) COMPANIES LICENSE JAVA CHIP TECHNOLOGY LG Semicon, Ltd., a Mitsubishi Electronics unit, NEC Corp., and Samsung Electronic Co. have agreed to license the technology for manufacturing Java semiconductor chips from Sun Microsystems. The companies will then use the chips in their own consumer devices and cellular phones. In addition to these four, Rockwell International Corp. plans to use Java chips in guidance systems and Xerox will incorporate the chips in its automated office systems. Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy says this latest move takes Sun from the "sports utility vehicle" level (large workstations) to "the passenger-car unit market." (Investor's Business Daily 31 May 96 A13) OECD REPORT TARGETS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES A report recently released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development calls on member governments to support the principle of competition across various markets in the information sector, and to reduce national barriers preventing the diffusion of information technology across borders while respecting the importance of intellectual property rights. "There are few matters that can slow or distort the emerging global information society and create transnational frictions more than issues of security, privacy and intellectual property, including copyrights," says the report. It calls for convening an international conference to coordinate activities in cryptography and the protection of intellectual property, and to discuss issues such as jurisdiction in cyberspace, and the importance of maintaining linguistic and cultural diversity. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 28 May 96 A2) PIPPIN -- FROM THE LIVING ROOM TO THE BOARD ROOM Apple Pippin licensee Bandai Co. will use Pippin technology to develop corporate systems for a large travel company, and TRW Inc. is testing a Bandai-made Pippin for use in corporate training. Like the network computers being touted by Oracle, Pippin features a low-cost, low-memory system to access information rather than create it. Unlike the NCs, Pippin also includes a CD-ROM to speed up multimedia applications. Apple predicts more major licensees soon: "This is going to have a meaningful impact on our bottom line," says Pippin's marketing manager. (Information Week 27 May 96 p28) HYBRID MODEMS Cable modems that offer a slower return path via a telephone line are offering smaller cable operators a way to provide cable modem service without investing in the costly upgrades necessary to turn their cable into a two- way transmission system. "Now they're realizing this is a business for them to get into. They're finding they don't have to wait for a two-way plant," says a Zenith Electronics product manager. The boxes could go for as low as $250, about half that of current cable modems. (Broadcasting & Cable 27 May 96 p44) GOV'T STATS ON THE WEB If you're looking for quick access to statistical data on U.S. income, employment, education, health or crime, the White House's Web site features a "Federal Statistics Briefing Room" and a "Social Statistics Briefing Room." The site provides one-stop-shopping for data located on various government computers. < http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/ > (Chronicle of Higher Education 31 May 96 A15) DISH WARS A group of Canadian broadcasting and satellite firms say they will sue Thomson Consumer Electronics Canada if it carries out plans to sell its RCA satellite dishes in Canada. At issue: Canadian companies hold the Canadian rights to programming that is being distributed by American satellite to Canadian consumers by companies that do not have licenses for the Canadian rights. (Toronto Globe & Mail 31 May 96 B1) FUNDS MANAGEMENT BY INTERNET Later this year retirement savings programs such as Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, and Cigna will be allowing individuals to manage their investments and transact loans and withdrawals over the Internet. (USA Today 31 May 96 1A) NCR MAKES DEAL IN SOUTH KOREA NCR will allow Korean manufacturers Samsung and Hyundai to build high-speed "massively parallel" computers based on NCR designs and to sell them everywhere in the world except for established markets (U.S., Western Europe, Japan, and Australia). By using large numbers of low-cost microchips working simultaneously on different parts of a computation, massively parallel computers are able to achieve mainframe or supercomputer power. (Wall Street Journal 31 May 96 B5) INTEL PROMOTES THE "CONNECTED" COMPUTER Intel chief executive Andy Grove says the company's strategy is now built around the "connected computer" that facilitates integration of software and data stored locally with that downloaded from the network. Intel's next generation of microchips will emphasize Multimedia Extensions (MMX) to enhance audio, graphics, imaging and video. (Computer Industry Daily 3 June 96) WRITING IS ON THE WALL (UNENCRYPTED) The Japanese company Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (NTT) has begun selling a two-chip set containing encryption technology that is far more powerful than the "Clipper Chip" technology favored by the Clinton Administration, which wants to make it possible for law enforcement agencies to conduct wiretaps providing they have court-ordered warrants. The NTT chips have no such provision. The chief executive of RSA Data Security, a California company negotiating with NTT to resell the chips in the U.S., says: "If there is anyone in the government who hasn't already seen the writing on the wall, here it is." (New York Times 4 Jun 96 C1) GLOBESPAN SPEEDS UP THE INFOBAHN A new type of modem that incorporates AT&T Paradyne's GlobeSpan technology will soon make it possible to access the Internet at speeds 200 times faster than a conventional 28.8 modem. GlobeSpan Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line technology can accommodate video phone calls, simultaneous calls by different family members, or movies, all over existing twisted pair phone lines. AT&T expects to have RADSL fully developed by November, and manufacturers should be ready to sell the gadgetry to telephone companies sometime in 1997. And though the phone companies are touting the benefits of ISDN now, the simplicity of RADSL technology has distinct advantages -- it doesn't require a separate phone line, nor does it burden telephone company switching equipment. (Tampa Tribune 4 Jun 96 B&F1) CHIP WARS CONTINUE Texas Instruments says it will begin manufacturing a chip next year that will be 20 times more powerful than today's Pentium Pro chip from Intel. The new chips will be used in automatic teller machines that can recognize a user's face, wristwatch PCs, or laptop computers with longer memory life. TI's TImeline chip- making process will pack 125-million transistors onto a single chip, beating LSI Logic's prediction that it soon will make a 49-million transistor chip. "What they announced is no different from where every semiconductor company is headed toward," says an industry analyst. "The question is, is there some reason to believe they can do it faster than their competitors?" (St. Petersburg Times 3 Jun 96 p8) BIG BOARD GOES WIRELESS The New York Stock Exchange is completing a $125 million technology overhaul that will allow its 1,400 brokers to use wireless hand-held computers to communicate from the trading floor. The much smaller American Stock Exchange currently uses similar technology for about 100 options brokers and plans to expand the wireless option to equities traders next year. (Wall Street Journal 3 Jun 96 A9C) JAVA PLANS MORE JIVE "Java will become the universal language of Internet computing," says an analyst with Forrester Research. "Users have discovered Java, and Java is perceived as mature. In the information technology industry, perception is reality." A Forrester survey of 50 companies shows most of them already using Java, and 42% said the software will take on strategic importance in their businesses within a year. Forrester predicts that by the end of next year, Java will have been used to create at least 60% of the programs running on the Internet. (Investor's Business Daily 4 Jun 96 A8) BELL ATLANTIC OPENS ITS MARKET TO COMPETITION The Bell Atlantic regional telephone company is allowing the cable company Jones Intercable Inc. to connect to the Bell phone network in Virginia; by showing the Federal Communications Commission that it is opening its own market to competition, the move may help Bell Atlantic in turn win federal approval to enter the long-distance phone market. (New York Times 4 Jun 96 C4) "GREEN" PRODUCT DESIGN SOFTWARE For manufacturers who want to design with the environment in mind, there soon will be a new software product that analyzes product design to determine how things like materials or components might be changed to be more environmentally friendly. For instance, it suggests where recyclable parts might be appropriate, or how to manufacture products that are easier to disassemble later. Design for Environment is being developed by Booth Dewhurst Inc. in cooperation with the Dutch organization TNO Product Centre, and will be tested this summer by GE Plastics to see how DFE could help design greener instrument panels for cars. (Business Week 10 Jun 96 p109) OTA REINCARNATED The Office of Technology Assessment, which closed its doors last year after Congress cut off funding for the 23-year-old agency, has been reborn, with some of its alumni founding the Institute for Technology Analysis in Washington, DC. Following OTA's precedent, ITA will analyze technology issues and policy options through workshops at which all vested interests are represented. Unlike OTA, which worked exclusively for Congress, ITA is soliciting contracts from industry, professional societies and federal agencies. (Science News 25 May 96 p331) NEW TV SHOW TARGETS TECHNOLOGY NBC is planning a new cable TV show called "Scan" that will focus on how technology affects people's lives, with IBM tagged as the new program's exclusive worldwide sponsor. In return, IBM will own the show outright and maintain final editorial control. The show will air on NBC's CNBC cable channel in the U.S. and on its network channels in Asia, Europe and Latin America. (Wall Street Journal 4 Jun 96 B1) INTERNET IS "FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE" IN TELECOM Netscape president Jim Clark says: "I've been talking to the telecommunications companies and telling them that it's the future. It represents the first fundamental change since the telecommunications system was invented. The biggest change up to now was when the telephone moved from a rotary dial to Touch-Tone ... that's really a small change compared to this." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 4 Jun 96 F3) TECHNICAL PROBLEMS No, we have not been on vacation. If you have not received Edupage recently, it's because technical problems caused a large number of subscribers to be dropped from the list. And so tonight's distribution is being made from a backup copy from several weeks ago, which does not reflect any recent database updates. If you do not wish to receive Edupage, please send mail to listproc@educom.unc.edu, with the message: unsubscribe edupage. If you have any subscription problems, please communicate with: manager@educom.unc.edu. And if you want to see any back issues of Edupage, please consult < www.educom.edu >. PACKARD BELL BECOMES PACKARD BELL NEC Packard Bell Electronics will merge with the foreign PC operations of the NEC corporation of Japan to become the world's fourth largest maker of personal computers, after Compaq, IBM and Apple, and to extend its marketing reach to corporations and governments. Packard Bell cofounder and chief executive Beny Alagem will be head of the new company, which will be called Packard Bell NEC, and which will add to Packard Bell's product line the full range of notebook computers and servers offered by Zenith Data Systems, which is owned by NEC and Groupe Bull of France. (New York Times 5 Jun 96 C1) THE INFORMATION IMPERATIVE INDEX International Data Corp. has come up with a new ranking system, taking into consideration how well different countries' citizens can access, adopt and absorb information and information technology. The top slot, dubbed "Roller- Bladers," was filled by the U.S. and Sweden. Further down in the second-tier "Striders" category were South Korea, Israel, Japan, the U.K., Canada and Australia. IDC describes their information technology attitudes as cautious, but dedicated and consistent. Last among the 55 countries ranked was China. IDC, working with World Times Inc. of Boston, used 20 factors, such as technology spending, computer use and telecommunications infrastructure to develop their rankings. The companies found a close correlation between technology success and the following five factors: secondary school enrollment, college enrollment, newspaper readership, press freedom and civil liberties. (Investor's Business Daily 5 Jun 96 A6) ELIMINATE PAPER, SAVE BIG BUCKS E-commerce is coming -- it's just a matter of time, say the experts. U.S. companies already purchase $500 billion worth of goods a year electronically, and that's just a fraction of their total purchases, says a researcher at Giga Information Group. Once companies figure out how much money dealing electronically saves them, it will be much, much more. For example, a simple automobile parts purchase order is estimated to cost $150 to process -- doing it electronically could cut costs to $25. "I really see the Internet as an explosion of electronic commerce. This is the most exciting sea change to hit commerce globally in the last 100 years," says the president and CEO of General Electric Information Services. (Business Week 10 Jun 96 p110) VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES FOR PRIVACY PROTECTION ON NET The Interactive Services Association, which represents online information services, and the Direct Marketing Association are proposing guidelines to limit unwanted e-mail and direct-mail solicitations and to protect the unauthorized collection of personal information. Online solicitations would be required to conform with the stated policies of the newsgroups or forums on which they are posted, to disclose the identity of the distributors of the solicitation, and to provide recipients a way of refusing to receive solicitations. Civil liberties and privacy groups say the proposals would fail to check online abuses and that government regulation will be necessary to protect individual privacy on the Internet. (New York Times 5 Jun 96 C6) SATELLITE TIME IS GETTING EXPENSIVE FOR SCHOOLS Universities that transmit courses and other educational programs via satellite are getting hit with charges of up to $1,000 per hour of live transmission, almost double the cost two years ago, and some are resorting to mailing out videotapes rather than pay for live shows. "Since the mid-'80s, there has been a 1,000% increase in satellite costs," says Oklahoma State University's Marshall Allen. Soaring prices have forced OSU to drop two advanced placement courses it offered to high school students. The problem stems from a shortage in satellites combined with more competition in the spot market, where many educators buy their time. Satellite brokers and consultants predict the shortage will ease over the next few years as users migrate from analog transmission to digital, which can be compressed to one- fourth the transponder space requirement of a full- motion analog signal. Meanwhile educators are looking to videoconferencing over phone lines and eventually the Internet as lower-cost alternatives. (Wall Street Journal 6 Jun 96 B1) YAHOO! TARGETS EUROPE FOR GROWTH Yahoo! recently teamed up with Ziff-Davis to create Yahoo! Europe and plans to provide local versions of its search engine software to users in Great Britain, France and Germany by the second half of this year. The company also will install computer servers in Europe to handle European users and is seeking local partners to expand the business. "I think that Europe, from a user's standpoint, has got to represent in two or three years a third of the world network population, which will be some 100 to 200 million in 2000," says Yahoo!'s president and CEO. (Investor's Business Daily 6 Jun 96 A8) INTERNET BANKING The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and some blue-chip technology companies are planning a system to allow people to make credit, debit and stored-value card purchases over the Internet and to conduct banking transactions. Whereas most Internet banking schemes involve software that authenticates the details of a transaction to make sure the buyer and seller are who they say they and then encrypts the whole process so ensure confidentiality, this system tackles the problem by aiming to place card readers -- like the ones used by retailers for credit or debit cards - in the homes or businesses of users. (Toronto Globe & Mail 5 Jun 96 B8) THE UNGAME Irvine, California-based DVD Software has a new product that automatically deletes games from networked computers, freeing up limited computing resources for students and business folks. Oregon State University's business school manager says, "I had a problem with games," noting that some students spent hours playing games while others were waiting their turn at the keyboard to complete assignments. UnGame scans the hard drive for any of 4,600 games every time the computer is turned on or logged on to the network. The list of games is updated every month. More than 20 colleges and universities are using the software now. (Chronicle of Higher Education 7 Jun 96 A24) BELLSOUTH AND TIME WARNER LOCAL PHONE SERVICE AGREEMENT Regional telephone company BellSouth will connect its network to the cable system of Time Warner, allowing BellSouth customers in three (Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee) of the company's nine-state area to complete calls to Time Warner customers. The regional "Baby Bells" will be allowed by the government to enter the long-distance telephone business only after they show that they have opened their own local markets to competition from cable and long-distance phone service providers. (New York Times 5 Jun 96 C4) RENO WANTS PROTECTION FROM CYBERCRIME Attorney General Janet Reno has told the FBI, CIA, and Commerce, Defense, Energy, Transportation and Treasury Departments that she wants to create a federal computer security emergency response unit to counter physical or network attacks against the federal computer infrastructure. (Computer Industry Daily 6 Jun 96) And some U.S. senators want to allow the FBI to combine forces with the CIA and other intelligence agencies to deal with international criminal and terrorist activity conducted on the Net. Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) says that "if we're going to live in this kind of world, we're going to have to link the intelligence world with law enforcement." Vanderbilt business professor Donna L. Hoffman, whose work is focused on the Internet, says: ''There are not dead bodies in the street. It just doesn't make sense to rush into legislation.'' (San Jose Mercury News Center 6 Jun 96) SATELLITE DISH PRICES HEADED DOWN Industry observers are predicting lower digital satellite system receive dish prices, as the market gravitates toward the cellular phone model -- give the equipment away and make your money on the recurring service revenue. "It's getting very similar to cellular," he said. "The more manufacturers and service providers gain confidence that the income stream down the line from using the service will increase, the more they'll be willing to bring the price down," says one retailer who predicts a $99 dish before too long. Others aren't quite so sure, given recent sluggish sales. "Sales haven't been as strong this year as they were last year," says a Sears VP. "Maybe the start of a new football season in the third quarter will pick things up." (Multichannel News Digest 4 Jun 96) PC IS "DESKTOP HAIRBALL" Sun chief executive Scott McNealy, an evangelist for cheap, simple "network computers" which draw the programs and data they need from the network rather than storing them locally, says that the personal computer is "a desktop hairball...The best way to upgrade your PC is to downgrade it. Take Windows out, take the CD out, use the network instead." (Atlanta Journal- Constitution 6 June 96 F2) Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas (douglas@educom.edu). Voice: 404-371-1853, Fax: 404-371-8057. Technical support is provided by the Office of Information Technology, University of North Carolina. EDUPAGE is what you've just finished reading. To subscribe to Edupage: send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: subscribe edupage Marvin Minsky (assuming that your name is Marvin Minsky; if it's not, substitute your own name). ... To cancel, send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: unsubscribe edupage... Subscription problems: educom@educom.unc.edu. EDUCOM REVIEW is our bimonthly print magazine on learning, communications, and information technology. Subscriptions are $18 a year in the U.S.; send mail to offer@educom.edu. When you do, we'll ring a little bell, because we'll be so happy! Choice of bell is yours: a small dome with a button, like the one on the counter at the dry cleaners with the sign "Ring bell for service"; or a small hand bell; or a cathedral bell; or a door bell; or a chime; or a glockenspiel. Your choice. But ring it! EDUCOM UPDATE is our twice-a-month electronic summary of organizational news and events. To subscribe to the Update: send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: subscribe update John McCarthy (assuming that your name is John McCarthy; if it's not, substitute your own name). INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE The CAUSE organization's annual conference on information technology in higher education is scheduled for the end of this month in New Orleans. The conference will bring together administrators, academicians and other managers of information resources. For full conference information check out or send e-mail to conf@cause.colorado.edu. ARCHIVES & TRANSLATIONS. For archive copies of Edupage or Update, ftp or gopher to educom.edu or see URL: < http://www.educom.edu/>. For the French edition of Edupage, send mail to edupage-fr@ijs.com with the subject "subscribe"; or see < http://www.ijs.com >. For the Hebrew edition, send mail to listserv@kinetica.co.il containing : SUBSCRIBE Leketnet-Word6 or see < http://www.kinetica.co.il/ newsletters/leketnet/ >. For the Hungarian edition, send mail to: send mail to subs.edupage@hungary.com. An Italian edition is available on Agora' Telematica; connection and/or free subscription via BT-Tymnet and Sprint (login: To: Subject: Feedback Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 19:33:58 -0500 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1080 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ralph, I've been visiting your site for awhile picking up the ASCII version of STR. I've been reading it since the Atari days. Since STR and myself have moved to the PC, I think I like it even better now. STR, nor I, are quite as emotionally charged as back in the Atari days. Anyway, this past week is the first week I've visited your site with IE. I've been checking out the 3.0 beta (I like some of it better than Netscape, some things Netscape does better) and your site is definitely better with IE. Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" was a nice touch on the "Latest issue" page. Thanks for hyping Thumbs Plus so much. I decided to take a look at their Win95 version and I'm real happy with it. It should make my life much easier when finding just the right graphic for the user group newsletter. Bob Carpenter Bob, I'm glad you like Internet Explorer 3, I do too! I try to make the STReport WebSite as entertaining and informative as possible. As for Thumbs Plus. I use it most every day I work on the WebSite's graphics. Thanks for writing and reading STReport. Acrobat makes STReport shine! Special Notice!! STR Infofile File format Requirements for Articles File Format for STReport All articles submitted to STReport for publication must be sent in the following format. Please use the format requested. Any files received that do not conform will not be used. The article must be in an importable word processor format for Word 7.0.. The margins are .05" left and 1.0" Monospaced fonts are not to be used. Please use proportional fonting only and at eleven points. ú No Indenting on any paragraphs!! ú No underlining! ú Column Format shall be achieved through the use of tabs only. Do NOT use the space bar. ú No ASCII "ART"!! ú There is no limits as to size, articles may be split into two if lengthy ú Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP, WMF file formats ú Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent along with the article separately ú Please use a single font only in an article. TTF CG Times 12pt. is preferred. (VERY Strong Hint) If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or call. On another note. the ASCII version of STReport is fast approaching the "end of the line" As the major Online Services move away from ASCII.. So shall STReport. All in the name of progress and improved readability. The amount of reader mail expressing a preference for our Adobe PDF enhanced issue is running approximately 15 to 1 over the ASCII edition. Besides, STReport will not be caught in the old, worn out "downward compatibility dodge" we must move forward. However, if the ASCII readership remains as high, rest assured. ASCII will stay. Right now, since STReport is offered on a number of closed major corporate networks as "required" Monday Morning reading.. Our ascii readers have nothing to worry themselves about. Many grateful thanks in advance for your enthusiastic co-operation and input. Ralph F. Mariano, Editor STReport International Online Magazine Atari: Jaguar/Computer Section Dana Jacobson, Editor From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" Okay, so I was really in a foul mood last week c I admit it! I hate doing our budgets at work when it's a "slash and save" kind of year and then you get no feedback until you see the final version at the beginning of the fiscal year! Well, it's all done except for the screaming and review, but that's the easy part. Things are getting back to normal (insert definition of "normal" here). And also, the news is picking up a little bit so that frustrating bit is changing, at least for the present. Our promised dealer listing last week didn't make it for some reason, so we're trying it again this week. Well, I'm going to head out and enjoy this terrific weather.. we deserve it here on the right coast. Until next time... ST INFORMER Magazine ST INFORMER Magazine [Issue #97] has been mailed. This issue is packed with goodies for all the interests of folks who love and enjoy their TOS platform computers. We invite letters of inquiry and criticism to enable us to keep on top of reader interest. INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: 1. - [Potpourri], what is ahead for Atari and where have we been... 2. - [Letters], cross section of user interests that are of interest to all.. 3. - [New Developments] that Include: ú DA's Layout, Falcon Apex 3, MagiC4, Falcon Afterburner, Papyrus Help, ú Falcon CD Rom, HP Scanjet-Mustek Drivers, Moving Pixels, ClipArt CD Rom 4. - [Sacramento Expo], all the folks, feeds, foibles, and frantic purchasing 5. - [Hard Drives], an explanation to all the jargon we keep hearing 6. - [What's Available in Databases], a look at the many offerings 7. - [Positive Image], retouching program that holds great promise for users 8. - [EZ Grade], Teachers tool that keeps on keepin' on 9. - [More CDs], a look at some more offerings of Atari compatible CDs 10. - [PD Watch], 1PRN, ATIVIRS, COWS, ELFBAK, ENDURANC, EVER_35, ST-WIZ, etc 11. - [Show Calendar], MIST AtariFest to be held in Indianapolis ....PLUS A FULL MEASURE OF COMMERCIAL OFFERINGS FROM DEVELOPERS AND ADVERTISERS YOU HAVE COME TO TRUST. ....Don't miss another issue. Cost is low, satisfaction is high. Be sure that you get a steady dose of what is happening in the Atari and Atari Clone market in the Western Hemisphere. Thanks for being an enthusiast. * U.S [12 Issues] $26us [12 w/Disk] $65us * Canada [12 Issues] $32us [12 w/Disk] $72us * Foreign [12 Surface] $36us [12 Air] $58us * Forgw/Disk [Surface] $76us [Air w/Disk] $98us SUBSCRIBE THIS MONTH: Every New subscriber and renewal subscriber is eligible for our monthly prize drawing. We are giving a meaningful prize away each month starting with renewals and new subscriptions of June 1996. We also feature a new DOMESTIC ONLY "Short timers" subscription [6 issues] for a reduced rate [1/2 Price + $4]. Ask us when you call. If you feel you can not make a long range commitment, then make a short range one and help us "Keep On Keepin' On". Subscribe now! Contact us via email at our address below. "Keep on Keepin' On", Rod MacDonald ST Informer Magazine | stinformer@chatlink.com | Tel: (541) 476-0071| A&D Atari Software | GEnie: ST-INFORMER | Fax: (541) 479-1825| 909 NW Starlite Place | CIS: 75300,2514 | Order(800) 800-2563| Grants Pass, OR 97526 | | MC/Visa/Discover | World Wide Web URL: http://www.chatlink.com/~stinformer Gemulator For Laptops now shipping! It's here. The long awaited notebook and laptop compatible version of Gemulator is now shipping and available from Branch Always Software, Toad Computers, ATY Computer, and other Atari dealers. The complete ready to go emulator costs as little as $119.95 U.S. Gemulator For Laptops turns any Windows notebook or laptop computer into a portable Atari STE with full support for the mouse, modem, printer, CD-ROM, and unlimited access to the hard disk. No separate Atari disk partitions need to be created, and no hardware is involved. As with other versions of Gemulator, speed is excellent. Gemulator For Laptops runs at close to Atari TT speeds when used on common notebook computers such as the Toshiba 105CS. For the complete Gemulator For Laptops press release, browse http://www.halcyon.com/brasoft/gemlap.txt or see our web page at http://www.halcyon.com/brasoft for information on all three versions of Gemulator. - Darek Darek Mihocka the PC Xformer and Gemulator guy, email:brasoft@halcyon.com c/o Branch Always Software, 14150 N.E. 20th St. #302, Bellevue, WA 98007 phone:206-236-0540 fax:206-236-0257 WWW:http://www.halcyon.com/brasoft/ [Editor's note: Apologies for the problems with the dealer listing that was slated for last week's issue. Let's try it again this week!] Atari Computer/Gaming Hardware and Software Sources CeeJay Software info@compdirect.com Carey & Janette Cates P.O. Box 1303 ATY Computers: Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 510-482-3775 To order call us at: (618) 242-0405 a.yu@genie.com Mon-Fri 6-10pm CST Best Electronics: The Computer Dungeon 408-243-6950 1440 Spencer Ave. Berkeley, IL 60163 ST Informer Phone: (708) 547-7085 909 NW Starlite Place Fax: (708) 547-6550 Grants Pass, OR 97526 M-F 9am to 6pm CST Voice (541) 476-0071 Sat. 9am to Noon CST Fax (541) 479-1825 Orders (800) 800-2563 Toad Computers stinformer@chatlink 570 Ritchie Highway GEnie: ST-INFORMER Severna Park, MD 21146-2925 USA CIS: 75300.2514 Info/International Orders: http://www.chatlink.com/~stinformer (410) 544-6943 FAX: (410) 544-1329 Current Notes USA & Canada Orders: Current Notes attn: R. Boardman (800) 448-8623 (448-TOAD) 559 Birchmound RD. #2 Email: info@toad.net or Scarborough, ON Canada M1K 1P8 info@toad.net@INET# (GEnie Mail) (416) 261-5997 Also TOAD on Genie hcarson@io.org lianne@io.org http://www.toad.net/ Systems For Tomorrow Orders: (800) 875-4943 (US/Canada Only) Info: (816) 353-1221 Fax: (816) 252-3611 Mail: PO Box 3034 Independence MO 64055 Email: sft@sound.net Genie: k.kordes1 STeve's Computer Technologies! 405 Main Street Woodland, CA. 95695 Phone Voice (916)/661-3328 Phone Fax (916)/661-1201 Phone BBS 19166611538 Mon-Sat 10 - 6 p.m. Sunday - Closed Main Home Page Web Site: http://woodland.net/wvm/STeves/ 2nd Home Page Web Site: http://promedia.net/~dvm/STeves/ Internet E-Mail: steves@woodland.net (checked 4 times a day and more) Internet E-Mail: steves@dcn.davis.ca.us GEnie E-Mail: S.KIPKER B & C ComputerVisions: 408-986-9960 Computer Direct: 800-547-9203 Jaguar Section Towers II The State of Affairs... And more...? From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! Just when you thought all was lost, you get a little boost from the world of third party developers. I've been corresponding with a few of the folks at JV Enterprises the past few months with regard to Towers II, a completed role playing game designed for the Jaguar. From what I understand, the game was not approved for release by Atari, for reasons which have not been disclosed publicly. JVE decided to seek an independent publisher and was, finally, successful. As you'll see later on in this column, Telegames has been contracted to publish Towers II (no release date has been set, but likely for the 3rd quarter). This is a plus for Jaguar owners as the console currently has no RPGs to enjoy. The game is based on the Atari Falcon version, with some changes due to the difference in media. More changes are likely before the game finally appears. JVE was kind enough to send me a Falcon version to look at since I didn't have a PC and necessary other hardware to view the Jaguar version (they offered it). They also sent me a video taken of the Jaguar version in action. I've played around a little with the Falcon version, but not a real lot of play yet. The video looked pretty good, but looked a little repetitious. It has a Doom like appearance, but with a lot of role playing mixed in. Since I haven't played the game much, it's difficult to get a real feel to the game in many aspects yet. But, I will play it some more and hope to get a Jaguar version to fiddle with in the near future. I can say that I am psyched to see this game finally going to see the light of day! To get even more prepared, I loaded up what I feel is the essence of role playing games on the Atari platform, Dungeon Master, and just completed it (again) after not touching it for a couple of years. Bring on Towers II (or Chaos Strikes Back)!! As I learn more about Towers II, I'll bring you up to date. There's been a lot of speculation regarding the status of Atari and future Jaguar games appearing (from Atari), if any. I must admit that I'm also concerned over the "future" of new games. Breakout 2000 was supposed to be next out, but that's on hold. Putting all of the pieces of information that I've learned over the past few weeks, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we'll likely see Breakout 2000, but in limited quantities. I hope to have more specific information in the next couple of weeks; and hopefully, it will be positive. It appears that the final stages of the Atari JTS merger are in the works. I would imagine that at that time, there will have to be a definitive plan for the future of the Atari division of the proposed merger. Will there still be an Atari division, an Atari Interactive division, and a JTS drive division? Where's Ralph's mighty Crystal Ball when I need to borrow it?! All that I can do at this time is make a guess; and I'm not willing to make one. I can see the Jaguar ending, other than perhaps a game here and there over the next year, shortly after the merger. I can also foresee Atari releasing some more games and dragging out the inevitable, especially once the Nintendo machine makes an appearance. What I am willing to state is that the Jaguar, as we envisioned it grow into two years ago, has reached the end of the line. The Jaguar, as has happened with the other console machines, just didn't live up to expectations. I believe that the "cycle" of console machines has come and gone again. I don't even believe that Nintendo's pending new entry is going to live up to its hyped expectations. I have 2 Jaguars, the CD player, and quite a few games. I plan to add to that collection and continue to play them for years to come. I still play a number of games on my Atari computers (see the mention of my finishing Dungeon Master, again, above). And, if any new games come out in the future for the Jaguar that I find appealing, I'll get those as well. But, my hopes for the Jaguar becoming a significant player in the console marketplace died quite a few months ago. Life does go on. Until next time... Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! Sega to Offer Internet Links A modem and software to connect the Sega 32-bit video game player to the Internet will be marketed by the company in Japan beginning next month. In Tokyo today, officials with Sega Enterprises Ltd. told the Reuter News Service the price of the system, which would include a 14.4 kbps modem, an Internet browser and video game and communications software, will be 14,800 yen. A Sega official also said the company aimed to sell 500,000 of the systems in the first year of marketing. Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! As I mentioned earlier, I have been corresponding with some of the guys at JV Enterprises regarding the status of Towers II. The brief couple of messages below are those that I received once it was known that Telegameshad signed on to publish the game. I just thought that I'd share them with you: "Hello Dana, I hope you got the Video okay. Good News, we just signed an Agreement with Telegames for Towers II Jaguar. I just have to make a few final changes and then Compt. code T2, and it's off to them. We don't have a release date, but when we do we'll tell you. I assure you that I'll be working around the clock to make sure T2 is not delayed any longer because of us." :) Vince @ JV Enterprises "Yes, it is official. We signed a contract and we are getting a development Jag back to make the changes needed." :) Vince @ JV Enterprises ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! PEOPLE... ARE TALKING On CompuServe compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well the days keep getting longer and warmer. Folks are starting to get accustomed to spring again, and things are getting back to normal here in the Atari Forums. People are posting questions a little bit more like the old days. It just goes to show you that folks never get tired of asking for help, giving answers to those who are asking for help, or just mingling with friends old and new. As I write this, my wife is watching APOLLO 13. We just passed the part where Tom Hanks is telling those penny-pinching Senator-types that many things had to happen to make the space program happen. One of them was the invention of a computer that would fit in a single room that could hold millions of pieces of information. My, my, how far we've come. We've come quite a way in the past twenty-or-so years. The mind boggles at what we can expect in the next twenty years. Will we all still be getting together here on CompuServe or will there be something bigger? Perhaps a "SuperNet"? I don't pretend to know what the computing world will be like then, but one thing is for certain: No matter what you can imagine being commonplace in the year 2016, it's likely to be quite outdated by the time 2016 actually gets here. So I guess all we can really do is live with what we have today. For me, that means an old, comfortable computer and all my friends on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forum Joe Lensbower asks for help with one of CompuServe's commands: "Someone told me this last month.... I wrote it down and now I've lost it. How do you scan ALL and ONLY the NEW files in the libraries? I thought it was BRO LIB ALL but that's not it. Am I close?" Sysop Jim Ness tells Joe: "If you do BRO LIB:ALL you'll get all files in reverse chrono order. If you do BRO LIB:ALL AGE:2 you'll get the same, but limited to the last two days." Last week one of my CompuServe friends told me about another Web Browser program for the Atari ST series of computers. It's called OASIS and it is reported to support PPP protocol, which is what is necessary to access the World Wide Web via CompuServe. As an added bonus, it also runs under plain, vanilla GEM! No MiNT, no MINIX, no kidding. All in a rush to try this new beastie out, Brian Scott asks: "Help Does anyone have a login script for Oasis 201 to Compuserve?" Since I posted this program, I break the temporary bad news to Brian: "Evidently, there is some problem with the login setup that needs to be fixed by the authors before it can be used on CIS. I just found this out myself (actually I was told about it, as I haven't had time to even try to use it on CIS). I've heard that the next version is due out shortly which will fix this problem along with some other bugs. (Thank you Neil for the info!) Oasis seems to be our best bet at the moment for a Web Browser since it uses TOS _and_ PPP at the same time. Let's hope that it happens soon!" Patrick Wong posts: "I have a friend with a TT and a Nova card (one with 1meg Dram). Recently he wanted to upgrade to one the newer, more powerful Nova cards. I remember that Nova allows owners to trade in their old cards towards a newer card. Does anyone know if Nova is still in this forum and if this deal still exists? He would love to upgrade his card for the TT. He's also interested in a Mac Emulator. I remember that the owner of the company went bankrupt and that the emulator only runs up to system 6 software. Is this accurate? How much would a system 6 Mac emulator cost?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Patrick: "You might contact Toad computers and see if they can place in contact with the seller/importer of Nova cards. With regard to Spectre - GCR it only works with system 6.x software. Some dealers might still have them but I have seen a few in this forum being sold used too." Jack Hughes asks: "Can someone tell me if I will need HSModem to use a Supra Express 144 with a 1040STf, TOS 1.4 and 4Megs of RAM? From info I have seen in the past, here and elsewhere, the RS232 max's out at 9600. Is the Supra's speed subject to setting? Also I am currently using QuickCIS which does not have a 14.4 option, goes from 9600 to 19200." Sysop Jim Ness tells Jack: "Use the 19200 setting with a 14400 modem. The modem adjusts to one speed from the computer and another from the phone line. I do recommend a TSR like HSMODEM for anything over 9600." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Jack: "You can use Serial Fix v2.0 which is in the library. That is what I use with my Mega4 ST and it works fine. I just use the AT&F2 setting for 99% of my work with the SupraFaxmodem and it works just fine. It should be the same for you also. Set the speed of the serial port at 19,000 since there is compression between the modem and your serial port." Michael Squire posts: "I recently bought a PC and a Gemulator card to go with it. Be aware that the Gemulator card currently emulates an STe (TOS 2.06) and does -not- support a joystick. If your games require a joystick, the Gemulator would not support them at this time. Incidentally, there is a version of MagiC for the PC in the works and Toad has uploaded a (German) demo over on Genie." John Stubbs asks: "I don't suppose its possible to link my old ST to a pc via some kind of cable? My atari is fitted with an old 286 emulator, is it of any consequence. I know its probably a complete shot in the dark....." Sysop Bob Retelle tells John: "It depends on what you want to do with your ST linked to a PC. There's a program that lets the PC's hard drive act as a "file server" for the ST, and you can just transfer files back and forth using a normal serial link via a "null modem". The problem with sharing files is that the CPU chips of the two computers are completely different, thus programs won't run interchangably on them. You can share data files though, like wordprocessor text files and graphics, to a limited extent." From the Atari Gaming Forum Andrew Howard posts: "Hi all. I want Nolan [Bushnell] to say he will save Atari and kick out the Trameils.... What do you lot say!! and dont be afraid...." Hugh Chewning tells Andrew: "I don't care who takes over. Just release the completed games." Joe Park adds: "[That's] Assuming that Atari can still be saved.." Steve Watkins tells Andrew, Hugh, and Joe: "I don't know that Nolan Bushnell is the guy to resurrect any company - he's pretty much lost in all his ventures since going belly up after selling Atari (and starting his "think tank" for start-ups)." Tim Wells adds his thoughts: "Even if Atari has gone out of business, the Jaguar could be bought by another company and promoted properly, and kick some serious butt." Hugh tells Tim: "Maybe 6 months to a year ago, not now, playstation at $199 would make it impossible to gain any support from third party developers. Atari had a chance to take its share of the pie. Now there are too many systems vying for customers and most outpower the Jag. Jaguar 2, wait till DVD is a standard." Our latest "Fight for Life" update from John Moreno: "I finished FFL, and thought that Junior was too easy to beat. The game is fun, but much more so with two players. I just got MC3D a couple of weeks ago, and it's great! Virtual MC is one of the hardest games I've played in a while... there's just too much coming at you at one time! I barely got to the cloud level for the first time and was destroyed pretty quick. You'll like it! And original MC is just as adicting as ever! (anyone got a track ball for this thing?)" Well folks, I know you couldn't tell, but I just spent several hours babysitting by five year old neighbor. We sat and played the game that came with my Jaguar CD, Blue Lightning. I'll tell you, for a five year old, he's got quite good hand-eye coordination. To make a long story short... um, shorter than it would have been, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. It made him easy to babysit, and his mom was glad that he wasn't playing either Wolfenstein 3D or Ultra Vortek (his former favorites). I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I had a good time, Nick (the five year old) had a good time, and his mother had a chance to go and enjoy herself. Isn't technology wonderful? Tune in again next week and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING EDITORIAL QUICKIES Never Forget! 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