Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) June 21, 1996 No. 1225 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! Client/Server BBS Version 5 95/NT Featuring a Full Service Web Site http://www.streport.com Join STReport's Subscriber List receive STR through Internet MULTI-NODE Operation 24hrs-7 days Analog & ISDN BRI Access 904-268-4116 2400-128000 bps V. 120-32-34 v.42 bis ISDN V.34 USRobotics I-MODEM NT-1 FAX: 904-268-2237 24hrs BCS - Toad Hall BBS 1-617-567-8642 06/21/96 STR 1225 The Original Independent OnLine Magazine! - CPU Industry Report - WS_FTP PRO - Creative NEWS - Corel NewsWire - GW sells DITTO - SUN & JAVA - Click & Create - CorelCAD - Coupons Online - Enemy Inside - Interplay News - NEW Sony PC Reno WANTS `Net TAPS Attorneys General Probe AOL Pentium Counterfeits Halted STReport International OnLine Magazine Featuring Weekly "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports STReport's BBS - The Bounty International BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC, Fido, Internet, PROWL, USENET, USPOLNet, NEST, F-Net, Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-268-4116. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:112/35, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial, on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. WEB SITE: http//www.streport.com CIS ~ PRODIGY ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX ~ USENET USPOLNET CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ PROWL ~ FNET ~ AOL IMPORTANT NOTICE STReport, with its policy of not accepting any input relative to content from paid advertisers, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Publisher, Staff & Editors Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35 Results: 6/15/96: 3 of 6 numbers with one 3 number match From the Editor's Desk... The political atmosphere this year is a true spectacle of monstrous negative proportions. How in heaven's name can we as grown adults, citizens and taxpayers expect the younger generations to do "do the right thing" when the politicians form the lowest levels to the Presidential Race are acting like a raft full of anal retentive dolts. They are setting a horrid example for all youngsters, bridging all social or economic levels. There comes a time when the general population should and must be heard from. There was a time, in this country, when a U.S. President was looked upon with respect, admiration and loyalty. Ever since the vicious assassination of President John F. Kennedy, there seems to have been a gradual but very deliberate heightening of disrespect, distrust and apathy toward the Topmost Office in the US Government. It all seems to have begun from the disgraceful whitewash banter the Warren Commission puked out.. to the Nixon Watergate sleeze, the Iran Contra Reagan/Bush Coverup and now the ugly political shenanigans of WhiteWater coming from "Jester D'Amato", "Saint Bob Dole", "Slick Willy", "The Vince Foster MURDER", "WACO", "Beaverton", "Freemen", and this current and very awful presidential campaign that has yet to address any of the real issues facing the USA and the World today to the smoke screens of "Billary". this country's government is obviously in deep trouble. At the very dirty hands of BOTH the Democrats and Republicans. We, as the ultimate bastion of truth and the "American Way" must step in and bring horrible Government for the Feds to our local political hacks back to the basics, back to truth in government, back to honesty in government and most of all, a return to the concept that the American Family is the basic building block of our social structure. If the USA is ever to return to the moral leadership it once offered its citizens and the world, the basic building blocks of a successful social structure must be brought to the forefront of our daily lives once again. That basic building block has always been THE FAMILY. Why is BIG Government so interested in becoming the pseudo family for most every child born in the USA? Must BIG Government have such absolute control over our nation's children from the womb to the tomb?? Why are we, as a nation, allowing this garbage to occur? Solution are in all honesty rare, few and far between. Independence Day is right around the corner. Do we really have "something to celebrate" or, are we, as a nation, simply going to "go through the motions" once again? (Patting ourselves on our Red/White/Blue backs while beneath the pretty facade, corruption and decay is rampant.) Its up to each and every one of us to write to our representatives at every level of government and let them know we are watching them and will not forget them.. come election time. The BAD Politicians; simply put ..must go. Government must be brought back to reality. The lack of any responsible, responsive government in the last four years must stop! Why must we endure the "show" of goofy political parties battling each other and making feeble attempts at destroying each other??? Its a sham! A political SHAM! They're eating up valuable "On the Hill" time that could easily be put to far more productive and responsive activities dedicated to the betterment of our society and country. But no.. they must "fight" each other. Folks, they're playing games at our expense! Write to those who represent you and tell them "all about it"... They really need to know they are flirting with political extinction at Election Time. This time, many of us will not forget when we pull the levers. 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. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors PC Section Mac Section Atari Section R.F. Mariano J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson Portable Computers & Entertainment Kid's Computing Corner Marty Mankins Frank Sereno STReport Staff Editors Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Vincent P. O'Hara Contributing Correspondents Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Daniel Stidham David H. Mann Angelo Marasco Donna Lines Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Leonard Worzala Tom Sherwin Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe 70007,4454 Prodigy CZGJ44A Delphi RMARIANO GEnie ST.REPORT BIX RMARIANO FIDONET 1:112/35 ITC NET 85:881/253 AOL STReport Internet rmariano@streport.com Internet CZGJ44A@prodigy.com Internet RMARIANO@delphi.com Internet 70007.4454.compuserve.com Internet STReport@AOL.Com WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.streport.com STReport Headline News LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson Reno Advocates Net Security Plan Attorney General Janet Reno is advancing a plan to establish a new agency overseeing all digital encryption, saying that would make it tougher for criminals and terrorists to use the Internet to carry out crimes. Speaking to the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, Reno said her plan would require people to register with the new agency the secret codes -- or "keys" -- they use to encrypt message online. Reporting on the speech, Sandra Ann Harris of United Press International adds, "Federal authorities could then obtain the information they need to decipher the encryptions using a court order and secretly monitor electronic communication on the Internet the same way wiretaps are used to monitor telephone conversations of suspected criminals." Reno added, "We look only to make existing law apply to new technology," adding new computer programs designed to crack the new complicated encryptions take too long to be useful to law enforcement. "Some of our most important prosecutions have depended on wire taps." She also said registration of keys might end up being a worldwide requirement, since the Internet is used increasingly for international communication, commerce and criminal enterprise. Reno told the group that effectively regulating electronic encryption will depend be finding a balance between protecting privacy interests while stopping criminals from cashing in on the new technology. "If we do our job right citizens will enjoy the Information Age without being victimized" by high technology, Reno said. Attorneys General Probe AOL Rate Amid reports it is the subject of a formal investigation by New York attorney general Dennis Vacco over how it calculates its bills, America Online has confirmed it has been talking to several states' attorneys general about its business practices. New York newspaper Newsday broke the story of the rates probe in that state, but a representative of Vacco's office told The Associated Press that, as a matter of policy, the office does not confirm or deny such investigations. AOL said in a statement, "It is our understanding that several state attorneys general have informally inquired into industry practices and AOL has had dialogue with the New York state attorney general's office with regard to this informal inquiry." AOL spokeswoman Pam McGraw told the wire service she could not specify the topics that attorneys general have talked about with the company and others in the online industry, adding, "It's a give-and-take situation. They come to us on some matters and we go to them on others." AP notes AOL also is a defendant in suits in Pennsylvania and California that accuse it of rounding up per- minute charges. The suit in Pennsylvania, brought by First Mortgage Corp. of Ardmore is being settled, representatives of both sides said. Pentium Counterfeits Halted Five people have been arrested in Taipei and charged with making and selling fake copies of Intel Corp.'s Pentium microprocessors. "After months of investigation," the Reuter News Service reports from Taiwan, "police raided a factory in the central city of Chungli on Sunday and found 11 machines used for making fake Pentiums, the world's most popular microprocessors." A police official told the wire service, "We first received reports from Intel back in March that fake Pentiums were circulating in the market, and we are now investigating to see how many chips the factory has made thatare still out in the market." He added that only 27 chips were confiscated at the factory on Sunday, but the police also found an order form for more chips from a small local computer firm called "Hung Yin." The official said, "We suspect that the counterfeit factory was run by Hung Yin and there's still another factory that we haven't uncovered." Earlier this month, Taiwan customs agents confiscated 10,000 bootleg CD-ROMs containing Microsoft Corp.'s flagship Windows 95 intended for export to the United States. Notes Reuters, "Taiwan has been trying to reverse a reputation for having poor intellectual property protections -- a struggle that has paid some dividends. On May 1, the United States formally removed Taiwan from its so-called Special 301 watch list of countries that tolerate or encourage violations of intellectual property rights." Net Deadbeats to Lose Domain Names The company that registers Internet domain names is planning to pull the plug on customers who haven't paid their bills. On June 24, Network Solutions Inc. of Herndon, Virginia, will begin suspending the service of customers who have been sent a final 15-day notice and have not paid for their domain name registrations. The company says domain names will be restored within one business day of receipt of payment if payment is received within 60 days. During the 60-day period, the domain name will not be assigned to any other party. "We have made every effort to contact these customers and their Internet service providers to resolve payment problems via repeated invoices, e-mails and a final 15-day notice," says Don Telage, Network Solutions' president. "With over 400,000 currently registered domain names and the continuing exponential growth in use and services on the Internet, our priority must be to support our paying customers rather than continue protracted attempts to collect overdue accounts from non-paying customers." Network Solutions is the Domain Registrar under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The company provides worldwide registration, online services, database maintenance and help desk support pertaining to the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and names within the .com, .org, .edu, .net and .gov domains. Further information on domain registration policies and procedures can be found on the World Wide Web at: http://www.netsol.com or http://rs.internic.net/domain-info/fee-policy.htm. Sun Warns of Use of 'Java' Name Sun Microsystems Inc. has drawn a line in cyberspace, warning more than a dozen companies to stop using the word "Java" in their Internet addresses because the name is a protected trademark for Sun's online programming language. Business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press notes, "Some of the companies Sun has warned sell coffee, the thing many people think of when they hear the word Java. Others, such as retailer Javanco of Nashville, Tennessee, just happen to have the word Java as part of their name. And ironically, some of the companies use Sun's Java language to create sites on the World Wide Web." Ray Taft, president of Web Planet, a Web consulting firm based in San Jose, California, told Ramstad, "Sun just doesn't want anybody to dabble in domains that use that word." (One of Web Planet's web sites has the Web address of "javacup.com.") AP notes that on its own Web site and in its warning letters, Sun cites a host of Java-related words it has trademarked, including Javasoft, Javastation, Ultrajava, Picojava and Javaworld. "But," says Ramstad, "the extent to which Sun can apply those trademarks in cyberspace is unclear. If it can prevent coffee shops from using Java in their Internet addresses, can it also stop hotels on the Indonesian island of Java from doing so?" On this Sun associate general counsel Anne Gundelfinger commented, "If the island of Java were to establish a domain name that had Java in it, no we would not go after that, but if somebody is using Java in their domain name or otherwise in a way that's likely to cause confusion with our Java mark, we will police that." Protestors of the Sun action have been gathering at a site operated by Portland, Oregon, programmer Jon Batcheller who received a letter from Sun in mid-May telling him to stop using the "Java" in his address. Instead, he turned his Web site (located at Web address www.javac.com) into an electronic rallying point. Batcheller told AP, "I wasn't going to take it without doing something. To me, it's like Microsoft telling people not to use windows. Windows is a software program but most people think of windows as something to look through." Patent Office Rules in TI's Favor The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has affirmed that Texas Instruments engineer Gary W. Boone is the inventor of the single-chip microcontroller, device that revolutionized electronics by putting all the functions of a computer on a single piece of silicon. The Patent Office ruling is the outcome of a five-year proceeding to determine whether a highly publicized patent awarded in the summer of 1990 to Gilbert P. Hyatt, covered an invention made first by Boone at TI. The patent office proceeding, known as an interference, focused on who was first to invent the single-chip microcontroller. The single-chip microcontroller, also known as a computer-on-a-chip, is a tiny sliver of silicon containing all the essential parts of a computer. Single-chip microcontrollers are widely used in computer keyboards, automatic ignition systems, television and videocassette recorder controls and other household and industrial applications. Unlike microprocessor chips, single- chip microcontrollers contain on-chip permanent computer programs that direct the chip to perform predetermined functions. "This ruling rightfully establishes Gary Boone and TI as the inventor of the single-chip microcontroller, settling the broad speculation that followed after Mr. Hyatt received a patent," says Richard Donaldson, senior vice president and general patent counsel for TI. "Gilbert Hyatt has absolutely no claim on the invention." The Patent Office also granted TI's request for a statutory invention registration, which will officially recognize Gary Boone and TI as the inventor of the single-chip microcontroller. TI holds several patents covering the commercial implementation of the computer- on-a-chip, based on work done by Boone and other TI inventors, resulting from TI's effort in the late 1960s and 1970s on TI's TMS100 and TMS1000 microcontroller families. A notice will be attached to Hyatt's U.S. Patent No. 4,942,516 explaining that his claims for invention of the single-chip microcontroller have been canceled. "TI has nothing to gain financially now from receiving another patent on Boone's basic invention of the computer- on-a-chip," adds Donaldson. "What is important is the Patent Office's confirmation that Gary Boone and TI were first to invent the computer-on-a-chip." TI says the ruling will have no effect on its royalties or intellectual property licensing program. Apple Tops Multimedia Sales For the second year running, Apple Computer Inc. has been named the top vendor of complete multimedia PC desktop systems worldwide with 18.8 percent of the 1995 market, according to a report from Dataquest researchers. Reporting from Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters, the Dow Jones News Service says Dataquest reported Apple Computer shipped nearly 4 million of the 20.9 million PC desktop units. The 20.9 million units were slightly more than double the 10.4 million units shipped in 1994, the wire service added. Dataquest also reported the regions outside of North America had the majority of shipments for the first time ever in 1995, accounting for 52.4 percent of worldwide shipments, up from 30.9 percent in 1994. These regions include Europe, Japan and Asia/Pacific. Gateway Offers Ditto Drive Iomega Corp. reports that Gateway 2000, the PC direct marketer, has started offering the internal Ditto Easy 3200 as an installed option in any of its PCs. The Ditto Easy 3200, a 3.2 gigabyte tape backup drive, supports most leading QIC tape formats, including Travan, QIC-WIDE and standard QIC cartridges. "Gateway's offering of the Ditto Easy 3200 is an important step in establishing the Ditto line as the standard for tape backup," says Timothy L. Hill, vice president of worldwide marketing at Roy, Utah-based Iomega. "Their customers will be very pleased that Gateway has made it so easy to choose an affordable and convenient way to insure the stuff on their computers." Gateway 2000, a Fortune 500 company based in North Sioux City, South Dakota, sells more PC-compatible systems through the direct market channel in the U.S. than any other PC manufacturer. Acer Rolls Out Net Computer The notion of a network computer -- a low-end under-$500 system specifically designed for the Internet -- generally has been talked up by Oracle Corp., but Taiwan's Acer Group has become the first big computer maker to actually launch an NC. However, if you're in the U.S., don't be rushing off to the store to look for it just yet. Acer Chairman Stan Shih told Jeffrey Parker of the Reuter News Service the company initially will not sell the machine in the huge U.S. market, settling instead for sales in poorer markets. "Yet in the long run," Parker comments, "Acer's Internet-minded AcerBasic could bedevil the U.S. giants' symbiotic mainstays -- Intel's speedy Pentium chips and Microsoft's Windows 95 and Windows NT system software -- jointly nicknamed the 'Wintel standard.' That's because the AcerBasic does not have a Pentium processor, Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT. They cost too much." Instead, Acer's NC relies on cheaper "Pentium-like" chips made by Intel's rivals and, says Reuters, "on Microsoft's almost-antique Windows 3.1, which clings to life even though Microsoft has lavished hundreds of millions of dollars to promote its fancier successors." Reporting from Taipei, Parker adds, "Though some new NC will junk Intel and Microsoft altogether, Acer's Shih says the AcerBasic is less radical and poses no immediate challenge to Intel/Microsoft market dominance." Shih told the wire service, "Actually, our approach is still Wintel," adding AcerBasic's slow 75MHz Pentium clone and Windows 3.1 were "not necessarily the most up-to-date" but kept its price at $500, a benchmark set by NC visionary and Wintel detractor Larry Ellison of software maker Oracle. Says Reuters, "Shih's message: Connectivity is everything, while Wintel compatibility, long the industry's bedrock, is less important." As noted, Intel and Microsoft both openly scoff at a $500 network computer, saying consumers want more than single-function "appliances." But Shih, whose AcerBasic plugs into any TV set, says Intel will find ithas to make cheap chips for low-cost NCs. Today's faster Pentium chips alone cost more an AcerBasic. Says the Acer chief, "Today its best interest is to sell more high-end (chips), but in the long run, if this is to become a huge market, Intel is also going have to serve these requirements." And as far as Windows goes, "Our target (for now) is developing countries, so DOS and Windows 3.1 is good enough," Shih says. "We support Microsoft, so it is supporting us in our move to make PCs more popular in developing countries. And if PCs become more popular, Microsoft will get benefits." Shih told Parker Acer NCs developed for the United States and other advanced markets may use Pentium chips and Windows 95 or NT, and will have to cost "hundreds of dollars more." IBM Creates Cordless Modem A cordless modem prototype that operates without a cable link has been developed by IBM, which says the unit, about the size of a pocket calculator, allows use of a PC or laptop up to 100 feet from the nearest phone jack without plugging in. The Reuter News Service quotes IBM officials as saying the device works with standard PC built-in modems, off- the-shelf PC cards and external modems, requires no software changes to the system and supports speeds up to 28.8Kbps. Bill Pence, director of an IBM Research division, told the wire service, "We've modified low-cost cordless phone technology and integrated it with standard analog modems, eliminating cumbersome phone cords." Reuters says a user connects the modem output to a small cordless remote unit and plugs the companion base unit into a standard phone jack. Also, IBM says, the technology can be integrated into next-generation cordless phones, by adding a jack directly into the phone handset. CompuServe Unveils 'Smart Rules' CompuServe Inc. has announced the availability of advanced Smart Rules -- tools that are designed help users customize e-mail and receive online information anytime, anywhere and on any device. Smart Rules allow users to set up individual, personalized profiles that automatically filter and send specific online information to their CompuServe electronic mailbox for forwarding to their choice of devices. In addition to the traditional access through a computer, e-mail and online information can be accessed through any touch-tone phone or sent from CompuServe to a pager and, soon, to a fax machine. Users can determine the times they want information forwarded or have data automatically sent as needed. Smart Rules will allow users to: ú Forward a copy of electronic mail to a pager. ú Periodically receive the status of any five stock issues. ú Receive selected notification of changes in a stock's price. ú Get final sports scores from college and professional teams as they are reported. ú Read news bulletins and see important stories that relate to selected stock issues. CompuServe users will be able to set up and change their profile through an easy-to use online interface. Future enhancements will include the ability to get localized traffic updates, travel information, weather forecasts, in- progress sports scores, lottery information, messages from CompuServe Forum areas and more. "This is a major step by CompuServe into the proactive delivery of personalized information," says Dave Eastburn, vice president of product management and support at CompuServe. "As part of our on-going Stay In Charge communications strategy, we are giving our users the broadest, most versatile array of communication tools in the industry. These tools essentially let our users create their own personalized electronic information portfolio, with all the information that is important to them. And they can have it delivered any time, anywhere and on any device." "We will make information available on multiple devices through many means of access, and we will give users the tools to manage the flow of that information," adds Steve Owens, marketing manager for CompuServe Communications. "These tools are just the beginning of CompuServe's development of personalized information services. CompuServe will change the way people look at information, and we will change their expectations for an online service." Today's launch is the latest in a series of announcements by CompuServe that represent the implementation of CompuServe's Stay In Charge strategy. These include offering new paging services that allow users to receive e-mail, stock quotes and sports scores on any pager in the U.S.; the activation of the CompuServe Communications Card; and upcoming partnerships to extend the reach of CompuServe communications services. The Stay In Charge strategy is designed to help mobile professionals and others keep in touch with crucial information anytime, anywhere and through any device. The paging services are brought to market in conjunction with CompuServe's business partners MobileComm, PageMart and PageNet. Users on these networks will receive paging services at no incremental charge. The calling card services have been developed with Premiere Technologies and will be marketed through several soon-to-be-announced business partners aswell as existing CompuServe and Premiere channels. Sony Introduces First PC Japan's Sony Corp. introduces its first personal computer today, a $2,000 to $3,000 unit powered by Intel Corp.'s top-of-the-line 200MHz Pentium Chip. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning the system "will offer high- quality sound and graphics but isn't radically different from other computers on the market," adding, "Complete with a 28.8-kilobit-per-second modem, the dark gray computers will provide owners with a direct service line, enabling Sony staffers to make software fixes over the telephone." Analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Research International Inc. told the paper that while the new computer is a bit more expensive than others, Sony may emerge as a major factor in the home PC business, noting, "Their brand name and overall clout in the (retail) channels make them a player." TI Offers New Notebook Line Texas Instruments Inc. has launched a new line of mobile computers called the TravelMate 6000 series, which will be priced from $4,199 to $4,999. Reporting from Dallas, the Reuter News Service says the series uses Intel Corp.'s 120MHz and 133 MHz Pentium processors, has a 12.1-inch active matrix display, the new Zoomed Video port technology and a 6X CD-ROM, and weighs 5.9 pounds. There are two models in the series: ú The TravelMate 6020 is available this month and has an estimated price of $4,199. It utilizes 8MB of high speed memory standard. ú The TravelMate 6030 will be available next month and has an estimated price tag of $4,999. It features 16 MB of memory. Reuters says both have removable hard disk drives and come with modems and communications software prefigured for one-click connection to the Internet. TI Unveils Notebook Accessory Line Texas Instruments Inc. has introduced Livegear, its new notebook computer accessories brand. TI says the Livegear line includes products that augment TI's and other PC maker's notebooks. According to TI, Livegear includes several product categories: Storagegear, which include CD-ROMs and hard drives; Performancegear products such as RAM and EDO memory modules; Powergear accessories ranging from auto adapters to batteries; Communicationsgear such as synchronized personal organizers, speaker and answer phone modems and MPEG cards; Totegear, including backpacks, pouches and briefcases; and Desktopgear, which includes TI's DockMates desktop docking stations. "The birth of Livegear accessories gives us the opportunity to provide to the customer what we know they need: custom product solutions that work together anytime, anywhere to increase productivity," says Steve Lair, vice president of worldwide marketing and sales for TI's personal productivity products unit. "Mobility and connectivity are the heart of our business. Livegear accessories are the next step in supporting that end." CompuServe Has 'Virtual Passport' CompuServe Inc. has introduced "The Virtual Passport," a technology initiative that will allow the company to deploy its fee-based services using Internet technology. The Virtual Passport will also permit other Internet sites to identify CompuServe members and enable them to use just one password, such as their CompuServe password, to gain access, often at no extra charge, to many sites on the Internet. According to CompuServe, The Virtual Passport also: ú Enables Web sites to verify who is visiting. This means that the extent of access to specific information on the Web and within a Web site can be controlled and monitored both by the individual user and the Web site. ú Verifies the authenticity of a Web site for the user, helping to ensure that a site being accessed is not a fraudulent "copy-cat" or "spoofed" site. ú Benefits content providers by delivering a large customer base to their content in a secure, authenticated way. ú Enables small businesses to set up a secure Web site that can be accessed only by approved, authenticated users, delivering global networking and communications power to any size business. "Today's announcement will simplify the Internet by letting users go to many places with just one password for just one price," says Denny Matteucci, CompuServe's president of online services. "The Virtual Passport is the next critical step in the evolution of CompuServe's fee-based services from proprietary technology to the open standards of the Internet. It will enable us to control access to content, like CompuServe Forum areas, on the Internet." The Virtual Passport will also be deployed as part of CompuServe's Internet-only service, SPRYNET and WOW!, the new home and family service. Penril Sells Modem Biz for $120M For $120 million in stock, Penril DataComm Networks Inc. has agreed to sell its modem business to computer network products specialist Bay Networks, leaving Penril with its remote access business. Reporting from Gaithersburg, Maryland, United Press International reports the deal calls for Penril shareholders to receive Bay Networks stock worth $10 a share. "Penril will then distribute shares of Access Beyond to shareholders in a spin-off transaction establishing Access Beyond as a new, publicly traded company," the wire service adds. Penril Chairman/President/CEO Henry D. Epstein told the wire service, "We believe these transactions represent a 'win-win-win' situation," adding Penril shareholders will receive a strong return on investment; Bay Networks, which will add high-end modem technology; and those affiliated with Access Beyond, which can establish itself as a prominent player in the burgeoning remote access market. Also Penril Vice President Ronald A. Howard, developer of the Access Beyond concept, said, "Access Beyond will immediately be among the best-positioned to serve a remote access market that is expected to reach $2 billion by 1999." He added the Access Beyond products will work on any system, making the lines attractive to customers and resellers. UPI says that after the spin-off, Access Beyond will designate a new board of directors and management team with Howard expected to serve as chairman/CEO. It is anticipated both the spin-off and sale transactions will be completed by early fall. Meanwhile, at its Santa Clara, California, headquarters, Bay Networks officials said the deal, which will transfer about 40 employees from Penril, will make it better able to quickly respond to service providers' requirements, further strengthening the company as the access leader inthe internetworking market. President/CEO Andy Ludwick commented, "Owning this technology is critical to our success in the enterprise segment of the marketplace as well. As our enterprise customers expand their networks beyond the backbone, we see similar requirements for high density, extensive scalability, and accelerated time to market in our dial- up products. Ownership of DSP modem technology will allow Bay Networks to quickly support new application areas beyond data, including video, fax and voice." Nixon CD-ROM Debuts on Anniversary On the 24th anniversary of the infamous Watergate break- in, Graphix Zone has released Nixon The CD- ROM, an interactive analysis of one of America's most controversial presidents. The disc's users can explore a navigable 3-D "Secret" White House and examine thousands of pages of unpublished documents, Watergate tape transcripts, interactive timelines, Oliver Stone's Academy Award-nominated screenplay and create custom searches using a Boolean search engine. "While exploring the disc, I saw a memo dated July 16, 1970, which seems to be the earliest evidence documenting the Nixon administration's intent to break into the Brookings Institution," notes John Dean, former Nixon White House counsel and a consultant on Nixon The CD-ROM. "At one point, events got so out of control that the "plumbers" were talking about renting a fire truck, setting a fire and going after documents in the Brookings Institution. Fortunately, that one got called off." Other Nixon-era figures who contributed to the CD-ROM include Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsburg, former Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield (who first revealed the existence of the White House taping system); former Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee Sam Dash; former Watergate Prosecutor Earl Silbert; Jerry Ziefman, former Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee (which voted to impeach President Nixon); and former Time Magazine correspondent Hayes Gorey. The disc provides online links to a Graphix Zone-managed Nixon Web Site (www.gzone.com/nixon) containing an interactive Nixon biography and scores of links to valuable Nixon resource sites on the World Wide Web. Macintosh Leads in Brand Loyalty The Macintosh led the personal computer industry in repurchase loyalty again in 1995, as it did in 1994, according to statistics compiled by market researcher Computer Intelligence InfoCorp (CII). CII says its repurchase rate calculations measure the percentage of each brand's users who purchased a new computer in 1995 based on the same brand they had previously owned. According to the CII research, about seven in eight of Apple Macintosh users who purchased a computer in 1995 purchased another Macintosh. Following Apple were Dell, Hewlett Packard, Acer and Gateway 2000, ranking second through fifth. IBM, Compaq, AST Research, Packard Bell and NEC completed the list of top ten brands, in that order. "In spite of the highly publicized troubles Apple suffered in late 1995, Macintosh users remained the most loyal users of all PC brands, with repurchase rates in 1995 nearly identical to what we measured for 1994," says David Tremblay, CII's senior industry analyst for PCs. Tremblay adds that user loyalty is a key to Apple's future. He notes that CII research shows that Apple has done very poorly in enticing other brands' users to cross over to Macintosh. "Sales to existing Macintosh users provide a revenue base to support the company while Apple develops new products in new sectors of the industry that can provide for its future growth," he notes. 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 For Immediate Release Corel Begins Shipping CorelCADT Spatial Technology's ACISr Engine Set to Enhance Corel's New Modeling Tool Ottawa, Canada - June 17, 1996 - Corel Corporation announced today the release of CorelCADT, a 32-bit design tool that allows easy, accurate modeling of real world objects in 3D. This powerful application, based on Spatial Technology's industry-standard ACISr solid modeling system, will give PC users the flexibility to conceptualize, construct and revise product models and prototypes. "We have geared CorelCAD towards the 3D designer who values accuracy and ease- of-use above all else," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "Whether the user is a professional using computer models to represent real world objects, or a hobbyist creating mockups or digital models of their designs, this new modeling tool will add a whole new dimension to their end result." "ACIS is the most widely used 3D geometric modeler in the world. Hundreds of thousands of users already work with PC-based CAD/CAE/CAM software products based on ACIS. CorelCAD users especially benefit from the automatic interoperability with this huge community of engineering professionals and their products," explained Jerry Sisson, president and COO at Spatial Technology. "ACIS is the standard for 3D modeling because products like AutoCAD, Microstation Modeler, and now a new generation of lower cost 3D modeling products like CorelCAD have made it so." CorelCAD allows the user to create intricate shapes and models based on a simple to use building block approach. A wide selection of primitive shapes are available and powerful Boolean operations allow one shape to be added or subtracted from another. New shapes can be created from the intersection of two solids, and 3D solids can be created by the extrusion or sweeping of 2D profiles. Powerful blending capabilities allow the smoothing of edges on the model, while advanced rendering allows the model to be viewed with realistic material textures, lighting and shadows. The solid model can be queried and information such as volume, surface area and center of gravity can be extracted. CorelCAD takes advantage of many of the user interface standards used in other Corel applications. With its native 32-bit architecture, CorelCAD is designed to take advantage of the speed and memory management enhancements of the Windowsr 95 and Windows NTT operating systems. Superb drawing management features, print capabilities, along with dimensioning and 2D drafting features round out the program. The CorelCAD box includes: ú CorelCADT ú Corel Print SpaceT: an advanced printing application that allows CAD models to be printed along with any other type of OLE objects. ú Corel DREAM 3D 6: allows users to import CorelCAD generated DXF files, position various CAD models and create photo-realistic scenes with advanced lighting controls. ú Corel MULTIMEDIA MANAGERT 6: allows the user to manage files graphically, create albums of files and logically group files across multiple drives or networks. ú Corel SCRIPT: an OLE enabled scripting language that allows users to automate repetitive tasks by writing macros. ú 7,000 + 2D drafting symbols 600 + 3D symbols ú 750 + 3D models for Corel DREAM 3D ú 200 + house plans ú 750 seamless bitmap tiles for Corel DREAM 3D ú 200 + Corel Professional Photos on CD-ROM backgrounds for Corel DREAM 3D ú 100 sample drawings ú 120 TrueTyper fonts ú Corel House SelectT: allows users to select house plans from the library based on search criteria such as square footage, number of bedrooms and more. ú CorelMEMOT: allows users to add notes to Corel Print Space. System Requirements Users will require a minimum of a 486-33 (Pentium recommended), 16 MB of RAM (32 MB recommended), Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51 or higher, VGA display (800 x 600 pixels recommended), CD-ROM drive with 32-bit drivers and a Mouse or drawing tablet. Pricing and Availability Shipping since May 31, 1996 , CorelCAD is available for a suggested list price of $895 US. Upgrades are available for CorelDRAWT, AutoCADr, Generic CADDr, CADKEYr, MicroStationr and VisualCADDT users for a suggested list price of $249 US. ACIS ACIS is an object-oriented, boundary representation geometric modeling toolkit, written in C++, designed for use as the "geometric engine" within applications. ACIS provides an open architecture for wireframe, surface and solid modeling. Linear and quadric geometry is represented analytically, free-form geometry is represented as NURBS. ACIS capabilities can be accessed through its API. Developers writing in C++ can add, derive or extend classes. ACIS can be licensed as object code or source code. Spatial Technology Inc. Spatial Technology Inc. introduced ACIS in 1989 as the world's first commercial, object-oriented, 3D geometric modeling toolkit. Since then, ACIS has become the industry-standard 3D modeling technology. To date, there are 351 ACIS licensees worldwide and 58 commercial ACIS-compatible products, including AutoCAD Release 13T, AutoCAD DesignerT, AutoCAD Mechanical DesktopT, MicroStation ModelerT, TriSpectivesT, CorelCADT, and Solid EdgeT. ACIS is used as the foundation for applications in CAD/CAM/CAE, animation, architectural engineering, virtual reality, entertainment, multimedia, education, industrial design, geophysical modeling and architectural design. For more information, visit Spatial Technology on the internet at http:/www.spatial.com/spatial. Corelr Click & CreateT Set to Make Multimedia Presentations Come Alive Ottawa, Canada - June 17, 1996 - Corel Corporation has begun shipping Corelr Click & CreateT, an easy and powerful multimedia authoring tool to be used in the development of CD-ROM games, corporate presentations, interactive training and educational materials, multimedia titles, screen savers and much more. Shipping since May 31, Corel Click & Create is available for a suggested list price of $695 US, with competitive upgrades available for $249 US. The authoring program operates under Windowsr 3.1x and Windowsr 95, with a Macintosh runtime player scheduled for September of this year. The Macintosh runtime player, which allows distribution and playback of multimedia applications, will be available free of charge at that time to allow for cross platform development of titles. Corel Click & Create was developed for Corel Corporation by UK-based Europress. "Corel Click & Create is one of the most innovative multimedia authoring tools on the market," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "Its exceptional ease-of-use, short learning curve and amazing flexibility will make this package a powerful addition to anyone's multimedia software collection." "Corel Click & Create is the result of many years development both in the UK and France. This development will continue, making Corel Click & Create and future associated products into brand leaders in this area of the growing multimedia market," said Michael Meakin, managing director of Europress. Corel is excited to continue its foray into the realm of multimedia, which is quickly becoming the most popular way to present all types of information. Complete multimedia presentations include a combination of static (text and graphics) and time-based (audio, animation and video) elements. It is therefore necessary to use a powerful authoring tool to seamlessly combine text, graphics, video, animation, audio and other multimedia elements into a single application. Corel's product is designed to do just that and is geared towards a range of professionals, including multimedia designers, graphic artists, game developers, corporate executives and training coordinators. Corel Click & Create is designed to put the user on the cutting edge of 16- and 32-bit multimedia authoring with powerful tools and comprehensive libraries that offer great flexibility. Learning a complicated scripting language is not necessary with this product. Powerful programming functions are available through mouse-driven menus that simplify and speed up the application development process. Other ease-of-use features include customizable application menus; easily resizable applications; step-by-step tutorials, online help and example files; and, animation, picture, morphing and button editors. Support for DirectX, WinG and multiple palettes are added bonuses. Users will find this multimedia authoring tool incredibly powerful for a number of reasons. The package offers, among other features, video game performance, complete object-oriented development, open-development architecture, ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) support, specialized game building tools, as well as drag-and-drop event editing. With convenient runtime testing features, users can test applications with just one click to see instant results, and save their projects as stand alone EXE files. A speed-independent option also allows games to run at the same speed regardless of the PC on which they are played. The following items are included in the Corel Click & Create package: ú 210+ fonts ú 1,100+ clipart images ú 250+ video clips & animation files ú 1,400+ sound effects in 8-bit and 16-bit WAV files ú 100+ graphics-packed libraries including complex 3D images ú 100+ pre-made transition effects including wipes and dissolves ú 150+ background images in BMP file format ú musical clips in midi and WAV files ú 7 multimedia examples ú 6 game examples ú 5 screen saver examples ú 3 step-by-step tutorials Technical Support Corel will provide Corel Click & Create customers 30 days of free technical support on a toll-line (613-728-1010) from the first phone call and paid for support on a toll-free line for any support requirements following this time period. For further information on paid for support, call the toll-line number. Development and System Requirements Minimum system requirements for Windowsr 3.1x include IBM PC or compatible 386 33 (486 33 recommended), 4 MB of RAM (8 MB of RAM recommended), CD-ROM drive, 3 MB of hard disk space (12 MB recommended), and a VGA (24-bit video card and 16-bit sound card recommended). Minimum system requirements for Windowsr 95/Windows NTT include IBM PC or compatible 486 33, 8 MB of RAM (12 MB recommended), a two-button mouse, 6 MB of hard disk space (12 MB recommended), CD-ROM drive, and a VGA (24-bit video card and 16-bit sound card recommended). Europress Europress is a family owned company, dedicated to good business practice and the maintenance of high standards. These principles and the quality of its products have brought Europress many successful partnerships worldwide, and made it the UK's leading producer of educational software. The company's product line is divided into five ranges - education, lifestyle, multimedia, bookshelf and productivity. Europress retains intellectual rights to Click & Create and will also continue to market its games creation package, Klik and Playr, which is now available in 35 countries and 14 different languages. Europress maintains a home page at http://www.europress.co.uk. 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, OpenVMS 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. EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed Edupage Contents Who Owns The "Image" Of A Building? Wireless E-Mail With An Attitude Comcast, Cox Invest In @Home The Enemy Inside Laptops As "The Sole Machine" Virtual University Moving Ahead Coupons Online Texas Instruments Has Notebook Ambitions AOL Denies Report Of New York State Investigation Wired: Business Or Hobby? Gleick On Digital Cash And Non- networked Hotdogs Freedom Of Information Dallas Is Laughing, But The Times Owns The Joke Resolution Urges Congressional Internet Use Compaq, Toshiba Battle For King Of The (Laptop) Hill Sony's PC. Think ... Purple Autodesk Wins Piracy Settlement Software For Rent On Cheap Terminal AT&T Launches Business Service On The Net Verifone Offers Internet Payment System Students Fund More Campus Kiosks Andersen, BBN Team Up On Internet E-Mail While Driving Is On The Rise Communications From The Electric Company Founder Of SGI And Netscape Starts Health Service On Net Internauts Anonymous PC Makers Want To Trim Costs By Trimming Bundles IBM Ponders Unbundling Notes Electronic Copyright Compromise? Outsourcing Boom New Software Lets You "Ask The Wizard" Laptop 54, Where Are You? Acer's Stand-Alone Internet Computer Intel Ventures Into Internet Content Agreement Samsung Gets License Digital's Alpha Chip Cultural Notes On Automated Banking WHO OWNS THE "IMAGE" OF A BUILDING? In a precedent-setting intellectual property dispute, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, is suing a photographer for infringing its trademark by selling posters made from his photo of the architecturally distinct museum. Photographers, artists, filmmakers, and publishers are concerned about the implications of allowing trademarks for buildings, but lawyers for the museum argue: "If we lose our rights on posters, we'll lose it on T-shirts and hats." Trademark protection generally is intended to prevent someone from copying a building's distinctive shape (such as that of the famous McDonald's golden arches). The issue is whether the photographer's profits from the poster are due mainly to his own creativity as a photographer or rather to the beauty and fame of a building designed by others. (New York Times 16 Jun 96 p1) WIRELESS E-MAIL WITH AN ATTITUDE RadioMail Corp. now includes "agent" software with its wireless news and e- mail service, allowing users to launch Web "agents" that are programmed to seek out and download only the information that has been specified. The service runs on a variety of wireless networks, including Motorola's wireless service and RAM Mobile Data. (Investor's Business Daily 17 Jun 96 A8) COMCAST, COX INVEST IN @HOME Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications have agreed to buy a stake in Tele- Communications Inc.'s @Home cable online access venture, giving them the option of launching similar services in their own markets. "It validates once again the seriousness of these guys going after the online marketplace," says a Forrester Research analyst, who adds that a nationally branded service would provide stiff competition to telco offerings. (Broadcasting & Cable 10 Jun 96 p52) THE ENEMY INSIDE The CEO of CheckPoint Software Technologies, which markets Firewall-1, one of the leading Internet firewalls, thinks companies worry too much about outside crackers, and not enough about corrupt employees. "It's ironic, because 80% of security breaches are internal. Companies doing intranets will realize that internal security is more important than perimeter defense. The outside world seems scarier, but the inside world is more dangerous." (Information Week 3 Jun 96 p12) LAPTOPS AS "THE SOLE MACHINE" With more and more corporations deciding they can't afford two expensive machines per employee -- a laptop and a desktop PC -- companies are replacing obsolete desktops with a laptop that does everything, and the laptop market is thriving. Analysts predict 28% growth in laptop sales this year, twice the growth rate of desktop PCs, and the Giga Information Group estimates laptops will garner a 35% share of all PCs sold by the year 2000. "The notebook used to be a complementary product," says a Texas Instruments VP. "Now, it's the sole machine." (Business Week 17 Jun 96 p134) VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY MOVING AHEAD The Western Governors' Association is hammering out details on its proposed "Virtual University," and is expected to endorse the creation of a central governing body and a system of local "franchises" for participating states at its annual meeting this month. The group has hired the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to come up with a viable assessment system, to ensure that students have mastered the subject matter of the courses they take. The Center is also examining licensing and accrediting laws in various states that will participate in the venture, to determine how college credit can be awarded and transferred. In addition, the Western Interstate Cooperative for Education Telecommunication has produced a prototype of a "virtual catalogue," which will interview prospective students on their interests and equipment availability, and then list the courses or products that match their needs. (Chronicle of Higher Education 14 Jun 96 A30) COUPONS ONLINE In case you're not getting enough coupons bundled in with your Sunday paper, now there's a Web site that offers coupons from supermarkets and manufacturers, weekly grocery store sales, recipes and electronic shopping lists. "I don't think primary grocery shoppers are on the Internet right now, but some statistics show that young adults are spending more time on computers and the Internet," says the marketing company's president. < http://www.supermarkets.com/ > (Tampa Tribune 15 Jun 96 B&F1) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS HAS NOTEBOOK AMBITIONS Texas Instruments is offering two new Pentium-based notebook computers with 12-inch color monitors. Texas Instruments is now seventh in the notebook computer market and wants to move up to No. 2 or No. 3 by the end of the year. A company executive says: "We're on everybody's radar screen now. A year ago, we were just a speck." (Wall Street Journal 14 Jun 96 B3) AOL DENIES REPORT OF NEW YORK STATE INVESTIGATION America Online has denied a story reported in various new media saying that the company is the target of a probe by New York state attorney general's office because of allegations that it has been overbilling its customers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 14 Jun 96 F3) WIRED: BUSINESS OR HOBBY? Financial analysts are not of one mind when it comes to evaluating the Initial Public Offering being made by Wired Ventures, the owner of Wired magazine and various Internet-focused activities. Although the valuation is 17.9 times the company's revenues for last year and the company continues to post losses, Wired Ventures is felt by analyst Richard Shaffer to "have done well at positioning itself in the middle of the Internet hype because it's caused a lot of the Internet hype." Another analyst, Tony Perkins, is more skeptical: "The bottom line is if you're doing $7.5 million in revenues and you're losing $3.5 million, you're still pursuing a hobby, not a business." Shaffer's view of that issue is that Wired "has real advertisers, real paying subscribers, and an audience. There is a real business there; it just doesn't happen to make money." (New York Times 14 Jun 96 C6) GLEICK ON DIGITAL CASH AND NON-NETWORKED HOTDOGS Writing about digital cash, Internet entrepreneur and author James Gleick says that "as money enters a new age, so does counterfeiting. The ultimate threat is the perfect copy -- the virtual coin that proves mathematically identical to the real thing. If money is a string of bits, then someone, somewhere, can make a perfect copy, and another and another. An arms race is already raging between those working to armor-plate digital cash with doubly and triply secure cryptography and those working to pierce the armor. Security experts assume that nefarious characters, in search of an unending stream of money, are already investing millions in the next stages of research and development." His advice for the moment: "For now, if it's not too inconvenient, why not reach into your pocket for a few last vestigial dollar bills, make sure you have exact change for the bus and buy yourself a secret, non-networked hotdog." (New York Times Magazine 16 Jun 96 p26) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION Congress will soon be considering a bill requiring federal agencies to provide records online "so that agencies use technology to make government more accessible and accountable to its citizens." The bill would allow the information requester, rather than the federal agency, to choose the format for releasing information. (Computer Industry Daily 17 Jun 96) DALLAS IS LAUGHING, BUT THE TIMES OWNS THE JOKE The New York Times says that, with the advent of e-mail, office jokes "can spread like lightning, from desk to desk, city to city. Within minutes, Dallas can be laughing at the same joke that doubled-over New York. These are the jokes we want to hear." Send your office jokes to onthejob@nytimes.com but understand that "submissions become the property of The Times and may be republished in any medium." (New York Times 16 Jun 96 p11) RESOLUTION URGES CONGRESSIONAL INTERNET USE A resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week by Rep. Rick White (R-Wash) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va), and in the Senate by Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), is intended to promote lawmakers' use of the Internet to communicate with constituents, make information more accessible to voters, and induce Congress to work with the Internet community to find out more about Internet-related issues. "We need to bring Congress online for the 21st century," says White. "The Communications Decency Act is a pretty good example of what can happen when Congress passes laws on something it knows little about." White predicts that when Congress revisits the Act next year, "a more educated Congress will develop a solution that protects our children and protects our free speech." (BNA Daily Report for Executives 14 Jun 96 A1) COMPAQ, TOSHIBA BATTLE FOR KING OF THE (LAPTOP) HILL Compaq Computer has just introduced three new portable computer models in a move to oust Toshiba from its top spot in the laptop market. Meanwhile, Toshiba is racing ahead with five new models of its own. Toshiba's market share was about 20% the first quarter of this year, with Compaq a trailing No. 2 at 9%. In addition to plans for more aggressive product roll-outs, Compaq will copy Toshiba's strategy of marketing its laptops through retailers, a move that's been successful for Toshiba. (Wall Street Journal 18 Jun 96 B6) SONY'S PC. THINK ... PURPLE Sony, the electronics industry giant, is re-entering the personal computer business with two Pentium-chip- based PCs accented in purple trim and equipped with 16 or more megabytes of main memory, hard drives of 2.1 gigabytes, and 28,800 bps modems. Made in collaboration with Intel, the machines will have high-quality video and audio capabilities and will be priced in the $2-3,000 range. (San Jose Mercury News Center 18 Jun 96) AUTODESK WINS PIRACY SETTLEMENT Autodesk Inc. has settled with Westech College, a California trade school operator, for more than $220,000 after Westech admitted that it used a single copy of AutoCAD to make more than 75 illegal copies that were used on three campuses. Autodesk says it's recovered more than $20 million in piracy penalties since 1989. (Investor's Business Daily 18 Jun 96 A8) SOFTWARE FOR RENT ON CHEAP TERMINAL Wyse Technology is demonstrating its belief in the inexpensive Internet device concept, converting an existing line of terminals into $500 machines that consumers can use to rent software by the hour or cruise the Internet. The software programs, available for about $1 an hour, are not transferred to the user's terminal -- instead they reside on the servers operated by the user's Internet service. Modem connections are too slow for games and other software that relies on speed, but Wyse's senior VP thinks the concept has merit: "We're breaking new ground. The economic model for this will get worked out over the next few months." A Zona Research analyst notes the approach, if successful, could be emulated by other terminal makers: "This is something that will generate a lot of interest in the software community." (Wall Street Journal 17 Jun 96 B2) AT&T LAUNCHES BUSINESS SERVICE ON THE NET AT&T's newest service, the AT&T Business Network, debuted yesterday on the Web, targeting managers, entrepreneurs and professionals with links to more than 1,000 business-related sites and other online information. "Business users tell us that while they sense the Web's immense potential, they are frustrated with inconsistencies, inefficiencies and lack of business focus," says the president of AT&T New Media Services. The new service will be free with revenue initially generated through advertising. Over time, subscription or other fees will be charged for additional services. (Investor's Business Daily 18 Jun 96 A9) VERIFONE OFFERS INTERNET PAYMENT SYSTEM VeriFone Inc., which makes credit-card processing technology, has lined up Wells Fargo, Royal Bank of Canada, Discover & Co., and Novus Services, a unit of Dean Witter, to use its new payment software to encrypt credit card payments over the Internet. Wells Fargo is already using proprietary software from CyberCash to process Web-based payments, but notes the VeriFone product is more comprehensive and is based on the SET (secure electronic transaction) standard. (Wall Street Journal 18 Jun 96 B4) STUDENTS FUND MORE CAMPUS KIOSKS Seniors at the University of Colorado have elected to spend their class gift funds on additional information kiosks to be placed around the campus for accessing transcripts and financial aid records. The $22,000 fund will be matched by the University of Colorado Foundation to purchase at least 40 computers -- the University has three kiosks on campus now. "We wanted to find a gift that students are going to see every day, and to demonstrate what really happens when you give a gift back to the school after you graduate," says one recent graduate. (Chronicle of Higher Education 21 Jun 96 A17) ANDERSEN, BBN TEAM UP ON INTERNET Andersen Consulting and BBN Corp., one of the largest business Internet access providers, have formed a joint venture to design and sell Internet- based services to large corporate customers, such as airlines, who require large-volume transaction processing services. (Wall Street Journal 18 Jun 96 B4) E-MAIL WHILE DRIVING IS ON THE RISE Computing and driving is on the rise in California, and the California Highway Patrol warns the practice is potentially dangerous. "There's nothing specifically in the vehicle code that says you can't compute while driving," admits one officer, but with studies showing cell phone use raising the chance of an accident by 34%, they're suggesting people leave their laptops switched off while at the wheel. Still, some habits are hard to break. "I do my Radio Mail at 80 mph," says Andrew Seybold, editor of an industry publication. "I go from appointment to appointment catching up on e-mail and phone calls while I drive. By the time I'm at my next appointment, I'm caught up." (St. Petersburg Times 17 Jun 96 p14) COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE ELECTRIC COMPANY Southern Company, owner of Georgia Power and other Southeastern utilities companies, has won approval from the Federal Communications Commission to provide telecommunications service through the company's fiber optic system. A Southern Company executive says: When you deliver electivity you have to deliver information. So, for example, we have a large fiber-optic system in place that we use to control the flow of electricity. It has excess capacity." The company has no immediate plans to enter telecommunications but wants to be prepared. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 18 Jun 96 E1) FOUNDER OF SGI AND NETSCAPE STARTS HEALTH SERVICE ON NET Jim Clark, who founded the successful companies Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) and Netscape Communications, has created a new Net-based business called Healtheon, which will use the World Wide Web to help companies manage their employee health plans. Clark said: "We are providing a standard health care community interface, using the Internet as a medium, and providing services to health care providers." (New York Times 18 Jun 96 C4) INTERNAUTS ANONYMOUS The Canadian Medical Association Journal reports that "Internet addiction disorder" (IAD) has entered the medical lexicon and quotes University of Pittsburgh researcher Kimberly Young as saying IAD is as real as alcoholism. Young describes the social problems that parallel other addictions, including loss of control, cravings and withdrawal symptoms, social isolation, marital discord, academic failure, excessive financial debt, and job termination. (Toronto Globe & Mail 15 Jun 96 A1) PC MAKERS WANT TO TRIM COSTS BY TRIMMING BUNDLES With profit margins on PCs at a perilously low point, computer makers are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality. Compaq, Packard Bell, Acer America and NEC all have announced they plan to cut back on their software bundles this fall, noting that much of the software isn't used anyway. "The bundling craze was a reaction to the need to target those first-time buyers," says an Apple Computer manager. "Now we're seeing the market mature a little bit." Customer surveys have show that most people typically use fewer than 10 of the up-to-60 programs pre-installed on their new computers, discarding the rest. (St. Petersburg Times 19 Jun 96 E6) IBM PONDERS UNBUNDLING NOTES IBM, in a potentially risky move, is considering unbundling the features in Lotus Notes and possibly licensing them to other companies in an effort to set a standard for "groupware" software products. The company is in discussions with Netscape on a variety of issues, and a Netscape senior VP says that although talks have not focused on licensing a key Notes technology called replication, "if Lotus were to propose such a thing it would be evaluated seriously." The replication feature ensures that when databases are linked, and information in one is changed, a similar change is made on all computers on the network. (Wall Street Journal 19 Jun 96 B12) ELECTRONIC COPYRIGHT COMPROMISE? Yale University Associate Librarian Ann Okerson offers a suggested compromise between the recommendations of the Lehman Commission's recently issued white paper and the desires of the higher education/librarian community. The National Information Infrastructure Task Force's Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights, as the commission is officially known, has suggested that any information residing in a computer's memory for any length of time is "fixed" for the purposes of copyright, which could conceivably make even the brief perusal of a Web page without prior approval of the Web page's owner a copyright violation. "One way around these controversies might be disarmingly simple. The commission emphasizes technological aspects of `transmission' and `fixation,' but many critics have found those discussions imperfect precisely on technological grounds. A more thorough analysis of the range of technological possibilities for transferring files -- including cryptographic methods that effectively limit the number of permanent copies produced -- might make the Lehman approach more useful than it now seems likely to be." (Scientific American Jul 96 p80) OUTSOURCING BOOM A recent study by California research firm Input predicts Internet-related outsourcing services will grow from less than $1 billion last year to $9 billion by 2000. Included in the Net outsourcing services were such things as Internet and intranet server management, firewall security services, and maintenance of Web page content. The overall market for information technology outsourcing is expected to rise from $19 billion last year to $42 billion by 2000. (Investor's Business Daily 19 Jun 96 A6) NEW SOFTWARE LETS YOU "ASK THE WIZARD" SystemSoft's SystemWizard self-help software enables users to trouble-shoot many of their PC problems without have to resort to an afternoon on hold with a computer company's help desk. The software automatically detects, diagnoses and corrects common PC problems. SystemSoft has agreements with AST Research and Digital Equipment Corp. to begin shipping SystemWizard with their PCs by the fourth quarter of this year, and Lotus Development Corp. and Microsoft are working with SystemSoft to enable SystemWizard to answer questions about Windows and Lotus Notes. "The PC industry can't keep putting head count on the phone, because it is just sucking the life out of the industry's profitability," says a Dataquest analyst, who estimates that SystemWizard could help reduce help-desk calls by 20% to 30%, saving as much as $1 billion a year. (Wall Street Journal 19 Jun 96 B12) LAPTOP 54, WHERE ARE YOU? Over the last two years, the FCC has purchased 200 laptops at a per-unit cost ranging from $2,455 to $6,149. But a recent audit of the agency's entire 307- laptop population found that, based on a 54-laptop statistical sample, six were not located, one was reported stolen and 11 were "not physically produced for verification," resulting in a 33% "where-the-heck-are-they" result. (Multichannel News Digest 17 Jun 96) ACER'S STAND-ALONE INTERNET COMPUTER Acer Inc. has come out with its own version of the $500 network computer called AcerBasic. The machine is targeted at the lower income population unable to pay $1,500 or more for a personal computer, but unlike similar products on the market or the drawing boards, AcerBasic can function as a stand-alone machine. Acer's position is that other NCs, when not connected to larger computer servers, "are essentially useless." (Investor's Business Daily 19 Jun 96 A7) INTEL VENTURES INTO INTERNET CONTENT AGREEMENT Intel Corp. will buy a 4.5% stake in CNET, a closely held company that provides MTV-style reports on technology-related subjects to cable television and the Web. The two companies will collaborate on a new Web site, although other details about the venture were unavailable. The agreement represents Intel's first foray into the Internet content business, a move that has caught the attention of industry observers. Intel, however, is downplaying its actions, noting that it's invested in "dozens" of technology start-ups over the years. "Intel is looking to showcase the most innovative technologies," says a company spokesman. "We are doing this as a facilitator, and not as an owner of content." (Wall Street Week 20 Jun 96 B6) SAMSUNG GETS LICENSE DIGITAL'S ALPHA CHIP Digital Equipment Corporation is licensing Samsung Electronics the right to make and market Digital's 64-bit Alpha microprocessors, which are expected to have increasing sales in conjunction with the growing market for Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. (New York Times 19 Jun 96 C2) CULTURAL NOTES ON AUTOMATED BANKING Interac says that Canadians are heavier users of debit cards than Americans, with each debit card in the U.S. used about 3.5 times, while per-card usage in Canada was 15.2. The average Canadian used an automated banking machine 41 times in 1994, compared with 31.8 times for Americans and 22.1 times for British citizens. (Toronto Financial Post 20 Jun 96 p7) 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. 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