Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) June 28, 1996 No. 1226 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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CIA WARNS of INFO WARFARE 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. 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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... There comes a time in everyone's daily activities when the exercising of true patience becomes the virtue of virtues.. We had that experience here, this week, at STReport. STReport has five Internet Gateways. two of which are reliable local access to ISDN; MSN and an excellent local ISP, Jax- inter.net. Would you believe this series of events? Wednesday evening (actually all night) we enjoyed a series of rather violent thunderstorms passing through our area, doing their thing. By morning, one would think the "best part" of the storms were over. Hah! No chance for such good fortune. By eight thirty Thursday morning, mother nature was making certain we knew exactly who was boss. The power went down in at least forty five percent of the area. Naturally, we're in that area. So is one of our high speed ISP's. Five hours or so later the power went back on. But in the meantime, the storm that had passed through was doing a reversal! It was coming back to finish the job. The ISP was feverishly re-installing a new Mail Server. and software (it was seriously delayed by the storms and outtage), MSN's local node was thoroughly hosed by a presumed lightning strike and the line between our location and the main switching office were either wet or partially damaged by some misfortune or another.. The line noise for analog usage was murderous. What does all this mean? Nothing except that the "lean issue" this week is due to the linking of Murphy's Law and Mother Nature's power. `Tis a formidable front to go up against. Next time I'll simply take a nap and let nature have her way. She will anyway. Its now three pm on Friday and the MSN node is STILL hosed. They're not too quick to effect repairs now are they? Oh well, such is life. The fourth is this Thursday and as it has been for the last fifty three years, the third is my birthday and for the last thirty one years, my oldest son's birthday too.. A nice long weekend.. BBQ, swimming in the cool waters and enjoying the company of family and friends. Have a wonderful Fourth! 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 AOL Confirms Federal Rates Probe America Online has confirmed the Federal Trade Commission several states' attorneys general have made inquiries into the way it signs up and bills members, adding it is working to reach an agreement "as quickly as possible." In an online letter to the Vienna, Va., online service's members, AOL chairman Steve Case said the FTC and the attorneys general have sought information about electronic funds transfer policies and the ways it tells people how to try out and cancel the service. As noted, 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 have said. The Associated Press reports the Pennsylvania suit questioned the billing method and whether AOL gave proper notice that they were being charged when the computer was logging on and off and unable to perform other functions. In his letter, Case said, "We are working toward satisfactory resolution of all these matters -- including reaching agreements with the plaintiffs in the class action and the FTC -- as quickly as possible." As reported earlier, New York newspaper Newsday recently reported the service was the subject of a formal investigation by New York attorney general Dennis Vacco. America Online President Quits Saying he doesn't want to move his family from Memphis, Tennessee, to the Washington, D.C., area, William Razzouk has resigned as president and chief operating officer of America Online Inc. Steve Case, the online service's chairman and CEO, will resume day-to-day control of the company. Razzouk quit Federal Express in Memphis in February to join AOL. "I leave with only good feelings for the people of America Online, and especially for Steve Case," Razzouk said in a statement issued by America Online. But family concerns may not be the only reason for Razzouk's departure. In the same statement, Case is quoted as saying, "It has become clear that my continued active involvement in major day-to-day business decisions would be helpful to AOL, so I have taken on a growing role in determining marketing strategies, pricing and product plans." Markey Proposes Net Privacy Bill Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, has introduced a bill that would require federal regulators to explore the need for tougher communications privacy laws. Reporting from Washington, the Dow Jones News Service says the measure would direct both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to review existing consumer privacy protections on the Internet and other communications networks, like cable-TV systems and telephones. Markey told reporters, "The same libertarian quality that has stimulated such rapid growth of the Internet gravely threatens to cripple its promise. It is chaotic -- free and open -- but has spawned an exponential increase in commercial voyeurism that is tearing privacy rights asunder." The wire service says it is unlikely the bill will be considered by Congress, but Markey expects it to garner widespread bipartisan support, adding he hopes it will spur industries to begin addressing privacy concerns. "At issue," says DJ, "is the growing use of technology to track the personal tastes and buying habits of consumers. Consumer groups say it is becoming increasingly common for that kind of information to be compiled and sold, often without the consumer knowing it. Particularly vulnerable are children, who are targeted on the Internet by toy makers, cereal companies and others who sell products to youngsters, they say." The bill is backed by the Center for Media Education (which recently released a study describing an "emerging pattern" of online marketing practices designed to manipulate children) and the Consumer Federation of America, "though that group suggested that an even stronger approach may ultimately be needed," the wire service notes. Also among the supporters are the Center for Democracy and Technology and the People for the American Way. Markey's bill calls for the FCC and FTC: ú First to see whether there are technological tools that could help consumers and parents protect their privacy. ú Examine whether industry standards were in place to protect consumers. "Where technological tools don't exist or a particular industry refuses to help, then the agencies would either adopt new protections or ask Congress to do so," DJ reports. Landers, Leahy Feud About Net Advice columnist Ann Landers is feuding with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) over her recent criticism of the Internet as being a philanderers' tryst site. Reporting from Burlington, Vt., The Associated Press reports that this week Landers' column will feature a letter from Leahy to present his opposing view. Writes Leahy, "As a 55-year-old who has been happily married for 33 years, I am living proof that the vast majority of we Internet fans use our computers to browse newspapers, see the treasures of the Sistine Chapel, check the weather in Vermont or read the latest Batman comic." Leahy, who has been a congressional leader on technology issues, added, "Neither should a few bored Web crawlers foul up the Internet for the rest of us." In her reply to Leahy's letter, Landers still focused on the seamier side of the Net, saying, "Granted, most Web crawlers are fairly decent people, but many are not interested in the Sistine Chapel. ... The Internet is tailor-made for con men, the lonely and the bored." CD-ROM Copyright Ruling Overturned The U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned a U.S. District Court decision that allowed a company to place a CD-ROM phone directory's information on the Internet. Last fall, Matthew Zeidenberg, a graduate student and sole employee of Silken Mountain Web Services Inc., downloaded sections of Pro CD Inc.'s Select Phone and offered the data free-of-charge over the Internet. Pro CD sought to prevent Zeidenberg from using its database in violation of the license agreement that accompanies its national telephone directory. In the District Court decision, Judge Barbara Crabb held that software licenses included inside a shrink-wrapped box are not enforceable because the consumer does not have an opportunity to review the terms of the license prior to purchase. In reversing this decision, Judge Frank Easterbrook, writing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, noted the impracticality of printing license agreements in their entirety on the outside of retail boxes. "Vendors can put the entire terms of a contract on the outside of a box only by using microscopic type, removing other information that buyers might find more useful (such as what the software does and on which computers it works), or both." "The landmark Pro CD decision has far reaching implications for the software industry," says Thomas O'Connor, Pro CD's lead attorney. The court held that commercially reasonable contracts reflecting modern commercial reality will be enforced according to their terms, and are not preempted by federal law. This case is a success not only for software manufacturers but also software consumers. It encourages the creation and development of innovative and valuable products by software and database companies such as Pro CD and affords the manufacturers the legal protection necessary to allow them to offer their products at affordable prices." CD Pro's presentation was supported by a number of influential organizations, including The Software Publishers Association, The Business Software Alliance, the Information Industry Association, the American Medical Association and the Association of American Publishers. Compaq, Packard Bell Patch It Up Computer makers Compaq Computer Corp. and Packard Bell have settled patent suits against each other, ending a year and a half of wrangling. While terms of the settlement were not released, Margaret Kane of PC Week Online reports Packard Bell will pay an undisclosed amount to Compaq over the next five years and neither company will admit fault. As reported, Compaq sued Packard Bell in November 1994 in federal court. Last month, Zenith Data Systems Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Packard Bell, sued Compaq. Both cases are being dismissed, PC Week says. The initial Compaq suit involved six patents, including one for a dual-mode screen that displayed both graphics and text. Writes Kane, "The settlement with Packard Bell will allow each company to license the other's patents. Packard Bell's payments will make up the difference in value between the two." TI Names New President, CEO Thomas Engibous has been named president/CEO of Texas Instruments, replacing William "Pat" Weber, who was designated to fill the job while the board of directors considered Jerry R. Junkins' successor. And James Adams, who has been a TI director for more than seven years and a former group president of ABC Communications, follows Junkins as the company's chairman. (As reported, Junkins, who was CEO for 11 years, died May 29 of a heart attack at 58 during a business trip to Europe on May 29.) Business writer Katie Fairbank of The Associated Press notes the Dallas chipmaker established an office of the chief executive in 1993, comprised of Junkins and vice chairmen Weber and William B. Mitchell. "Weber, who will continue as a vice-chairman, was considered as a replacement for Junkins," Fairbanks writes. "Ultimately the board decided on Engibous, who has served as TI executive vice president and president of the semiconductor group, said company spokesman Stan Victor." Microsoft Licenses Antivirus Software McAfee Associates Inc. has licensed portions of its anti-virus technology to Microsoft Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, McAfee's anti-virus technology will be incorporated into future Microsoft Internet software products. Included in the licensing agreement are McAfee's Code Matrix Scanning and Code Trace Scanning technologies. McAfee says its code detects more than 8,000 viruses, including boot viruses; macro viruses; file viruses; multi-partite viruses; stealth viruses; encrypted viruses; and polymorphic viruses. According to market researcher IDC, McAfee is the leading vendor of anti- virus software, with a worldwide unit market share of 68 percent for stand- alone DOS and Windows PC desktops. "We've found that customers are increasingly concerned about the proliferation of Internet-borne viruses," says Dave Fester, product manager of Microsoft's Internet platform and tools division. "The integration of McAfee's anti-virus technology into future Microsoft Internet products will provide our customers with a safer and more enjoyable Internet experience." "The widespread use of the Internet has dramatically increased the incidence of computer virus infections," adds Bill Larson, president, CEO and chairman of McAfee. "Macro viruses, for example, hide in Internet email attachments and are currently the most commonly reported virus at McAfee. We're extremely pleased that Microsoft has chosen to partner with us to protect their customers from these and other emerging virus threats." CompuServe, Microsoft Forge Major Strategic Alliance Key Technology Licensing, Business and Marketing Agreement Enables New Internet Services Initiative REDMOND, Wash., and COLUMBUS, Ohio - June 4, 1996 - CompuServe Inc. (NASDAQ "CSRV") and Microsoft Corp. today announced a far-reaching strategic alliance that includes a comprehensive technological partnership as well as marketing, distribution and commercial opportunities. The alliance was jointly announced today in Redmond, Wash., by Bob Massey, CompuServe's president and chief executive officer, and Bill Gates,Microsoft's chairman and chief executive officer. Major Technology Licensing Agreement Under the agreement, CompuServe will deploy Microsoft's new platform for commercial Internet services, code-named "Normandy" (also announced today), in its suite of online services, including the CompuServeR Information Service, WOW! and SPRYNET, CompuServe's Internet-only service. CompuServe becomes the first major online provider to license the MicrosoftR Normandy technologies - the only Internet platform solution designed specifically for Internet service providers and commercial Web publishers. This agreement is the first major step in the evolution of CompuServe's services from proprietary to open standards technology. "This strategic alliance between two long-standing industry leaders puts CompuServe in a position to rapidly implement our plans to strengthen our core business and expand our world-class online services by using Internet technologies," Massey said. "Microsoft's tradition of excellence and commitment to Internet technology made this the right choice for CompuServe. In combination with our existing features - communities, security, billing, content and access - we gain an unmatched technical advantage in an industry that demands the best." "Microsoft and CompuServe are working together to deliver superior Internet- based services to CompuServe's users," Gates said. "As a leader in Internet services, CompuServe is evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace. CompuServe's commitment to Microsoft Internet Explorer is the latest demonstration of Microsoft Internet innovation and technology leadership."The agreement enhances all of CompuServe's consumer and commercial services. It enables CompuServe to aggressively drive the implementation of its new technology initiative, announced May 21, to evolve the technological underpinnings of its services from proprietary architecture to Internet-based technology. It will allow users with a CompuServe membership and an industry-standard Web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer to access unique, value-added services. In addition, CompuServe and Microsoft agreed to collaborate on future commercial ventures. The Normandy platform that CompuServe is licensing is built on the robust and secure Microsoft Windows NT Server operating system and is integrated with Microsoft Internet Information Server. This open platform technology is an advanced set of software tools used for delivering interactive services and creating, managing and distributing content. It enables the creation of compelling Internet services. The technologies licensed today are the major components needed to run a commercial, fee- based service, including value-added mail, forum areas, chat, news, indexing and other content management services.Normandy offers the power to support tens of thousands of concurrent users; the scalability to support millions of users per day; the openness to work with applications and extensions developed by Internet developers; and consistent and intuitive graphical tools that provide easy, highly automated setup and administration. Desktop Distribution Agreement for CompuServe and WOW! Along with today's platform licensing announcement, CompuServe and Microsoft agreed to offer access to both the CompuServe Information Service and WOW! on Microsoft's industry-leading WindowsR 95 desktop operating system. The agreement puts both CompuServe online services within a click of the mouse for PC consumers.CompuServe strengthens its commitment to market, promote and distribute Microsoft Internet Explorer as its primary browser for CompuServe online services, including CompuServe Information Service, WOW! and 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 from Windows 95 adds tremendous value for users of our operating system," Gates added. "And, 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!," added Massey. "This is a significant opportunity for us to expand distribution channels and be part of the most successful desktop operating system in the world." Background Last month, CompuServe announced the new technology initiative to embrace open standards Internet technology; focus its development resources on creating value-added services instead of proprietary systems; and launch a world-class suite of fee-based services using open standards technology, which will be available to members. By taking advantage of externally developed technologies such as the Normandy platform, CompuServe will decrease time to market, significantly cut development costs, and more effectively deliver leading-edge information products and services to its members. Founded in 1969, CompuServe Inc. provides the world's most comprehensive online services, business network and Internet access. Through CompuServe, more than 4.9 million home and business users in more than 185 countries access the Internet and 3,000-plus online information, education and entertainment services and products. In addition, 982 corporate customers use CompuServe's value-added network solutions. Among its many uses, the CompuServe-owned network serves as the world's mailbox and check-out lane, hosting millions of e-mail messages per month and more than 1 billion point- of-sale transactions per year. With world headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, CompuServe's offices include European centers in Munich, London and Paris. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. Microsoft, Windows NT and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Inc. For online product information: CompuServe: http://www.wow.com/ Microsoft Internet Explorer Web page: http://microsoft.com/ie/ [Related feedback:] CompuServe announced a couple of weeks ago that its proprietary access protocols (HMI) are being replaced by Web protocols. They expect some products to be changed over by the end of the year, and the majority by this time next year. This was accompanied by the departure of some high level CIS executives. So, although the changeover to HMI was only about 10% finished, it's been superceded by a changeover to Web protocols, which probably makes more sense. It will allow access by any Web browser, eventually to all parts of CIS. A few areas will be free and available to outsiders, but most will still require membership. The HMI protocols will continue to exist until it is no longer being used by significant numbers of members. This may be awhile, since so many offline readers / navigators use the protocol. Netscape Users Top 38 Million Well, you KNEW it was popular -- now you know HOW popular: there are more than 38 million users of Netscape Communications Corp.'s Netscape Navigator software now browsing the Internet's World Wide Web. From Netscape's Mountain View, California, headquarters, United Press International quotes company officials as proclaiming Navigator the world's most popular personal computer application. "The Navigator has been shipping commercially for 18 months," UPI observes, "and has become the standard for communication over the Internet and World Wide Web computer networks with an 84 percent market share." Adds the wire service, "Despite efforts by Microsoft Corp. to take away share from Navigator, its popularity has been assured by striking a wide variety of alliances with major players in the field to assure that the software is built into virtually all new personal computers." Netscape says the number of users of Netscape Navigator now exceeds that of software such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office and Lotus 1-2-3. President/CEO Jim Barksdale told the wire service, "The popularity of Netscape Navigator is a clear indication that the Internet as a network platform is a far greater phenomenon than any single operating system, desktop application or desktop platform." Saying the software's popularity stems from the need for users to learn, communicate and collaborate, he added, "Netscape Navigator has achieved the distinction of being the world's most popular software program precisely because it allows people to easily do just that." Netscape also says its Web site now receives more than 80 million hits a day, representing several million individual daily visitors, and has received more than 10 billion hits since its inception two years ago, "making it by far the most visited site on the Internet," adds UPI. [EDITOR NOTE] Our research concludes that while there may be a large number of people using Netscape, it must be pointed out in all fairness to Microsoft. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is morethan likely to be found on just as many systems as many users have both MS IE, Netscape and Spry's Mosaic all on the same system. RFM Netscape Usage Claim 'Derided' The feisty Computergram International daily says "chortles of derision" are greeting Netscape Communications Corp.'s announcement that its Netscape Navigator web browser software now has a user base of 38 million. "The number may be solid as a rock," CI smirks this morning, "but only a fraction of those are actually paid for, and many users have more than one browser installed -- and many have two or three different beta releases of Navigator." As reported, the Mountain View, California, software publisher also says Navigator now is the world's most popular personal computer application. On this, the newsletter observes Netscape can make that claim "only by treating Microsoft Corp.'s Word at 21 million users and Office at 22 million separately, and we doubt that there are many Office users that never touch the word processor it includes -- the word processor in Office is Word." Ethernet Inventor Honored Ethernet inventor Robert M. Metcalfe will receive the IEEE Medal of Honor from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for his leadership in the development and commercialization of the leading local area network (LAN) technology, now connecting more than 50 million computers worldwide. Metcalfe, vice president of technology for International Data Group, will receive this award from the world's largest technical professional society at the Institute's annual Honors Ceremony this Saturday in Montreal. Ethernet, an international LAN standard (IEEE 802.3), provides a high-speed path for data to flow between computers. Recent versions have increased operating speeds tenfold from 10 to 100 megabits per second. A low-cost technology, Ethernet enabled the development of distributed systems and led to the routine use of computer networks. Metcalfe invented Ethernet, on which he shares four patents, in 1973 while at the Computer Science Laboratory at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. In 1976, he moved to Xerox's Systems Development Division to manage microprocessor and communication developments that led, some years later, to the Xerox Star workstation. In 1979, Metcalfe left Xerox to promote PC LANs and Ethernet. He helped bring the Digital Equipment, Intel and Xerox corporations together to promote Ethernet as a standard. In 1979, he also founded 3Com Corporation, now a multi-billion-dollar computer networking company that ships more than a million Ethernet connections per month. Xerox Introduces Teaching System Xerox Corp. has taken the wraps off of BookWise 3.0, an interactive PC-based reading system for teachers and students. The product scans books and other printed materials and reads the text aloud as words are highlighted and tracked on the screen. Xerox says the BookWise system reads scanned documents aloud, the text is highlighted on a student's computer screen by word, phrase, sentence or line, providing visual and verbal tracking assistance. BookWise can be used as a tool in programs for dyslexia, learning disabilities, adult literacy, and English as a Second Language. BookWise's speaking user interface runs on Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. According to Xerox, BookWise 3.0 offers new editing capabilities that enable students to write reports, edit text, take notes or answer test questions. BookWise 3.0 will be available in July. It will be offered as a software-only product or as a bundle with the company's new Bookedge scanner. "We are proud to have the ability to offer innovative and exciting reading technology to people with learning disabilities through our world-class OCR technology," says Allen Frechter, director of sales and marketing for Xerox's adaptive technologies unit. Experts See PCs in Every Room Experts at New York's recent PC Expo show told reporters that in the modern home, every room may have a PC that runs a range of electronic devices. "Convergence" is the buzz word of the hour, referring to the marriage of the PC, the Internet communications network and a range of electronic entertainment devices such as televisions, stereos and videocassette recorders. "Within a couple of years," Chairman Ben Rosen of Compaq Computers Corp. told the French Agence France-Press International News Service, "we'll see a server in every home and a computer in every room, with a central Internet connection." These computers, Rosen adds, will be quite different from the large, three-piece machines that are popular today. Adds Carl Yankowski, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, today's machines are merely the first in a new generation of computers that feature the "convergence of audio, video, computers and communications," adding, "Computers have reached the point where they have the potential to be powerful entertainment devices in the home." Susan Vinci, director of Compaq market planning, said the first advanced products should hit the market in 1997. "Initially," says AFP, "it will be possible to manage all the electronic equipment from a PC. But in the long term, it is envisioned that each room will have special computers. The kitchen, for example, would be outfitted with a computer that displays recipes and controls the oven and dishwasher, while an office computer would handle banking transactions and accounting." However, despite the expansion in computer utility, AFP also quotes researchers at Dataquest as predicting the growth of the industry is expected to stay below 20 percent this year. Europe Sees Multilingual Web Action by the European Union to ensure the English language does not monopolize international computerized information networks is being urged by the European Parliament. Reporting from Strasbourg, France, the Reuter News Service quotes Greek singer and Euro-MP Nana Mouskouri as saying, "English- only, this would create a danger for citizens of the EU being excluded from the information society and the information highway." Notes Reuters, "Mouskouri, who herself speaks and sings fluently in six languages, said the predominance of English threatened to marginalize smaller languages even more, increase the gulf between rich and poor and damage Europe's cultural diversity." Mouskouri says, "I think it's essential that we protect that cultural heritage and make sure that it's not destroyed by the information society which would then be an information society with no content." The wire service notes the assembly has said it is prepared to go to court to get more control over a 18- million-dollar plan drawn up by EUResearch Commissioner and former French Prime Minister Edith Cresson to promote a web of languages on the information highway. However, it now says the funds are inadequate and the plan too focused on industry rather than culture and the people who will live and work through computer information. Strong Growth Seen for UNIX Despite some predictions heralding the imminent demise of UNIX, a new survey from the Datapro Information Services Group reveals that the global market for UNIX-based software products continues to grow strongly. Datapro says a number of key market drivers are helping to spur growth, including the ascendance of UNIX as the top Web Server platform, mounting demand for Internet and intranet systems and the continuing dominance of the UNIX platform for database, file, and print services. "UNIX is alive and well in the marketplace," says Mary Hubley, Datapro's principal analyst for UNIX and open systems. "UNIX purchases overall will grow at a healthy 8 percent clip through the end of the decade. Surprisingly, this will be accompanied by an 8 percent decline in 'non-UNIX' purchases, including those for Microsoft Windows and Windows NT systems. This means that by the year 2000, global purchases will be split evenly between UNIX and non-UNIX systems." Among Datapro's other findings: ú SunSoft's SunOS and Solaris remain the most prevalent UNIX systems worldwide, used by 40 percent of the survey respondents. In 1996, an additional 8 percent plan new installations, with another 6 percent planning purchases by the year 2000. In close pursuit are Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX (36 percent), SCO Open Desktop/Open Server (34 percent), IBM's AIX (31 percent), Digital Equipment Corp.'s Digital UNIX (18 percent), UNIX System V (17 percent) and Linux (11 percent). ú The global UNIX marketplace is marked by significant regional variations. While SunOS/Solaris predominates in the Americas, for example, the European and Asia/Pacific markets prefer SCO UNIX and HP-UX, respectively. ú A significant shift is under way in the UNIX development tools marketplace, fueled by the escalating demand for Internet products. C-based development appears to have topped out at 61 percent, with only 7 percent growth estimated for 1996. In contrast, Datapro projects skyrocketing purchases of Java (26 percent) and HTML (20 percent) development products in 1996 alone, with significant increases projected through the year 2000. 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 AOL users Get Told ALL? STR Focus June 21, 1996 Dear Members: In recent weeks, America Online has been responding to inquiries in the media about various legal and regulatory actions facing the company. Although we have been constrained by confidentiality agreements relating to some of these matters, we feel that we owe you, our members, the fullest possible explanation about what the issues are and what we have done, or will do, to fully address them. The issues relate to the business practices of online services in general, and AOL in particular. Specifically, the issues involve matters such as how we handle billing of AOL charges, and how we inform members and prospective members about how to cancel the service. As you know, our goal is to help build a new interactive medium that can reach millions of people. To do that, we've always tried to put the needs of consumers first, and do the right things in the right way. As the industry and AOL have matured we have continuously refined our practices to better meet the needs of consumers. As members have brought issues to our attention, we've established a pattern of acting promptly to correct problems and provide our members with important information that they need to know. Some issues first surfaced almost a year ago when several law firms filed what are called "class action" suits. At that time, in August we alerted our members, in a community update, to the issues that surfaced, which were: 1) appropriate disclosure for the company's practice of billing in one-minute increments; 2) appropriate disclosure of network connection charges during sign-on and sign off; 3) isolated incidents of inaccurate billing for use in a designated "free" area of America Online. For more than a year the Company has been taking measures to enhance disclosures and quality control to better meet consumer needs. The community update we posted last August on the main welcome screen of America Online highlighted many of the issues for members, and a special free billing area on AOL (keyword: Billing) was expanded to include more detailed explanations. Located in a free area (you are not charged while spending time there), the Accounts & Billing area gives you quick access to all kinds of information. For instance, click on Current Bill Summary and review or order previous or current bills. I am pleased to report that we have been in discussions with the individuals who brought these matters to our attention, and are hopeful that this class action suit can be settled in the near future. We will of course let you know as soon as that happens. As the online medium grows and reaches more consumers, it also attracts the attention of regulatory agencies. For instance, we have been in discussions with the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorneys General of several states, who have inquired about general business practices in the industry and how they might be refined to more closely meet consumer needs. The issues being discussed include electronic funds transfer policies (allowing consumers who pay through automatic withdrawals from their checking accounts to get online upon request before a hardcopy payment authorization is received), and expanded advertising disclosures about service trial and cancellation policies. We are working toward satisfactory resolution of all these matters -- including reaching agreements with the plaintiffs in the class action and the FTC -- as quickly as possible. The agreements will not have an adverse impact on the company, and we do not believe the changes we have made or will make to business practices will hamper our ability to serve our membership. The theme of all of the discussions we are having with these various groups is the same, which is that we want to make online services accessible not just to the 11% presently using them but to the 89% of households who are not yet using them. More than anything, what we want AOL to stand for is simple, easy to use, reliable and affordable services. The key to our success has been positive word of mouth -- we are totally committed to do whatever it takes to protect our reputation of leadership in this emerging industry. For example, we felt that it was critical that we make a significant investment in improving customer service. We have been hard at work enhancing our customer service operations as we strive to achieve world class status -- a commitment I outlined in my January letter. I am happy to report that we've already accomplished some major milestones. First, we've increased the number of employees to handle your account or technical questions. With the addition of our new support center in Oklahoma City, we now have four facilities across the country employing more than 3,000 professionals to offer assistance. Second, our "on hold" time for telephone- related questions has dropped dramatically, due to increased staffing up and better training. Third, we've improved our turnaround time in answering your e-mail questions through new management techniques and increased staffing. We consider ourselves fortunate that the interactive nature of our service allows us to develop an ongoing dialogue with our members, and to get member feedback on a very timely basis. As a result of member feedback, many types of issues, like our billing procedures, have been brought to our attention and have been addressed. We will continue to refine both our services and our policies based on your feedback, with the understanding that earning your trust and confidence is critical to our ability to deliver a truly extraordinary online experience. Thanks again for your support, and I hope you continue to enjoy America Online. Steve Case Chairman and CEO America Online, Inc. For Immediate Release Adaptec Purchases Corelr CD Creator MILPITAS, California - June 26, 1996 - Adaptec, Inc. and Corel Corporation announced an agreement today providing for the sale of Corel's popular Corelr CD Creator software program and PD optical recording technology to Adaptec in a $12 million (US) cash transaction. All versions (including localized versions) of Corel CD Creator, the leading software for compact disk recordable (CD-R) drives, will be included in the deal. Adaptec publishes Easy-CD Pror Software, the leading choice of CD-R peripheral OEMs. "High function and performance I/O software is a major strategic business for Adaptec; and optical recording technology, the key to CD-R and DVD, will play a big part in that effort," said S. Sundaresh, Adaptec vice president and general manager of the Personal I/O business unit. "We will support customers of both products," continued Sundaresh. "CD-R is poised to move into the mainstream. With this new technology, we're in an even better position to deliver the software solutions the new market demands." "Our strategic vision is to move forward in pursuing our interests in the field of productivity application software and the vast opportunities presented by the Java-based operating system. This transaction fits in with that vision," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "We are confident Adaptec will continue to provide the very best in 32-bit CD authoring to our loyal customer base." The acquisition will be accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Adaptec will evaluate the allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired, which may include in-process technology that will be written off, and goodwill, which will be amortized over the benefit period. Adaptec Adaptec provides bandwidth management technologies for organizations building the global information infrastructure. Its high performance I/O, connectivity, and network products are incorporated into the systems and products of major computer and peripheral manufacturers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Milpitas, California, Adaptec (NASDAQ:ADPT) employs 2500 people worldwide in design, manufacturing, sales, service and distribution. Adaptec's home page is http://www.adaptec.com. 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. Adaptec and Easy-CD Pro are registered trademarks of Adaptec, Inc. Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. CorelDRAW, CorelVIDEO, Corel VENTURA and Corel Click & Create are trademarks of Corel Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries under license. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. used under license. All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Corel Corporation Reports 1996 Second Quarter Results OTTAWA, ONTARIO - June 26, 1996. Corel Corporation today announced results for its second quarter of fiscal 1996. Total revenue for the quarter ended May 31, 1996 was $87.5 million, an increase of 148% from the $35.2 million posted for the second quarter of fiscal 1995. This also represents an increase of 140% over 1996's first quarter sales of $36.4 million. After-tax net income was $506,000 or earnings per share of $.01. The Company reported a break-even quarter for the same period in 1995. "This quarter includes the first sales of our new productivity application products, which include Corelr WordPerfectr Suite, Corelr Office Professional, Corelr Quattror Pro and Corelr PresentationsT," commented Charles Norris, Corel's director of finance and chief financial officer. "Given the effort required to absorb the WordPerfect acquisition, we are very pleased with the revenue generated from this new division. This diversion of resources to accelerate the transition has temporarily impacted sales in the graphics software division. We expect sales from the graphics software products will improve next quarter with the launch of Corel VENTURAT 7 and the Macintoshr version of CorelDRAWT 6." "I think our financial results confirm the quality of and user interest in the WordPerfect products", added Mr. Norris. "Corel's commitment to the product line has firmly resolved the product uncertainties providing the needed confidence level for WordPerfect users, both old and new." "We're pleased that the marriage between Corel and the WordPerfect products has been this successful," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "We were able to meet the challenge of delivering the WordPerfect products on schedule. This is quite an achievement if you consider the short transition period and the outstanding quality of products that were delivered. Now that we have accomplished a smooth integration, we are ready to focus all our efforts on marketing and distributing our world class graphics and business application products." "It appears we're not the only ones excited about the release of the WordPerfect products," added Dr. Cowpland. "The new offerings have received highly favorable reviews from reputable industry publications such as InfoWorld, PC World and PC Magazine. We are also extremely encouraged by the initial sell-through figures for the WordPerfect products, which bodes well for their future. We at Corel are excited by the quality and extent of our expanded family of products and in the upcoming months will be intensifying our concentration on these core products." 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. For more information, please contact Corel's Investor Relations Department, at (613) 728-8200 ext. 4500, fax (613) 761-9350. Corel, Quattro and WordPerfect are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. Presentations, CorelDRAW, VENTURA and CorelVIDEO are trademarks of Corel Corporation. Datasvar begins Support for Corel Customers in the Nordic Countries Ottawa, Canada June 24, 1996- Corel Corporation and Datasvar Support AB of Sweden announced today that the technical support center that will service the Nordic market is now taking calls from Swedish Corel customers. It is expected that the center will be ready to handle calls from Denmark, Norway and Finland commencing July 1, 1996. This begins a new chapter for Corel in the Nordic countries. Just two weeks after the Nordic launch of Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 for Windowsr 95 in Stockholm, Datasvar is ready to begin it's commitment to providing the best possible support to Corel customers. Datasvar is confident that it can meet the support demand that will be placed on them and is looking forward to July when all the Nordic countries will be up and running. The telephone numbers for the Swedish clients are 06 80 711 750 for Corelr WordPerfectr and 06 80 711 751 for CorelDRAWT. The number for technical support for Corelr WordPerfectr and CorelDRAWT products in Denmark is 35 25 80 09. Norwegian Corelr WordPerfectr and CorelDRAWT customers can call 22 97 19 09 and customers from Finland can receive support for Corelr WordPerfectr and CorelDRAWT by calling 90 229 060 09. 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 and Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7, Corelr Office Professional, CorelVIDEOT and over 30 multimedia software titles. Corel's products run on most operating systems, including: Windows, Macintoshr, 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 world-wide. Corel is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol: COS) and on NASDAQ-National Market System (symbol:COSFF). For more information visit Corel's home page on the Internet at http://www.corel.com. Corelr Goes Fishing With The Bungalo BoysT Ottawa, Canada - June 25, 1996 - Corel Corporation has begun shipping The Bungalo BoysT: The Big Fish Wish, a multimedia CD-ROM title based on the popular Bungalo Boys book series. This interactive story is targeted at youngsters aged four to 10 and is available for a suggested retail price of $59 US. "The Bungalo Boys: The Big Fish Wish has excellent entertainment value for children," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "The fishing segments alone, which require some skill to master, will entertain them for hours." The Big Fish Wish is a tale of two cousins, Shorty and Carlotta, who venture out one day to catch their first fish with the older Bungalos, Johnny Bob and Curly. Children are able to join in this adventure through the fishing simulation, a segment which allows them to cast in their line and haul out their catch in one of five different fishing holes. The ultimate goal is to reel in Mighty Millie, the biggest, meanest muskie on earth. Children also get a chance to jump into the driver's seat. By using the left, forward and back arrows, they can drive a pick-up truck with boat in tow down to the dock and practice launching the boat. This fun-filled and educational CD-ROM contains over 240 animations, 21 narrated story book pages, and eight interactive story book pages with more than 10 hot spots per page. Children may also record their voice for playback during the narration, and a paint program offers 12 different story pages to color. At any time, children can click on Old Rufus Bungalo to hear the narration again, or click on the swimming dog to return to the main menu. Development and System Requirements The Bungalo Boys: The Big Fish Wish was developed for Corel Corporation by Amtex Software Corporation and John Bianchi of Bungalo Books. Minimum system requirements include Windowsr 95, an IBM-compatible PC 486 66, 8 MB of RAM, 640x480, 256 color graphics display, 8-bit Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card, 31 MB of hard drive space*, a double-speed CD-ROM drive, a mouse, and, if you want to record your voice, a microphone. Amtex Software Corporation Specializing in the development of realistic simulations of entertainment and educational software since 1991, Amtex Software Corporation has produced international award-winning products through their commitment to creating non-violent, family-oriented titles. Recognized for their classic pinball games - Tristan, Eight Ball Deluxe and Royal Flush - as well as for their fishing simulation entitled Gone Fishin', Amtex has recently announced its foray into the development of commercial flight simulation products. Amtex products are distributed worldwide through a network of over 30 distributors in 10 countries, and is a privately held Canadian Corporation. Bungalo Books Bungalo Books was formed in 1986 by editor Frank B. Edwards and freelance cartoonist John Bianchi, collaborators who met through Harrowsmith, a back- to-the-land magazine in 1979. After several years of working together on both scientific and humorous projects for Camden House Publishing, the pair decided to launch their own company. Naming their company after the characters from their first book, they proceeded to charm children and parents alike with a series of quirky and crazy stories about the bumbling Bungalo Boys. With four Bungalo Boy adventures in print, along with 17 other books, Edwards and Bianchi's collaborations have sold a total of 1.2 million copies. The Bungalo Boys: The Big Fish Wish is their first interactive CD-ROM. 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. *31 MB of hard disk space is required to take full advantage of the sophisticated sound and animation. Corel Announces a Technical Support Partner for the Nordic Market Ottawa, Canada - May 16, 1996 - Corel Corporation announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Datasvar Support AB, of Sweden. This agreement will further solidify Corel's presence in the Nordic market. The recent acquisition of WordPerfect and it's importance in the Nordic market, combined with the success of Corel's other products, made providing local technical support a priority. "Datasvar is a successful and respected company that is already suppling quality technical support to Nordic customers" said Dr.Micheal Cowpland, president and chief executive officer, upon the signing of the contract. "We are pleased to join into this agreement and are confident that this positive step, will better service our clients and strengthen our marketing position in the Nordic market." Datasvar is an independent Swedish company that was founded in 1991. At present they supply technical support in all four Nordic languages. They have support centers in Sveg and J„rvs”, and a head office in Stockholm. As the leading technical support company in the Nordic region, Datasvar will offer support for the WordPerfect family of products and a range of other Corel products. "This is an important agreement for Datasvar Support" said Johan Callert, product manager of Datasvar. "We have succeeded in establishing cooperation with another major player in the computer software industry. The concentration on support for IT (information technology) companies, in Scandinavia, has made Datasvar a market leader in telephone support. The acquisition of WordPerfect has made Corel a more visible company and we are happy to be a part of Corel's future plans in the Nordic market." This contract provides Nordic users of Corel products local support. Corel customers can make local calls during regular business hours and receive technical support in their native language. Corel has enhanced support for WordPerfect customers. End users and corporate accounts will receive free unlimited support on a toll line for the life of the product. All other Corel customers will receive the same support that they were offered prior to the purchase of WordPerfect and the signing of this agreement with Datasvar. 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. All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademards of their respective companies. Corel, WordPerfect and Quattro are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation and its subsidiaries. CorelDRAW, CorelFLOW and Presentations are trademarks of Corel Corporation. GroupWise and Envoy are trademarks of Novell, Inc. *All pricing information is current as of March 29, 1996. AT&T reserves the right to modifythe pricing for the AT&T WorldNet Services at any time. 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 Hitachi Boasts World's Fastest Supercomputer AOL Tells Its Members Of FTC Inquiry Firefly Agents Deliver Serendipity, Too Flashlight On Technology And Student Outcomes Microsoft's Big Plans For China MCI And Intel Want To Weave Your Web Intranets From EDS And Netscape Peer Review And The Internet Center Targets Other Countries' Information Infrastructures Information Warfare Cracking Pays In Great Britain Boston's Agora Connection AT&T Sells New Media Services To Industry.Net Virtual University Groundbreaking Ceremony Schools Need Choice In Universal Service Options Developing Nations See Bright Future In Smart Cards The Future Of The University Greener Lithium Ion Batteries Boston's Agora Connection Slate Debuts Two Apple Veterans Head For Microsoft CIA Director Warns Of Information Warfare Petition Filed On Net Telephony James Clark's Healtheon Signs Blue Cross Massachusetts Online Satellite Service For Japan Lucent Teams With Mitsubishi On HDTV Chips 100,000 Computers For Schools Speeding Up Phone Lines Canadian Phone Numbers Online How To Build A Popular Web Site Virtual Institute Stolen Computer Parts HITACHI BOASTS WORLD'S FASTEST SUPERCOMPUTER The Hitachi Corporation's SR2201 has been pronounced by Oak Ridge Labs and University of Tennessee computer scientist Jack Dongarra to be the fastest supercomputer in the world, using 1,024 microprocessors linked through "massively parallel computing" to reach computing speeds of more than 220 billion floating point operations per second. Intel is developing a $45 million massively parallel computer, to be located at Sandia National Laboratories, and which will use 9,000 Pentium Pro microprocessors to reach teraflop speeds (a trillion floating point operations per second). (New York Times 22 Jun 96 p18) AOL TELLS ITS MEMBERS OF FTC INQUIRY America Online has informed its subscribers that it is working with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the FTC's questions about the company's billing practices, including complaints that its charges for time spent online are rounded up to the nearest minute. AOL chairman Steve Case described inaccurate billing problems as "isolated instances" and indicated that the company would do "whatever it takes to protect our reputation of leadership in this emerging industry." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 22 Jun 96 E12) FIREFLY AGENTS DELIVER SERENDIPITY, TOO "The problem with agents that simply learn and narrow down the information they give you is that there isn't any element of serendipity. It's hard to find out about new topics," says one of the founders of Agents, Inc., an outgrowth of MIT's Media Lab. Agents is working to solve that problem with its Firefly technology, which delivers value-added information by allowing Firefly agents to "talk" with each other to find out what other agents working for owners with similar interests have found. The inquiring agent then weighs each response according to how reliable that particular agent's responses have been in the past. If the reliability score is high, the inquiring agent will pass more information on to its owner. (Forbes 1 Jul 96 p79) FLASHLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY AND STUDENT OUTCOMES The Flashlight Project, funded by Annenberg/CPB, is examining the influence of technology on student outcomes, enrollment and attrition, shifts in teaching and learning patterns, and changing faculty roles. Indiana University Purdue University is working on a cost model for estimating the changes in total educational costs attributable to the use of technology, and the first workshop connected with the project will be held this fall. For more information, contact RobinZuniga@wiche.edu. (Communique 2 Jun 96 p3) MICROSOFT'S BIG PLANS FOR CHINA In an apparent paradox, Microsoft is pursuing an extensive technology- sharing strategy in China, a country known for its software piracy problems. The company is spending $2 million a year to train Chinese technicians and programmers and is plowing millions more into a number of cooperative arrangements with government ministries, local computer makers and universities. "The pirates are actually helping Microsoft greatly," says a Dataquest analyst. "They are creating a huge installed base of customers." In a country where copies of Chinese-version Windows sell for about $5 before they're even officially released, Microsoft is looking to the long term, figuring that with China's burgeoning technology needs, they'll make their money back on sales of applications, upgrades and service contracts. (Business Week 24 Jun 96 p52) MCI AND INTEL WANT TO WEAVE YOUR WEB MCI and Intel are teaming up to offer networkMCI Webmaker, a $10,000 hardware package aimed at small- to-mid-sized businesses with Web aspirations. The package includes an Intel Pentium Pro chip on a Windows NT platform, an integrated Cisco router, a Netscape communications server and other applications. The companies also plan to work together to develop applications, possibly including real-time videoconference recording and playback, streaming real-time audio/video and stereo via the Internet, video e-mail and news on demand. (Broadcasting & Cable 17 Jun 96 p64) INTRANETS FROM EDS AND NETSCAPE EDS, the computer services company, has licensed Netscape software products to build "high-performance intranets for corporate communication, collaboration and data access." (Computer Industry Daily 24 Jun 96) PEER REVIEW AND THE INTERNET Scientists attending a conference in Denmark sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) were almost unanimous in dismissing electronic challenges to the tradition of peer review for scientific publications, although there was also wide agreement about the benefits of the Internet for the exchange of scientific information (through the speeding up of peer review and the developing use of the Internet for distribution of "preprints" that allow "open peer commentary"). (The Economist 22 Jun 96) CENTER TARGETS OTHER COUNTRIES' INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURES The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies is developing an "Information Intelligence Quotient" to use as a framework for "the comparative measurement of three critical factors: infrastructure, access and use relating to electronic communications." Traditional analyses have focused on telephone penetration, says a senior CSIS official, but those measurements are "misleading, as well as inadequate... Electronic communications infrastructure now reaches far beyond traditional telephone networks and content providers. Strategic planners and policy makers need to start benchmarking the expanding ingredients involved." These new criteria include cellular, paging, cable and satellite networks, telephone booths and voice mailboxes, and access issues such as costs, tariffs, licensing and interconnection agreements. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 19 Jun 96 A7) INFORMATION WARFARE A report from the U.S. General Accounting Office describing an information war games exercise developed for the Defense Department by the Rand Corporation says that more than 120 countries have some form of computer attack capabilities. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 22 Jun 96 F1) Meanwhile, the FBI's special agent in charge of the San Francisco division says that in a recent survey of companies, "42% of those who responded said they'd experienced some unauthorized intrusion into their computer system in the last 12 months. Also, it found that 47% of those surveyed felt it could have been a foreign competitor or foreign government. We feel that's a very significant problem, one the FBI is particularly interested in." (Investor's Business Daily 24 Jun 96 A6) CRACKING PAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN A recent issue of the London Sunday Times reports that banks in Great Britain have been paying hush money to computer crackers who penetrated their systems, in exchange for their silence about their conquests. Payments have totaled 400 million pounds ($619 million US) so far, and victims include the Bank of London. The crackers reportedly sent encrypted messages such as, "Now do you believe we can destroy your computers?" and used "logic bombs," which can be remotely detonated and other sophisticated information warfare techniques. (Information Week 10 Jun 96 p32) BOSTON'S AGORA CONNECTION Boston College's Project Agora is a campuswide, cable TV-based electronic community that connects 2,500 classrooms, 400 administrative offices, and 6,000 dorm rooms at the university. Agora also offers full work- at-home network access for select students, faculty and administrators. Services offered over the network include data transport over an ATM backbone, high- speed data access to residence halls, and student and faculty access to library resources. Further information about the project is available at < http://infoeagle.bc.edu/agora/agora.html >. (The Heller Report Jun 96) AT&T SELLS NEW MEDIA SERVICES TO INDUSTRY.NET Industry.Net, an Internet commerce firm headed by former Lotus chairman Jim Manzi, will purchase AT&T's New Media Services unit in return for an undisclosed stake in Manzi's company. "It's a very interesting combination," says a Yankee Group analyst. The move is seen as the first indication of what direction Manzi plans to take with his new company. The AT&T unit, which began life as Ziff-Davis's Interchange service, focuses on providing businesses with Web- and Internet-related expertise and services. (Wall Street Journal 25 Jun 96 B6) VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY The governors of 10 Western states have pledged to raise funds for the establishment of their "virtual university," and say the first students should be enrolled by next year. Their move is spurred by a burgeoning population and an anticipated enrollment boom, which they hope to meet through electronically facilitated learning. Next steps will focus on breaking down bureaucratic barriers to the "virtual" concept: "It's not the technology that slows you down, it's the sociology," says Utah's Governor Leavitt. ""While there is resistance, it is more caution than resistance. People rightly want to be assured that the quality is there." (New York Times 25 Jun 96 A9) SCHOOLS NEED CHOICE IN UNIVERSAL SERVICE OPTIONS The director of the Missouri Interactive Telecommunications Education Network told the FCC Universal Service Board that schools need uniform access to the same services, and suggested that whatever pricing scheme the FCC comes up with should be based on three factors: the district's wealth as reflected by housing values; the district's per-student education budget; and its population density. "Any system of vouchers or fund caps based on per pupil allotments (whether adjusted or not) fails to recognize the premise behind the Universal Service Fund, that is, to equalize the cost factors associated with providing services in low density, high cost areas. The FCC's goal should be to ensure equity of access, not parity in technology implementation." (BNA Daily Report for Executives 20 Jun 96 A12) DEVELOPING NATIONS SEE BRIGHT FUTURE IN SMART CARDS When it comes to full-scale trials of smart card technology, developing countries such as Zambia and Thailand are way ahead of the U.S. The new payment systems are finding greater acceptance in countries where traditional banking practices are not so firmly entrenched. "No one's in a hurry for a new payment system here because our system already works," says a U.S. programmer who designed Zambia's smart card system. "Our country is expanding, and we don't have enough banks and no automated teller machines... The lines are very long," says a spokesman for the Zambian embassy in Washington. And smart cards provide valuable access to other technological advances: "Developing nations are using smart cards to leapfrog the need to build telecommunications infrastructures," says a Visa VP. (Investor's Business Daily 25 Jun 96 A8) THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY Eli Noam, director of Columbia University's Institute for Tele-Information, says in the new issue of Educom Review that "many of the physical mega universities ... are not sustainable, at least not in their present duplicative variations." Noam predicts that "ten years from now a significant share of conventional mass education will be offered commercially and electronically." The home page for CITI is < http://www.ctr.columbia.edu/vii >. The home page for the Virtual Institute, a project of CIT that helps users locate communications and mass media information is < http:www.ctr.columbia.edu/vii >. (Educom Review Jul/Aug 96 p38, "Eli Noam on the Future of the University) GREENER LITHIUM ION BATTERIES Rechargeable lithium ion batteries last twice as long as conventional nicad models, but have one big environmental drawback -- the cobalt compounds in the negative electrode. Researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland may have an answer, though -- they're working on a negative electrode that uses manganese in place of cobalt, reducing both costs and toxicity, while maintaining performance. (Business Week 1 Jul 96 p103) SLATE DEBUTS The debut this week of "Slate," < http://www.slate.com >, a Web-based magazine developed for Microsoft by political commentator Michael Kinsley, is being derided by some Internet critics and competitors for not taking full advantage of hyperlinks, which Kinsley disdains as being disturbing to readers who want to follow a writer's logic. Rival "Feed" < http://www.feedmag.com >, one of Kinsley's main critics, is beginning a "dialog on Web journalism" this Friday. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 25 Jun 96 B4) TWO APPLE VETERANS HEAD FOR MICROSOFT Apple researchers Steve Capps and Walter Smith are leaving Apple to join Microsoft's development team. The two plan to turn their talents to make computers communicate more easily over the Internet. Microsoft's Bill Gates "told me that computers are going to become more complex, but we've got to make them look simpler," says Capps, whose goal is to develop products that are "simpler to use, hand-held," with built-in Internet connections. (Wall Street Journal 25 Jun 96 B6) CIA DIRECTOR WARNS OF INFORMATION WARFARE Central Intelligence Agency Director John Deutch says the trend toward increased reliance by companies on telecommunications and computer networks is making the U.S. more vulnerable to other countries' "information warfare" tactics. "The electron, in my judgment, is the ultimate precision- guided munition. Virtually any single `bad actor' can acquire the hardware and software needed to attack some of our critical information-based infrastructures... We have evidence that a number of countries around the world are developing the doctrine, strategies and tools to conduct information attacks." Deutch predicts that the threat of cyber attacks will be "very, very close to the top" of the CIA's list of worries, "especially if you ask me to look 10 years down the road." (Wall Street Journal 26 Jun 96 B6) PETITION FILED ON NET TELEPHONY The Voice on the Net coalition has filed comments with the FCC, protesting that recent attempts by the America's Carriers Telecommunications Association to persuade lawmakers to regulate Internet telephony "are designed to protect the economic self-interest of a narrow group of companies at the cost of a variety of beneficial new services." International Data Corp. predicts that the customer base for Net-based telephony will increase to 16 million users by the end of 1999, generating an estimated $560 million. Internet telephony brought in about $3.5 million in revenues last year. (Information Week 17 Jun 96 p33) JAMES CLARK'S HEALTHEON SIGNS BLUE CROSS MASSACHUSETTS Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Massachusetts, which already has an extensive online enrollment and transaction processing operation, has become the first healthcare provider to sign on with Healtheon, the new company formed by Netscape Chairman James Clark. Blue Cross will use Healtheon's expertise to move many of its electronic functions to the Internet. (Wall Street Journal 26 Jun 96 B6) ONLINE SATELLITE SERVICE FOR JAPAN Nintendo, Microsoft and Japan's Nomure Research Institute are collaborating to deliver a high-speed online service that will beam content such as sports news, online shopping and entertainment via a TV broadcasting satellite system . Users will need a satellite dish and special modem to access the service. "The PC is becoming a communications tool," says Microsoft's Bill Gates. "I think the venture really draws on the strengths of all three companies." Microsoft is working with DirecTV on a similar project in the U.S., scheduled for launch early next year. (Financial Times 27 Jun 96 p15) LUCENT TEAMS WITH MITSUBISHI ON HDTV CHIPS Lucent Technologies will work with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. to develop a set of electronic chips designed for high definition television sets that will hit the market beginning in 1998. The new chips will receive and process the HDTV signals and display the video on a special screen. (Wall Street Journal 26 Jun 96 B6) 100,000 COMPUTERS FOR SCHOOLS Quebec will spend $229 million over five years to buy 100,000 computers for primary and secondary schools. (Montreal La Presse 27 Jun 96 A1). SPEEDING UP PHONE LINES Bell Canada is testing Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL) technology that will give PC users high- speed access to the Internet and other online services while diverting Net users off the regular phone system and onto a separate data network. Phone companies currently use only 1% of the capacity of existing copper wires to transmit information. (Ottawa Citizen 25 Jun 96 C1) CANADIAN PHONE NUMBERS ONLINE The Canadian government launched an electronic version of its telephone directory yesterday, giving Internet users access to the phone numbers of tens of thousands of public servants. The Government Electronic Directory can be reached through < http://canada.gc.ca/ >. (Toronto Globe & Mail 27 Jun 96 A4) HOW TO BUILD A POPULAR WEB SITE Companies such as A&B Studios of Salt Lake City have figured out how to generate more hits on their Web site -- they've incorporated the words "Barney," "fun," "sex," and numerous dirty words into the border of their home page, thus generating hits from search engines such as Webcrawler and Alta Vista. (Wall Street Journal 27 Jun 96 B1) VIRTUAL INSTITUTE The home page for the Virtual Institute, a project of Columbia Institute of Tele-Information that helps users locate communications and mass media information is < www.ctr.columbia.edu/citi >. (Amended from Edupage 25 Jun 96) STOLEN COMPUTER PARTS Federal indictments and civil lawsuits filed by Tandem Corporation are the first filed in Silicon Valley under federal racketeering law; the defendant companies are charged with stealing parts from Tandem and reselling them to a used-parts broker that would hide the origin of the stolen goods by erasing visible serial numbers or falsifying paperwork. Some of the customers who were sold stolen goods were May Department Stores, Bell Atlantic Systems Leasing, First Data Health Systems, The Miami Herald, and E&P Financial. (New York Times 27 Jun 96 D4) 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: . Right before you get on the Path there is a discolored wall on your right. Shoot it. 5) Ok. At the end of the path is a sort of arch. Hidden on the right side is a bio suit. Get it. Walk to the other side of the bridge and jump in. Turn around and go right. Follow the underwater hallway until you come to the end. Do the only thing you can do, go up through the hole. 6) Back on the path again. Go to the third switch. Jump on the lamp and get on top of the switch. See the room with the window from which that SOB was shooting you. There are steps there. Jump to the lowest one. Jump up to the secret room. E1M2-Castle of the Damned 1) At the very beginning, jump in the water. The outside wall on the right has a discolored green square on it. Shoot it and follow the underwater cave. 2) Ok, let's say you're on the bridge leading to the blue key. Jump in the water. Walk out of that room and see a door open in front of you. 3) From the start, cross over the center bridge, turn right, go through the door. Go straight up the stairs. Behind the center column on your right, a brick is sticking out. Fix that. Turn right and see the door open. E1M3-The Necropolis 1) Take the stairs down. When you come to the bridge, jump. But first kill the bad guys. There is a secret room down here. 2) Get the gold key and walk to the door. Turn right and walk straight. Drop down for a ring of shadows and a secret. 3) Kill the two monsters above you on the platforms to get rid of the bars blocking access to the yellow armor. Get the armor and shoot the back wall. Walk through the gate. Duh. E1M4-The Grisly Grotto 1) At the very beginning, shoot the two red switches on either side of the room. Not very secret for a secret if you ask me, but anyway..... 2) Let's say you're standing on the bank of the lake with the blue key in front of you on the bridge in the middle of the lake. Walk into the water. Turn right. See the hole in the wall across the lake. Well, somewhere between you and that hole is a small square hole. Go in it. 3) Eventually you'll come to a room with five floor switches. After stepping on all the switches, two holes will open up on either side of the room. Pick one, drop down. Press the switch on the wall. Go back up and drop down the other hole. Again, press the switch on the wall. It tells you that a cave has opened up. Alright, go back to the lake the way you got here. Swim out to the open water and turn right. Follow the outside wall. The cave is huge, you can't miss it. Now you must make the choice of taking this exit the secret level or go back to the regular, boring exit. I'll be taking the secret exit. E1M?-Ziggurat Vertigo 1) In front of the pyramid is a Pentagram of Protection. Get it. WALK into the lava and drop down. It's very hard to see down here, but it's down here. Move forward some and turn towards the ouside wall away from the pyramid above. Swim up and you're there. (I shot every wall in this level at least a hundred times before I found this one) 2) When you come to the door requiring the key, go through. Walk straight ahead through the door. On your right there is a funky looking wall. Shoot it. E1M5-Gloom Keep 1) At the very beginning, turn to your right, and jump in the water. Forward a little on the outside wall to your right is a small cave. Go in there. 2) Where you come out of the water is a door, take that door. Jump on the wall adjoining the stairs. Then jump over to the tall skinny wall. Now you can get on top of the brick structure where the chainsaw guy was hassling you. 3) Eventually you'll came to a dark room that is open on one side. There is a lit up column in the center. On the side of the column facing out there is a flame on the wall. Walk up to the column and jump up to hit the flame holder with your head. Now look behind the column. A room has opened. 4) There is a teleport gate that is set away from the wall enough for you to walk behind it. Enter the gate from the back side. 5) At the end, opposite the final gate is a section of wall with a skewed texture. Shoot it. E1M6-The Door to Chthon 1) When you first start this level you'll step on a floor plate in the main room that opens a door down a hallway in the distance. When you go that way, you'll come to a room with two yellow lights on the floor in the corners. Stop. Look up. Shoot the red switch on the wall above. This opens a door in front of you. Go up the elevator. At the top count the lights in the floor. Stop at the third one and turn around. Look down. See the ledge below. Jump on it. There you are. 2) You'll come to a spiked wall that comes towards you down the hallway. Get behind it and enter the gate there. 3) Eventually you'll drop into a room with a short set of steps leading to a door. Facing that door, on your left is a door on the other side of some water. To your right, a pillar. behind the pillar a room with a switch. When you hit that switch, the pillar will now have a red switch on it. Shoot the switch. That lowers the stairs there, revealing a secret room. Go into that room and wait. 4) When the stairs rise. Another secret room is revealed with a gate in it. E1M7-The House of Chthon This level has no secrets.......or so they would have us believe. I might as well include the directions to the nightmare skill and give you all the cheat codes I've found so far as long as I'm here. Also, I'll try to describe the way to the Super Secret. To get to the Nightmare skill level choose any skill level(duh) and take the path to the fourth episode. When you fall into the water swim backwards against the wall. Do this in the water. When you fall out of the water you'll land on a wooden beam. Follow it to the Nightmare gate. Anyone figured out what that message means when you shoot the switch near the gate yet? These are the directions to the "Super Secret". I did not find this. I'm just telling you what I saw in the demo I downloaded. Mind you, you cannot access the Super Secret, unless, of course, you've been to the newsgroups lately. The Shareware version contains no Super Secret. To get to the Super Secret, choose your skill level. Take the path to the fourth episode. Fall through the water. At the bottom, stand facing the two doors that lead to the exit gate. Go to the console and type "noclip". Turn slightly to the right and walk forward. See the gate in the distance. Walk to it. Unclip(un-unclip?) by typing "noclip" in the console again. Walk up the stairs and back down again. You'll get some type of message. The hole is apparently the entrance to the Super Secret. Jumping in the hole with Shareware Quake will lock you up, trust me. Here's my list of codes so far: god impulse 9 fly noclip notarget That's it. I hope you found this thing of some use. I spent a lot of time finding the secrets and writing this text. Ok, ok, I would've been playing Quake anyway and writing this was a good break when my eyes were on fire from staring at the monitor for so long, but you get my point. Bowfonz 102375.524@Compuserve.com HOW TO PLAY NIGHTMARE ON QUAKE This is for all you people/psycos out there that have completed all the levels on the other difficulty settings and found it easy. The entrance to the nightmare section is located inside the portal to the forth episode. What you do is start up a new game, go into any of the difficultys, and drop though the water into the forth episode entrance. Then you call up the console by pressing ` and type in FLY. Use D and C to fly up and down. Fly into the hole about halfway up the wall to the left of the gate to the forth episode. When you are in there call up the console again and type in FLY again to disable fly mode. Walk round the corner and into NIGHTMARE. Have fun. If you find a way to get to the nightmare section without cheating then please e-mail me. Written by The Griffin: 100602,470 (100602.470@compuserve.com) ThumbsPlus 3.0! Reprinted with Permission Previously Published in cIEx. The Official Online Magazine of Club IE. by David Boles June 22, 1996 Welp. Today I had one of those rare "How have I lived this long without this program?" epiphanies. The program is from Cerious Software and it's called ThumbsPlus 3.0 and it's a Godsend if you work with, track, and store a lot of graphics files. Since every major software program comes with some sort of clipart or other graphics, you can keep an eye on them much easier when you employ ThumbsPlus 3.0 to shadow their whereabouts. If you're a serious graphics artist, or if you do a lot of web site design, you must get a copy of ThumbsPlus 3.0. Here's what it does in a nutshell: ThumbsPlus 3.0 searches your hard drive for file types it recognizes (all standard graphics formats, UUE, PNG, .WAV and .AVI are but a few) and then creates a thumbnail view of each file so you can see in a finger snap precisely which file you want to use. But the ThumbsPlus 3.0 information powerhouse doesn't stop at just an image thumbnail. You can also have the dimension, resolution, name, date and other file information shown right along with the thumbnail. Having the name of the file and the dimension listed right there in front of you makes setting WIDTH and HEIGHT tags in your HTML code extremely breezy and easy! Here's how ThumbsPlus 3.0 read the directory for my other publication: boles: the mag! If you want to edit a file, simply click on the eyeball icon in the toolbar and ThumbsPlus 3.0 will snap it open for a full range of editing from histogram manipulation to setting color depth and tone. In the screenshot below, I've clicked on the boles: the mag! thumbnail and ThumbsPlus 3.0 opened it to its full size for editing. There you have it. ThumbsPlus 3.0 in a nutshell. Simple. Quick. It scans your hard drive in moments and gives you a lifetime of image management support. Can't live without it. Having the right tool for the job is the Holy Grail of computing and ThumbsPlus 3.0 from Cerious Software has quenched my thirst and filled a niche it created for itself. If you're interested in trying out ThumbsPlus 3.0, you can download the shareware version and try it out for 30 days. Or you can pull down the full shabang version right online in a secure web transaction. Point your favorite browser to: http://www.cerious.com and you'll finally know what you've been missing. The registered version of ThumbsPlus 3.0 costs ~$70 and adds support for DXF (AutoCAD Exchange format [in 2d only]) and ATM: Adobe Type 1 fonts. The registered version also gets you TWAIN32 scanning, digital image filtering (sharpen, blur, emboss, median, etch, edge detection...), Histograms and ZIP files shown as directories. I use the registered version of ThumbsPlus 3.0 and I can't recommend it enough for helping you keep your thumb on the ganglia of graphics files that are bundled with every software program riding on your hard drive today and for managing the most important pieces of your plethora of pages on the web tomorrow: The eye candy, baby! Portable Computers Section Marty Mankins, Editor EDITOR'S NOTES - June 28, 1996 CATCHING UP Last month, we were talking about how things are going in the video game and portable computing industries. Big changes have happened since then. And it's only fair to cover it for your reading. Then we can get to what we have here in this section for you this issue. PLAYSTATION PRICE DROPPED $100!!! Well, it was denied by many people who associated themselves with Sony who said the price of the PlayStation would never drop too low. And "too low" meant no lower than $249, of which the $50 lower price is pretty standard for video game console price drops. But, instead, the new price is $199. And not just in some places, but everywhere. I knew it would happen, although I tended to keep my mouth shut, not offending those who may be easily offended. So now, at $199, the Sony PlayStation is almost a bargain for everyone. Those who still do not consider it a bargain are those who think that a video game console is only worth $99.95. Those who purchased the Atari Jaguar, the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo Super NES at that magical $99 price, thought to get the biggest bargain in video gaming. But there are those who will consider the price of $199 the best thing that's happened. And this for a system that's only been out almost 10 months. Not even it's first birthday has past and already the PlayStation has sold over 1 million units, sold even more games and displaced the Jaguar, Saturn and 3DO to be the market leader in 32-bit gaming. So if you've been wanting a PlayStation, but were afraid to spend $300 for the console only, then here's you're chance. If you want, you can try waiting for the next price drop, but it's going to be that much longer you'll be without a PlayStation. LAPTOPS GETS THINNER The trend in portable computing is also slimming, but not just in prices, but also in size. The latest laptop to hit the market is the IBM ThinkPad 560. At just over 1" in thickness, it's a pretty nice machine. Up to a Pentium 133, with IrDA and other expansion options, it's shaping up to a be a real winner. Of course, there is the Digital HiNote Ultra II with its Pentium 100 or 133 processor and thin size. Of course, it's still about $4000 for a loaded unit, compared to the new IBM 560 which is about $200 cheaper. And people said that subnotebooks were dead. Poo-poo on them for thinking that laptop buyers would want to forever drag around 6-7 pound computers when traveling. And speaking of traveling, not only do people fly with their laptops, I've seen more at parks, meetings, in cars and other local-to-home places. It seems that the thin and light notebooks are making their way back into our lives. From someone who loves a great subnotebook, this is great news. GAME REVIEWS Ok, enough of the hate mail!! I only got a few messages from readers who want PlayStation game reviews. As I mentioned in my long and exhaustive article on my network consulting activities, things are winding down as we speak. And I've had at least three games done or close to being done for a month now. It's just getting the time to taking care of them and getting them into the issue. And just yesterday, I received one of the most anticipated PlayStation games. It's called Top Gun: Fire At Will. And you better believe I'm going to make time for this one. It looks really nice and the PlayStation version is supposed to be different from the PC version. Also, I am looking at reviewing other games for other systems like the forthcoming N64 from Nintendo, still due to ship on September 30th. Also, I've received a good number of e-mail over the last 6 months asking about PC game reviews. Our Kids Korner editor, Frank Sereno, handles the educational titles. But as for PC games, I think we'd be open to do a few to see how people feel. There are already a ton of reviews in other publications and I think it would be nice to have them here in STReport. The first that I would like to review is Monopoly, which has a really cool feature - it can be played across the Internet for up to five people. This is something I need to try. The ultimate coolness factor. And Hasbro Interactive, the maker of Monopoly (and owner of Parker Brothers) is also converting many other titles over to the PC. The ones I know about are Risk, Othello and Battleship (of which it can play over the Internet). So we'll try some PC and Macintosh game reviews over the next little while to see how it goes. Expanding our entertainment value is something we hope pleases all. As always, if there are any questions or comments or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me at 75300.1770@compuserve.com. Marty [Personal Info on Marty: owner of Perfection Applied, offering publishing and freelancing services. Our web site is currently under development, as is our new World Wide Web publication, Megafone Expressus. Stay tuned for web site updates. Also co-owner of InfoStream, providing network consulting and web site management, as well as publishers of printed and on-line periodicals. Check us out at http://www.info-stream.com ] Atari: Jaguar/Computer Section Dana Jacobson, Editor From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" It's one of those weeks in which I've decided to forego my usual editorial remarks and bring you a glimpse of items from days "of yesteryear" ( a year or two years ago today). It's interesting to see what was happening at this time last year or even further back. From Issue #1027, June - 1994, comes these comments about Atari's showingat the Summer CES show. Interesting re-reading this material, especially because it reminds me of what could have been... Enjoy. From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" The Summer Consumer Electronics Show is over for another year. From all reports that I've seen, whether from our own staff here at STReport, or via various messages online, Atari had a successful show. Depending on your perspective, "successful" is certainly a subjective term. If your definition of success is an imminent large selection of new Jaguar games, you may be right. Other than the two games already in production (Wolfenstein 3D and Brutal Sports Football), there are no new games ready. But hold on. There are quite a few titles that are close. You'll see a list of titles announced at the CES of upcoming titles, either done or in some stage of completion, further along in this issue. If your definition of success is a wide assortment of publicity for Atari, you may be right again. The media certainly covered Atari's presence. If you listen to those who attended the show, the press and other visitors, you'll note that the various reports have been glowing. That would include those from STReport staffers. So what are the aspects of the show for Atari that doesn't show success? There really isn't anything except for the fact that there's been no "breakthrough" announcements; everything is essentially status quo. The difference from pre-CES and post-CES is that Atari has gained much-needed publicity. For Atari, this was a critical point to be made at this year's show. Atari had to show that they were serious; I think that they managed to do just that. STReport had two staff members at CES: Paul Charchian and Craig Harris. We had hoped to have reports in last week's issues, but circumstances beyond our control didn't let it happen. However, we will have those reports this week and in upcoming issues; they kept themselves quite busy talking with Atari personnel, Jaguar developers, and more! Craig is also busy putting together the CES video that he shot while at the show, including footage from a number of CES participants. We hope that you enjoy the coverage and find it informative. Until next time... MiST AtariFest Saturday, July 13 10:00am - 3:00pm Eastern STANDARD Time (as opposed to Eastern Daylight Savings Time) Best Western Waterfront Plaza (again) For room reservations call (317) 299-8400 Ex. 393 ask for special Atari MiST room rates. For more information call (during reasonable evening hours): Charlie Sears (317) 535-4829 For those of you interested in the now Canada-based CURRENT NOTES magazine for all Atari/TOS/C-LAB/MagiCMac/GEMulator users, we've now got a Web Page! Totally CAB-compatible, and full of interesting information about the magazine, its writers, etc. Also includes links to places of interestaround the Web. Check us out at: http://www.io.org/~hcarson/cnpage.htm Let us know what you think! Dan Dreibelbis, news editor/alt.info.everything column/sometimes productreviewer, CURRENT NOTES magazine. Jaguar Section This Week In History - June 1994 From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! As above, we'll take a look back at this time two years ago. Who would have thought that things would turn out as poorly as they did, as quickly as they did. In the issue from this week a year ago, the big news was the hiring of Ted Hoff. Two years ago, Atari had a good showing at the SCES, Star Battle (aka Battlesphere) was officially announced (and reported as a 4th quarter, 1994 release!), and tons of games were announced for release during the remainder of that year. Other than the great publicity generated at the show, not much else ever came to fruition. Regardless, it's interesting to see what was happening at this time that year, and what might have been. We hope that you enjoy this trip down memory lane. From STReport Issue #1027: Special SCES Update for the Jaguar!! STR Show Report! - "Live From CES" by Paul Charchian Everyone expected a bevy of surprises at SCES. I refused to get overly optimistic even as I took the 6:00 am flight from Minneapolis to Chicago to attend the first day of SCES, Thursday. For those not familiar with McCormick Place, Chicago's convention center, let me explain the layout. Most of the larger shows, such as CES, must be held in two different buildings connected by a cavernous tunnel running under Lake Shore Drive. Oddly, the 3D0 was the *only* game company in the West building. The impact of this decision left only Atari and Nintendo as the only major system manufacturers in the North building, along with countless software publishers. Immediately upon entering the convention hall, the very large Atari display area was present. I was shocked at the magnitude of the Atari area. Atari employees later confirmed that this was their largest showcase ever. Nevertheless, Atari's area paled in comparison to the Nintendo vista that claimed almost a quarter of the hall by itself. Ignoring all else, I quickly headed for the field of Jags. Like a kid in a candy store, I didn't know where to begin. I took a quick glance at each machine and found that an amazing number of them offered titles that I had never even heard of. Ah ha! Atari had been keeping some secrets, and as you'll see in a second, some good ones. I visited each game numerous times and came up with the follow synopsis of each game present: Kasumi Ninja - By now most of us have heard enough to know quite a bit about the game, but I want to shed some light on some features that I wasn't aware of until know. The background sports very vivid parallax scrolling backgrounds. Backgrounds include digitized scenes from the Grand Canyon, an oriental motif and a Comanche Indian round of teepees. Of course, if you take a even a second to enjoy them, you'll be decapitated. The characters are large and very detailed. You can even discern the creases in the clothing. Blood stays on the ground during each fight. It doesn't magically disappear as it does in other games. The amount of blood has been reduced since earlier versions, although it is still a very bloody game. Shadows are rendered for each character in real-time. The shadows matched player movements wonderfully. There were four or five working characters with another 3-5 coming. Included in these are a Comanche Indian, a Goth, and standard ninja-types. Because Project Manager Ted Tahquechi is of Comanche background, everything about the Comanche character and background is authentic. His uncle, an actor, was used in video taping the role. It is nice to know that everything from the clothing to the insignias on the teepees are real. (For more on Ted, be sure to check out my interview with him in the next STR!) Ted confirmed that there will be many secret characters and Easter eggs. Many of the characters come with projectile weapons. The Indian throws a knife and the ninjas can cast fireballs. There are unique fatalities as well. When the Goth lost to a ninja, the ninja jumped on his skull pushing his gray matter out of his brain pan. The crowds around the two machines demonstrating KN were wide-eyed and excited. I asked Andrew Lundstad of St. Paul, MN about KN: "It doesn't feel as fast as the arcade version of Mortal Kombat, but the graphics are prettier. Mortal Kombat was tougher to learn at first. KN has a lot of special moves. I'd pay to play it in the arcade. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw it in an arcade." While I promised not to get into details, one of the most exciting aspects of KN is its plot. That's right, a fighting game with a plot, and a cool one at that. It will really help KN stand out from the pack of fighting games. I'd estimate that KN is 90 - 95% finished. Rayman - Like many of you, I hadn't even heard of Rayman before. I was pleasantly surprised. This UBI Soft game stars a bird-like creature, presumably Rayman, dressed in a cape and purple outfit. The game is very reminiscent of Mickey Mouse's Castle of Illusion for the Genesis in theme. Of all of the games present, this one may have had the best graphics. The color was breathtaking. I was stunned by the graphics. Rayman has over 50 different animations that he can perform such as dancing, walking on his hands and sticking out his tongue. It is already moving at 25 fps, however collision detection hasn't been worked out yet. I'd estimate that this game is 50% finished. Arena League Football - This one was the first dog of the show. It barely had a heartbeat of code in its poor little EPROM frame. All that was present in this title was a big green blob to represent the field (no white lines or yard markers), along with the 6 on 6 characters. They sorta ran a play, but when they did it was numbingly slow. I'd estimate that this game is 5% finished. Ruiner - Another title I hadn't heard of, I was surprised to see a functional pinball game for the Jag. A company called High Voltage Software was on hand to help demonstrate the game. Unfortunately, it suffered from SNES graphics and a remarkably barren playing area. There were, a grand total of zero targets to shoot at. I can only assume that they will be coming. The game contains a horror motif as the ball is a skull, and there is a haunted house in the playing field. I'd estimate that this game is 30% completed. Blue Lightning - I was surprised to see this title because I was under the impression it would be a CD title. I'd guess it will be on CD by the time it gets to stores, but it was on cart for the SCES. I loved the Lynx version of Blue Lightning, and the Jag version is faithful in feel to the original. If you can imagine the Lynx version with souped-up graphics, you'd pretty much have it. Collision detection already was in working order, but not all of the graphics were in place. Much of the graphics were bit-mapped. I'd estimate that it is 40% finished. Brutal Sports Football - I'm a football nut, so I was really hoping that this would be a sports title of some merit, but after trying hard to like it, I was resigned to feeling as though the Jag had been reduced to a SNES. It fits in better with the first four Jag titles than the fifth. The term "football" shouldn't be in the title. There is no similarity to football, American or otherwise, to be found in this cart. It is reminiscent of the computer game "Speedball." Featuring unending six on six action, your goal is to throw the ball through a soccer-style goal without getting tackled first. The game lacks the brutality that its title suggests it should have. I wanted to see limbs falling off, and heads rolling, but the only thing rolling were my eyes. BSF is 100% finished, and in manufacturing. Checkered Flag - Despite being a polygon-based product , CF has some nice attributes that suggest that it could be a decent title. There are plenty of user-definable options such as the weather (fog, rain or sun), car color, size of air foils, manual or automatic shifting and tightness of the steering wheel. The game's motion was still jerky and a tad slow. The polygons left the game feeling antiseptic. There were no fun billboards or scenery. Just blocks, and not that many at that. I'd estimate that CF is 55% done. Bubsy - Why Atari chose to make this the first Accolade title instead of a sports title (Hardball III) I'll never know. Bubsy is similar to the aforementioned Rayman, but not as graphically stunning. You control Bubsy (he's a bobcat if anyone cares; I'm not sure why I asked, but I did) around desert-style scenery that reminded me of Taz Mania for the Genesis. I was able to kill Bubsy by drowning him in quicksand a number of times. An Atari rep said that the game was 15% done, and probably wouldn't be available by Christmas. Wolf 3d - When you start up the Jag version of Wolf 3D, you are treated to a big spinning ball with pictures of Hitler, bosses, the Fuji symbol and id's logo. The cart in the Jag was a finished product, with shell and labeling as it will appear on the shelves. The cart allows for saving 3 different games, as well as an option to automatically pull-up your last game played. As soon as you start the game, it is clear that the graphics are much better. There are noticeably more colors and virtually no pixelization even with your nose to the wall. The layout of the castle is similar to the PC version, but not identical. Like the PC version, there is no floor or ceiling. The controls of the game were the most difficult part because it runs soooooo darn fast. Much faster than my 486/66 runs the PC version. While it was hard to hear from all of the background noise, it sounded as though the voice was clearer, while the sound was about the same as the PC version. I also noticed that you can now have more than 100 pieces of ammo. While there are other guns available, I wasn't able to play it long enough to earn one of the non-standard arms. Wolf 3D is 100% completed. AvP - Along with Kasumi Ninja, Alien vs Predator stole the show. There wasn't a moment when someone wasn't playing this game, and at times, there were crowds surrounding the monitors. Easily, AvP sports the best 3D effects that I've ever seen. The interior of the ship is unbelievably realistic. The ceiling lighting and bit-mapped walls were absolutely stunning. I can't help but wonder if there has ever been a more intensely realistic setting in a video game, home or arcade. The gameplay is fundamentally fine, with one sticking point. When playing the marine or Predator, the game feels like it is reacting a hair too slow. However, as the Alien, you can rip down the corridors at fast speeds. In light of the Jag showcase that AvP has become, I'd rather have all of the characters be able to move quickly, and find a different advantage to give the Alien instead of speed. This is a very minor critique for an otherwise fine game. When you shoot the Alien, he explodes in a disgusting mash of yellow and green blobs. Look out for face-huggers. The little buggers adhere themselves onto your head and only a vigorous attack on the directional will get him off. Much like shaking a tackler in many football games. AvP will not be linkable in any way. Jason Poggioli of Franklin Park, IL had this to say about it: "AvP is very excellent. It scrolls very smoothly without any pixelation on the sides. It really shows off its power. I'd give it a 7 with potential for higher depending on what happens between now and when it is released. It's better than DOOM." I also asked Kevin Lehning, of Park Ridge IL about it: "The graphics are outstanding. I can really feel the 3D effect. The game is easy so far." However, he did add that "The hardware felt sluggish in parts, and lacks the elements of action that are present in Wolf 3D." I'd estimate that AvP is 90-95% completed. Double Dragon 5 - Next to Kasumi Ninja and Ultra Vortex, this one is easy to forget. It features cartoon characters rather than digitized images. The total number of moves is limited and you have to use the numeric pad to perform some of the specials. I'd love to see this game come out at a reasonable price ($30- 40) to give people a better option. You'd never know you weren't on a SNES. I'd estimate that the game is 75% done. Doom - After reading stories that Doom was running slowly, I was braced for the worst. I was surprised to see it running pretty damn fast. Not at 486/66 speed, but quickly nonetheless. The frame rate seemed okay as well. The knock on it was that the resolution was noticeable worse than on the PC. I was informed that Atari hadn't yet received a current version of Doom from id, so they were showing an older one. People attending the show over the weekend may find different results than what I saw. As most of you already know, Doom is going to be voice/modemable. Club Drive - Surprisingly, Club Drive is slated to work with the voice modem as well. Purple Hampton tried to get the unit working without success while I was there. Like, Checkered Flag, it is a polygon game, with few if any bit-maps. I found that the game was much more enjoyable when the camera was moved out of the cockpit. The overhead was especially fun when the car was buzzing around the house (and into the fireplace!). The game is in need of optimization. I'd estimate that the game is 65% finished. Troy Aikman Football - Reports of this game's summer arrival are grossly exaggerated. Based on the demo cart that was shown, this game has a LONG way to go. There were only three different plays being shown in the demo and they were running very slowly. The graphics were in need of improvement as well. The play selection area looked solid, as did the title screen. All 28 teams and logos are accounted for, but it will not sport real players. I'd estimate that this game is 10% done. Ultra Vortex - In my eyes this product was the most pleasant surprise of the show. Ultra Vortex is another fighting game ala Mortal Kombat. Get this, of the people that I talked to half of them actually preferred UV to KN! And KN is great! If you love fighting games, you are going to flip out over these two. The backgrounds are especially intense, featuring really twisted, demented imagery. We were able to see 3 working characters. My favorite was the mechanical man called "Buzzsaw" whose torso can spin with his arms extended to turn his upper body into his monicker. According to the reps that I talked to, virtually all of the code is done. They just need to add more characters. I'd estimate that this game is 85% completed. Wonderfully, both KN and UV smoke the 3D0's 'Way of the Warrior.' Iron Soldier - I hadn't heard of this title before, but get used to hearing about it. It is going to be turning a lot of heads in the next months. It is a battletech type of game. You are inside a huge armored mech blowing up anything that moves (and a lot of things that don't!). The city that you tromp on is largely polygon, but the enemies are bit mapped. One of the really cool effects happens when you blow up a building. It explodes into a hundred cubes that come back to earth and bounce in the most amazingly lifelike way. You are so large in your mech outfit that you can stomp on small buildings, trees and cars. It is somewhat reminiscent of Crush, Crumble and Chomp. As you are doing these things you take fire from choppers, planes and ground-based missiles. The Atari staff loved this game, and seemed intent on sharing their enthusiasm. More than one person walked away feeling like it was going to be a big hit. I'd estimate that it is 50% completed. Zool 2 - This game is a blend of Sonic the Hedgehog with Mickey Mouse's Castle of Illusion where you travel through a land of candy. It is side scrolling like those two, but features a character that looks a little like Marvin the Martian from Warner Brothers cartoons. One unique feature that I really liked was the ability to play either a male or female zool. The graphics were very nice and worthy of a 64-bitter. The game will greatly appeal to kids, but also to adults, much as Sonic has. Collision detection was operable, so I'd guess that this product is 60% done. Space War - I recently read that Star Raiders had been split into two. If that is true, then this must be one of the two. The scrolling stars are right out of the Atari 800 version of Star Raiders. Space War is a two- player, split-screen shooter that puts you in the place of a gunner on a space ship. It is reminiscent of Chewbacca shooting Tie Fighters from the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. It was still in the early stages, with very little depth yet. I'd estimate that this product is 10% done. Rally - Another title that I had never heard of, Rally is reminiscent of Super Sprint. It is an off-road racing game that puts you behind the wheel of a 4x4 in the desert. The view is overhead, making your car look a little like a Matchbox car in a sandlot. There are some nice touches in this game including billboards and on- lookers. This game appears to be about 25% completed. Overall I think that Atari did a fine job at the show. With Sega having only a minimal presence and 3D0 being stuck in a different building, it gave Atari a great chance to show their continuing support for the Jaguar. In our next issue be sure to check out my interview with Jeff Minter as he talks about his new Virtual Light Machine, Tempest and his future with Atari. We'll also be talking about everything that I've missed up until this point. Star Battle! STR InfoFile! - New Jaguar Developer, 4Play FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Star Battle(TM) Announced for Atari Jaguar 4Play Among Atari Jaguar Developers Gaming Will Never Be The Same! For more information, contact: Thomas D. Harker, 4Play (815) 968-2228 ext. 222 Fax 815-968-6888 CHICAGO, IL -- June 23, 1994 -- Consumer Electronics Show -- A talented New design group, called 4Play, today announced their first title which will fully exploit Jaguar's 64-bit capabilities. Six hundred years in the future, several spacefaring races are battling for domination of the galaxy. To avoid unnecessary loss of life and destruction, it is agreed that the best warriors and military minds will be sent to a small uninhabited quadrant of the galaxy to settle the score. Some of the races have endured years of torment and oppression and with the galaxy at stake, nothing short of eradication of the enemy is acceptable. Star Battle is a first person perspective game designed to put fun back into gaming. Star Battle's multi-player action allows head to head challengers over modem or network. The Jaguar makes this possible with 64-bit power and outstanding connectability. Tom Harker, president of 4Play, commented, "Our custom game tools afford no compromises. With advanced features like a warp polygon engine, gouraud shading, texture mapping, networking and modem support, Star Battle will be setting new standards in excellence for a long time to come". "Look for Star Battle to be released on cartridge in the 4th quarter of 1994." Star Battle is a trademark of 4Play. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. Jaguar '94 Titles! STR InfoFile! - Prospective Games For 1994! Below is a list of software titles planned for release in 1994 by Atari or third party. Data obtained from printed sources provided at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held June 23 through June 25 in Chicago (1994). Titles marked by "*" were demonstrated as complete or "work in progress" at the show. Clearly, all of this will not meet our 1994 release goals, however, much of it will and the remainder will follow soon thereafter. -- Don Thomas Atari Corporation *Alien vs. Predator (AvP) Atari Corporation *Battlezone Atari Corporation Battlemorph Atari Corporation *Blue Lightning (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation *Bubsy Atari Corporation *Checkered Flag (was Red Line) Atari Corporation *Club Drive (voice/modem) Atari Corporation *Cybermorph Atari Corporation Demolition Man (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation *Dino Dudes Atari Corporation Doom (Network, Voice/Modem) Atari Corporation Highlander (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation *Iron Soldier Atari Corporation *Jack Nicklaus Cyber Golf (CD) Atari Corporation *Kasumi Ninja Atari Corporation *Raiden Atari Corporation *Space War Atari Corporation *Tempest 2000 Atari Corporation *Trevor McFur/Crescent Galaxy Atari Corporation *Wolfenstein 3D Atari Corporation Pinball Dreams 21st Century *Starbattle (working title) 4-Play Hosenose and Booger All Systems Go BIOS Fear All Systems Go BattleWheels Beyond Games Inc. *Ultra Vortex Beyond Games Inc. Nanoterror (working title) Delta Music Systems Droppings (working title) Delta Music Systems Lester the Unlikely DTMC *Zool 2 Gremlin Graphics *Ruiner High Voltage Software Kickoff 3/World Cup Imagineer Valus Force JVC Muc\sical Undustrie Inc. Gunship 2000 Microprose UK Commando Microids Evidence Microids Air Cars MidNite Entertainment Inc. Dungeon Depths MidNite Entertainment Inc. Assault MidNite Entertainment Inc. World Cup Soccer Millenium/Teque Ape Sh_t (working title) Ocean Software Ltd. Lobo Ocean Software Ltd. Theme Park Ocean Software Ltd. Soccer Kid Ocean Software Ltd. Syndicate Ocean Software Ltd. Galatic Gladiators Photosurealism Neurodancer PIXIS Interactive *Rally (working title) Rage Dragon's Lair Readysoft Robinson's Requiem Silmarils *Brutal Sports Football Telegames Ultimate Brain Games Telegames *World Class Cricket Telegames *White Men Can't Jump Trimark Interactive Flashback U.S. Gold Ltd. *Rayman UBI Soft Horrorscope V-Real *Arena Football V-Real Cannon Fodder Virgin Interactive Creature Shock Virgin Interactive Extreme Skiing/Snowboard Virtual Studios Zozziorx (working title) Virtual Experience Indiana Jags (working title) Virtual Experience *Double Dragon V Williams Entertainment Inc. *Troy Aikman NFL Football Williams Entertainment Inc. All titles are trademarks of their owning companies. Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! Nintendo's 64-Bit Unit Rolls Out Hitting the Japanese market today is Nintendo Co.'s new 64-bit video game machine, which the company contends will vastly outperform front-running 32- bit machines launched in late 1994. Reporting from Kyoto, the Japanese Jiji press service notes the Nintendo 64 will challenge Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Saturn, whose cumulative domestic sales reached 3 million units at the end of may, and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s Playstation, which claims sales of 2.7 million units. "Nintendo,' says Jiji, "aims at selling 3.6 million units of the new product in Japan and 1.4 million units abroad by the end of next march. The new machine sells for 25,000 yen, compared with 20,000 yen for the Saturn and 19,800 yen for the Playstation." As reported earlier, Nintendo, whose 8-bit Nintendo entertainment system and 16-bit super NES machines used to dominate Japan's video game market, has twice postponed the release of the Nintendo 64, citing delays in software development. The new machine features a controller stick that allows game characters to be moved smoothly in any direction in a simulated three- dimensional environment. "Like its predecessor products," adds Jiji, "the Nintendo 64 uses read-only memory cartridges for software distribution, compared with the compact disc read-only memories used by Sega and Sony." Officials have said the Nintendo 64 will be sold in the U.S. staring in September and in Europe by year's end. Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! In the category of well-intentioned but unlikely proposals: This message came from the Jaguar list... Gamewire's report about "THE UNDERGROUND" In the wake of the Atari Jaguar's commercial death (Jag owners can expect 2 more commercially released games: BattleSphere and Towers II,) it seems that the Atari community is going to pick up where the corporation left off. Certain dedicated members of the community are in the process of making history. A group of game designers and programmers that calls itself The Underground is working on the idea of shareware for the Jaguar. The movement is currently in a learning state: all the coders figuring out the tricks of assembly on the Jaguar. The group is also requesting rights from various corporations to program certain titles. If successful, this would be the first major shareware movement on a console, and it could very well change the face of the video game industry. Recently GameWire was able to get in touch with some members of The Underground to find out how this project is developing: "The final form of the shareware has not yet been determined. Most of this is in it's infancy. If only (Atari) realized how many people would write games for them from this underground, the Jag may still be formidable. Fact is the Jag can do all those nice tricks the PSX can and better, with more color. We simply want to put out games for a system that we all love and realize a great potential for." "Just so everyone understands who reads this, we in no way intend to violate anybody or their copyrights, Atari included. If (they) had half a market brain, they would bring back the Consumer Program Exchange where home hackers produced a lot of the 8 bit computer software (Star Raiders I believe, one of the best games ever, was one of these)." The Underground has mentioned a few titles and it seems some of Atari's broken promises of 'classics' may be fulfilled through this. Bally, Stern, and other classics are all possibilities, pending approval, of course, from their respective companies. Overall, the shareware movement is alive and well on the Jaguar. The game descriptions that have been shared with us thus far sound extraordinary. We wish the best of luck to The Underground and will continue to cover this development as it progresses, so stay tuned into GameWire for exclusive interviews and coverage. In the meantime, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns about The Underground, please email GameWire's Senior Web Editor, Brian C Bessemer. Messages will be forwarded to The Underground and we will attempt to answer all concerns, if not personally, in future updates. ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! PEOPLE... ARE TALKING On CompuServe compiled by Joe Mirando CIS ID: 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, I'm baaaack. I'm glad to report that I passed the course that I told you about two weeks ago and am well on my way to putting the things I learned into practice. I'll tell you, even though the machines with '486's and Pentiums out there are faster and "sexier" than our lowly 68000-based ST computers, they sure don't have the same personality... or a personality at all for that matter. I've been acquainted with DOS/Windows machines for years, so it's not just that I'm not used to them, but there is simply something missing. Computing on one of them is just not fun. As I said, I did well in the training program. One of the folks who was taking the course along with me started up a conversation during one of our breaks. "So, what kind of computer do you have?", he asked. "Actually," I replied, "I don't have an Intel machine at all." I could see the confusion on his face for a moment until the obvious explanation came to him. "Oh, so how do you like the Mac?" "It's worse than that," I told him, "I've got an Atari ST." Now he was really at a loss. He had no idea that Atari had ever made anything other than game machines. "But how do you keep up with technology?" he asked, all in a tizzy. This was a completely unforseen turn of events for him and he was having trouble getting his bearings back. "What in the hell makes you think you can keep up with technology?" I asked him. "I suppose you've got a '486?" "Pentium." he said with a note of disdain in his voice. Now it was my turn to have fun. "Gee, that's a shame. The Pentium Pro is out already. You're falling behind in the technology race." "Well," he replied, "my Pentium 90 does everything I need it to do. And I hear that, for some things, the Pro is slower than the Pentium." "That's true." I told him. "The Pentium Pro is getting away from the code that has limited Intel chips since the 8086. That means that lots of programs will be upgraded to take advantage of the 'Pro' way of doing things. Pentiums and below will slowly see support from vendors and developers dwindle. The Technology Race goes on." The poor guy didn't know what to say. He was so used to being "on top" that he didn't even realize that there _could_ be something above what he had. To be fair, software for the 486 and Pentium will be around for quite a while. But just as those who live by the sword shall die by the sword, so shall those who ride the crest of technology be left in its trough. It's a tried-and-true law of physics: The higher the crest, the lower the trough. By the time that guy is lamenting the "unfair" demise of his processor's popularity, I'll probably still be using my ST. I've never been caught up in the glitz and glitter of keeping up with the Gates's, so I'll never miss the celebrity that comes with the latest processor, the latest suck-up-that- memory, slow-down-that-processor, fill- up-that-hard-drive software. It seems kind of unfair, doesn't it?... Naaaaah. Okay, that's it for my soap-box speech. Now I've got some truly good news! Do you remember our friend and neighbor from Costa Rica, Alejandro Aguilar? Well he e-mailed me this very day to tell me that his wife just had a baby. Here's what he said: I T' S A G I R L ! ! ! Hello Joe, My first daughter born on Thursday, June 20, at 10:55 pm. (babies always find a way to come at the worst moments). The time here in Costa Rica is the same as Chicago's in Winter. If I could find a way to send you a cigar via E- Mail . . . oh well... Oh well. My little daughter is doing the impossible by keeping me away from my Atari. . . Bye for now, and keep in contact, neighbor! Thanks for the e-mail, Alejandro. He had more to say folks, but I haven't had time to read it yet (I received the email just before I began putting this column together. I'll fill you in on what else he had to say in next week's column. If you'd like to offer congratulations to Alejandro and family, he can be reached via the internet at: sayodint@sol.racsa.co.cr Okay, let's get on with the reason for this column, all the great news, hints, tips, and info available every week right here on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forums On the subject of an Atari HMI program, Steven Van Rossen (the driving force behind the project) posts: "As far as the Atari HMI project is concerned: it is stalled because Compuserve does not wish to help by providing the necessary information. Officially they do not want to start up new 3d party HMI developments and advised us to look into internet technologies..." Steven went on to post the text of the CIS/Microsoft "Normandy" press release which, I believe, we re-printed in last week's issue. Sysop (and a really cool guy) Jim Ness tells Steven: "CompuServe announced a couple of weeks ago that its proprietary access protocols (HMI) are being replaced by Web protocols. They expect some products to be changed over by the end of the year, and the majority by this time next year. This was accompanied by the departure of some high level CIS executives. So, although the changeover to HMI was only about 10% finished, it's been superceded by a changeover to Web protocols, which probably makes more sense. It will allow access by any Web browser, eventually to all parts of CIS. A few areas will be free and available to outsiders, but most will still require membership. The HMI protocols will continue to exist until it is no longer being used by significant numbers of members. This may be awhile, since so many offline readers / navigators use the protocol." Steven asks Sysop Keith Joins: "So will CIS finally offer SLIP access to the internet instead of PPP? Because quite a few of 'standard type web browsers', especially on non Windows machines do not support PPP..." The Big Kahuna himself, Sysop Ron Luks, tells Steven: "No. I have not heard of any plans to offer SLIP access. The rest of the world is upgrading to PPP and I doubt very, very much that CIS will add a less capable protocol just to pick up access for lesser capable systems." Richard Lawson asks: "Does anynoe have a version of QCIS that works? I'm using v1.72 Beta 3, and it gets confussed when going to the mail area, and doesn't work in the forums either. Is there a later version I haven't seen, or a bug fix?" Sysop Jim Ness, who also happens to be the author of QuickCIS, tells Richard: "There is no later version of QuickCIS than the one you have. I stopped working on the program long ago. But, there ARE people who use it daily, so maybe they will chime in with their work arounds. I know that the mail workaround involves making sure you always have incoming mail. Either you send yourself one, or turn off QuickCIS' auto-deletion. Over the years, CompuServe has continued to make minor changes to its prompts. Since QuickCIS is not being updated anymore, it has not kept up with those changes." Jack Hughes adds: "Like Jim said, what it takes is to _always_ have some mail in the box! I have a 3-word "test" always available for EdHak to use. Sometimes I forget that I had already put up a test and get 2. But once the mail is downloaded every thing goes smoothly. Also, according to Jim, the file download no longer works due to CIS changes. I fall back on Stalker for that." My friend Myles Cohen adds his own trick to the list: " My workaround for that involves EditPlus... After reading all my messages and library choices...I QUIT QCIS... I load EDITPLUS...and I then using EDITPLUS'S LOAD command...I go into QCIS's SUPPORT FOLDER and load in the ATARICOM.LBS (if there were files that I wanted in it) Next, I erase everything but the names of the files I want...then I add to the front of each name the proper numbers for the Forum and Library... Finally, I save this into the QCIS SUPPORT folder as FILES.LST... The next time I call CIS using QCIS...the selected files download without a hitch..." Myles went on to list several files from his capture and showed how it was done, but our magazine formatting made it look quite confusing. Jack Hughes tells Myles: "Very interesting. If memory serves EditPlus is the new name for the upgraded EdHak. So it should probably work with EdHak. Kept a hard copy of your msg and will give it a try." Proving that even the best of us can have problems with our computers, our own Atari Section Editor, Dana Jacobson posts: "I'm still having problems calling out on the Falcon at speeds higher than 9600 baud. I've configured HSMODEM according to an article in Atari World (thanks again, Mitch!), but all I get is garbage when I connect here, or elsewhere. Is there anyone here using a Falcon and getting in at 14,400 or higher? I'm using Flash II. I've tried the Control Panel modem settings at 19,200 and RTS/CTS enabled. Same with RS232 settings in Flash II. 9600 baud works fine, but nothing higher. When I ran SETTER.TTP to configure HSMODEM, here are the settings I used, per the article: M2TT: U M1EMU: U LANBIT: N LANEXT: N LAN_S2: U DTRM2: Y DTRS2: Y ?: Y RBLM2: 16384 TBLM2: 8192 RBLS2: 16 TBLS2: 16 I'm using HSMODEM 6E. If you can help, please drop me a line ASAP - this is driving me crazy!" John Trautschold of Missionware Software tells Dana: "With Flash II you need no external serial port program to operate at speeds higher than 9600. Although I don't regularly use the Falcon (I still use the TT most of the time) when I have tested F2 on the Falcon it's worked fine here on CIS up to 28800. (I connect to the modem at 115200 usually.) You may want to try dropping and serial port programs out of your auto folder as well as any DAs that affect the serial port, to see what happens. Which version of F2 are you using? You are up to 3.01, aren't you?" Dana tells John: "Once I switched over to the Falcon, I cannot go above 9600 and use Flash II (3.0x) and Zmodem. I haven't tried other programs, but I don't think that's the problem. I have no serial port programs in my AUTO folder other than (recently) HSMODEM. I was told that it would "fix" my problem with the Falcon. I'll try a "newer" version of Flash II as an experiment." John tells Dana: "If you have 3.01, you've got the latest version (and you should have a copy of 3.01, being a beta tester and all). I can guarantee you that HSMODEM is *NOT* needed when using F2 on the Falcon or any other Atari computer. If you're having problems doing Zmodem transfers, it's possible that you've got something set wrong in F2 or in your modem's internal settings." Now, Dana asks the first question that popped into my mind: "Will using HSMODEM cause problems if I keep it enabled?" John tells Dana: "Using HSMODEM *probably* won't cause any problems, but there's really no need to have that program wasting your memory. Just blow it out. For F2, it buys you nothing." Jim Ness gives Dana another thing to think about: "Make sure that your cable truly supports RTS/CTS. There need to be extra wires in it for that purpose. Some of the cheaper serial cables only have three or four wires in them." Dana asks Jim: "How would I be able to tell? Also, another possibility is that perhaps my modem configuration was changed somehow. I have had power outages here over the past 6 months and I know at least one setting was changed as a result (modem speaker became set "on"). If I posted my settings, would anyone be able to tell if something's not right? BTW, the cable that I have is a Radio Shack 6' RS-232 cable, male db25 to female db9. I have the pin connections, per what's listed on the box; but there is no documentation." John tells Dana: "Without having to cut the cable to count the wires, you can often tell by how heavy or thick the cable is. Naturally, one with only 4 wires is thinner than one with the full complement of 25. You can get by with about 7 or 8 wires, but most cables either have the minimum of 3-4 or the maximum of 25." Dana tells John: "The cable appears to be a thick one - about the same thickness as any of the other cables/cords attached to the machine. I tested another one of my theories although I don't know what, necessarily, I've proven. Since I run a BBS using the same type modem, I decided to test calling out on the BBS modem, attached to a Falcon also. I had no problem calling a system at 19,200. I printed out the stored configs. of both modems - there are differences. However, I have no idea which settings to change (I'm sure that the BBS has specific modem settings that's been stored). My theory was that something was inadvertently altered in my modem settings during a power outtage, and saved (I know the speaker was changed to 'on', at the least). Does anyone know how to interpret the settings and would be able to tell me what I should change? I'll post the settings and maybe someone has an idea or three..... Modem settings (can't dial out above 9600): ACTIVE PROFILE: B1 E1 L2 M0 N0 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G0 \N1 &C0 &D0 &K0 &Q0 &R0 &S0 &X0 &Y0 S00:000 S01:000 S02:043 S03:013 S04:010 S05:008 S06:002 S07:050 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:095 S12:050 S18:000 S23:059 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:085 S46:138 S48:007 S95:000 S109:062 S110:001 STORED PROFILE 0: B1 E1 L2 M0 N0 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G0 \N1 &C0 &D0 &K0 &Q0 &R0 &S0 &X0 S00:000 S02:043 S06:002 S07:050 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:095 S12:050 S18:000 S23:055 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:085 S46:138 S48:007 S95:000 STORED PROFILE 1: B1 E1 L2 M0 N0 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G0 \N1 &C0 &D0 &K0 &Q0 &R0 &S0 &X0 S00:000 S02:043 S06:002 S07:050 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:095 S12:050 S18:000 S23:055 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:085 S46:138 S48:007 S95:000 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: 0= 1= 2= 3= OK Current BBS modem settings - _can_ dial out at 19,200: ACTIVE PROFILE: B1 E1 L3 M1 N1 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G1 \N3 &C1 &D2 &K3 &Q5 &R0 &S0 &X0 &Y1 S00:000 S01:000 S02:043 S03:013 S04:010 S05:008 S06:002 S07:060 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:055 S12:050 S18:000 S23:061 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:087 S46:138 S48:007 S95:041 S109:062 S110:001 STORED PROFILE 0: B1 E1 L3 M1 N1 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G1 \N3 &C1 &D2 &K3 &Q5 &R0 &S0 &X0 S00:000 S02:043 S06:002 S07:060 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:055 S12:050 S18:000 S23:055 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:087 S46:138 S48:007 S95:041 STORED PROFILE 1: B1 E1 L2 M1 N1 Q0 T V1 W2 X4 Y0 %C1 %E0 %G1 \N3 &C1 &D2 &K3 &Q5 &R1 &S0 &X0 S00:000 S02:043 S06:002 S07:050 S08:002 S09:006 S10:014 S11:095 S12:050 S18:000 S23:061 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000 S38:020 S40:087 S46:138 S48:007 S95:000 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: 0=T9876543210 1= 2= 3= OK Suggestions welcomed!!" (I've included the modem settings for those of you who may be having the same kind of problem) jm John, feeling that "the game is afoot", tells Dana: "Ah-Ha! Good sleuthing! You've now narrowed the problem down to the modem. And right off the bat I can see some problems. Compare the first line (Active Profile) for each modem. Specifically: > Modem settings (can't dial out above 9600): > ACTIVE PROFILE: > &C0 &D0 &K0 &Q0 Those settings are most definitely wrong for high-speed use. They need to be set as follows: &C0 = &C1 - Tells F2 to follow the true state of the carrier (Carrier Detect) &D0 = &D2 - Sets up proper operation of Data Terminal Ready (now turned off!) &K0 = &K3 - Most important! Your modem is not doing *ANY* handshaking in this mode! This *MUST* be set to &K3, which turns on hardware handshaking (RTS/CTS). &Q0 = &Q5 - Error correction is turned off. &Q5 turns it back on. There may be some other settings you need to set as well. Your best bet is to set your "bad" modem's settings to match your "good" modem's settings.... You want to store those settings to Profile 0, at least. When your modem first wakes up, it loads Profile 0. Your best bet is to store the setting to both profiles though. I see you *did* have some luck, based on your message on Delphi! Things are looking up, eh?" Dana tells John: "I did save them to Profile 0 already - seemed the logical thing to do after awhile. Yep, some luck - here and Delphi. No go on my own board yet." Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING STReport's "Partners in Progress" Advertising Program The facts are in... STReport International Online Magazine reaches more users per week than any other weekly resource available today. Take full advantage of this spectacular reach. Explore the superb possibilities of advertising in STReport! 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