Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) November 22, 1996 No.1247 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 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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You may call The STReport Home BBS, The Bounty @ 1- 904-268-4116. Or obtain the latest issue from our WebSite. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of the Internet. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial, on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. ** WEB SITE: http//www.streport.com ** CIS ~ PRODIGY ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ AOL IMPORTANT NOTICE STReport, with its policy of not accepting any input relative to content from paid advertisers, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Publisher, Staff & Editors Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35 Results: 11/16/96: 3 of 6 numbers, 6 two number matches From the Editor's Desk... Comdex, Comdex, Comdex... We have the coverage and more is planned for the next few weeks. I'll keep this brief as we have quite a bit for you this week. This is the week we find old friends writing a few lines for STReport. First. I'm pleased to welcome Michael R. Burkley to the STReport Staff. He brings with him years of experience in perusing the world of software and its joys or "surprises". Then we have the inimitable Lloyd E. Pulley, better known as "Father Time". Actually, I'm a bit older than he is but I thought I'd chide him a little. Its almost like we're all together for the holidays. We are really here for a great deal more than that though, we are here for you, our readers. That's right!! The Holidays are upon us! A wonderful Thanksgiving to all. And.. please, if you are going to party. and who isn't? Use a designated driver!! They're lifesavers. 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 it is 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 AutoMailer 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 Special Events Section R.F. Mariano J. Deegan Lloyd E. Pulley Gaming & Entertainment Kid's Computing Corner Dana P. Jacobson Frank Sereno STReport Staff Editors Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin Michael R. Burkley Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Victor Mariano 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 Ron Satchwill 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 AOL STReport Internet rmariano@streport.com WebSite http://www.streport.com STReport Headline News LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson Comdex Expecting 210,000 Guests Some 210,000 people are expected to attend Comdex, still considered by most to be the most important industry trade show, which opens today in Las Vegas. More than 2,000 Comdex exhibitors have 13,500 booths in two immense convention halls, a hotel and a couple of pavilions, "displays that range from the techno-nerd dull to glitzy enough to do the Strip proud," says business writer Catalina Ortiz of The Associated Press, who adds, "But even with 94,000 hotel rooms -- more than any other American city - Las Vegas is overflowing." In fact, she notes, hotel rooms -- the difficulty in finding them and their high prices -- are the No. 1 gripe among Comdex attenders. "As is common at many trade shows, Softbank Comdex Inc. buys up rooms in the most desirable hotels and makes reservations for participants," says Ortiz. "But those and other rooms are quickly booked and often cost two to three times what they do the weeks before and after the show. The conventional wisdom -- that techies don't gamble and therefore hotels must raise prices to make up for lost casino revenue -- is largely correct." Also, she notes, long cab lines are the norm, as are daunting distances between key venues. It's more than 2 miles from the Aladdin hotel, where keynote speeches are given, to the Las Vegas Convention Center. All this is a long way from the first Comdex in 1979 when it was still "the Computer Dealers Expo" and drew 150 companies and 4,000 attenders. Founding Fathers of PC Industry Receive Awards LAS VEGAS, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- COMDEX brought together the founding fathers of the PC industry earlier this week for award ceremonies as part of COMDEX/Fall's continuing celebration of the 25th anniversary of the microprocessor. Ten categories of microprocessor innovations were chosen for awards, prompting a rare reunion of industry legends. Among the revolutionary chip innovations to receive recognition at COMDEX were: MOS Technology 6502, Zilog Z80, Intel 9088, Motorola 68000 processor, Intel 386(TM) processor, Sun SPARCstation, and the Intel Pentium(R) processor. Nolan Bushnell presented the MOS Technology 6502 award to two recipients. Bushnell created the video game industry in 1972 by founding Atari with $250,000 and co-created the table tennis-like game Pong. One of the awards went to William D. Mensch, Jr., president and CEO, The Western Design Center Inc. Mensch was fundamental to the development of the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, and he went on to help invent and develop the 6502 chip at MOS Technology in the early 1970s. The 6502 was eventually used in Apple, Commodore and Atari computers. The second award in the category was presented to Chuck Peddle, president, Thstyme Ltd., and another MOS Technology veteran. Peddle pioneered the phenomenally successful 6502 microprocessor, and, under Commodore, led the development of one of the first personal computers: the PET (Personal Electronic Transactor), which put the 6502 chip to practical use. Gordon Eubanks, Jr., president and CEO, Symantec Corporation, presented awards for the Zilog Z80, one of the most popular microprocessors in industry history. The Z80 was particularly well suited for personal Computers and was powerful enough to run business applications, paving the way for a whole new segment of the PC market. Federico Faggin, president and CEO, Synaptics Inc., and co-founder of Zilog Inc., received one of the Zilog Z80 awards. Masatoshi Shima, chairman, V.M. Technology Corporation, and co-developer of the Z80, received the second award. Another award went to Ralph Ungermann, president and CEO of First Virtual Corporation (FVC). Ungermarm also co-founded Zilog Inc. and introduced the Z80 product line. Dan Bricklin presented the award for achievements with the Intel 8088. Bricklin, along with Bob Frankston, designed VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for the computer in 1976. The 8088, introduced in 1979, was intended as an entry level device designed to coax 8-bit customers into the 16-bit world. Instead, the 8088became one of the most influential microprocessors of its time. The award went to William B. Pohlman, a 25-year veteran of Intel who worked as design manager on the chip. Heidi Roizen, vice president, DeveloperRelations, Apple Computer Inc., presented the award for Motorola 68000 innovation. In 1979, Motorola introduced the 68000, the most advanced microprocessor on the market at the time. The 68000 played an important role in the development of Apple Computer and the Macintosh, and was quickly adapted to workstations. Systems based on the 68000 were known industry-wide for their graphic capabilities, a distinction the Mac still holds today. Tom G. Gunter, corporate vice president and general managerat Motorola, received one of the Motorola 68000 awards. Rod Canion, co-founder of Compaq Computer Corp., and now chairman, Insource Technology Corporation, presented the Intel 386 award to John Crawford. Crawford, a former computer architect for microprocessordesign, is now director of microprocessor architecture at Intel. The Intel 386 was the first Intel Microprocessor with 32-bit data and address buses, and enabled the launch of IBM-compatible graphical operating environments, such as Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and IBM's OS/2. Michael Slater, publisher and editorial director of Microprocessor Report, presented the award for innovations with the Sun SPARCstation. The SPARC microprocessor by Sun represents the first real commercial success of the RISC (reduced instruction set computing) design philosophy, perhaps the most significant shift in computer architecture of the past 15 years. The award went to Bill Joy, founder and vice president for Research, Sun Microsystems Inc., and a co-designer of the SPARC architecture. Theodore Waitt, chairman of the board and CEO, Gateway 2000 Inc., presented awards for the Intel Pentium(R) processor. In 1993, Intel launched the Pentium, a significant improvement over the Intel 486processor. The Pentium dominates the PC market today, and has brought forth a new generation of sophisticated multimedia and communications applications with startlingly realistic graphics. Avtar Saini, general manager, Platform Components Division, Intel Corporation, who co managed the design of the Pentium chip, received the award. The awards categories and winners were selected by a panel of experts from Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. They sought to recognize seven innovative microprocessors that fundamentally changed the information technology industry. COMDEX/Fall '96, taking place November 18-22, 1996 in Las Vegas, has provided a record number of attendees with a first-hand look at more than 10,000 new products, providing the most exciting series of product launches in COMDEX history. From the desktop to the server to the Web, over 2,100 companies from around the world are currently demonstrating products and technologies for more than 210,000 attendees representing over 120 countries. COMDEX/Fall is the largest and most significant IT trade show and conference, providing exhibitors and attendees alike with the latest product and technology information in the areas of Internet and the Web; Communications; Network Computing; Multimedia; Servers; Computer Telephony; Desktop Systems; Mobile and Wireless Computing; Office Systems and OEM Sources. The COMDEX Conference Program brings together the industry leaders to provide in-depth direction, comparison and evaluation on today's technology and products through more than 70 high-impact sessions. Gates Nods to NCs, Defends PCs Bill Gates now concedes there is a role for stripped-down Network Computers that are dependent on online resources for performing functions. But he also sees a bright future for personal computers -- that depend onMicrosoft Corp. software. Taking the stage in Las Vegas for the keynote address at the Comdex tradeshow, the Microsoft chief who once dismissed the NC concept outright, gave a nod to the new generation of machines. (NCs are not popular with the software giant because their software will be downloaded from central computers via the Internet or corporate networks, rather than requiring costly installation on each machine's hard drive.) Still, says business writer Catalina Ortiz of The Associated Press, Gates told Comdex that customers want such snazzy features as voice recognition, better video conferencing and programs that can adapt to different tastes. He says it's easier and cheaper to do that on PCs than on computer "servers" that run computer networks, which also can become overloaded. Speaking to 7,500 people, Gates said, "I see PCs becoming more powerful, not less powerful. A lot of what the attack (on the PC) has been has sort of been a questioning of empowerment." Ortiz notes Microsoft is being challenged on the NC front by Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Netscape, each of which hopes to make computing cheaper and simpler -- and dethrone Microsoft -- with the new diskless terminals, a few of which are on display at Comdex. While not mentioning his rivals by name, Gates acknowledged NCs will work well for some things. For instance, Sony is thinking of making diskless terminals running entertainment software to put on the back of airline seats. Still, he also emphasized recent and future PC advances, including faster microprocessors, greater storage capacity and enhanced multimedia features to mix text, sound, video and graphics. Said the Microsoft founder, "We'd like to give more and more power out to the machines but hide the complexity," adding the PC industry's economies of scale and the falling price of components are keeping the new technology relatively affordable. Ortiz notes that while so far the Comdex speaker podium has been dominated by the promoters of "Wintel" technology -- Intel Corp. CEO Andy Grove delivered the main Comdex keynote earlier -- the NC camp gets its chance today when Netscape Communications Corp. CEO Jim Barksdale gives his keynote. Clinton Signs Encryption Order An executive order liberalizing U.S. export policy to allow companies to sell more powerful encryption devices abroad has been signed by President Clinton. However, as noted, firms taking advantage of the new rules first must assure the U.S. government that law enforcers -- acting on court orders -- can crack the code and intercept the communications. This has caused critics to contend the plan is difficult to administer, doesn't offer companies enough export freedom and raises privacy concerns. Also yesterday, the president named David L. Aaron, currently the U.S. representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as special envoy to promote international cooperation and coordination on encryption matters. He will serve while retaining his current position. Associated Press writer Lawrence L. Knutson quotes Vice President Al Gore, the administration's point man on the encryption issue, as saying, "These two actions will help promote the growth of international electronic commerce and robust secure global communications in a manner that protects the public safety and our national security." The point of all this, of course, is software that allows users to scramble phone and computer messages in cyberspace. Users want to keep their data private with few or no restrictions, while law enforcement officials have argued that they need the power to unscramble the messages to investigate terrorists and other criminals. "The goal," AP comments, "is to balance the needs of law enforcement with the needs of U.S. companies, which contend that existing export restrictions are causing them to lose billions each year in potential sales abroad. Law enforcers want access to an electronic 'key' to unlock secure communications in the event of a national security or law enforcement emergency." Clinton's order transfers jurisdiction for export control of commercial encryption from the State Department to the Commerce Department and will become effective when regulations are issued later this year. AP notes current policy permits companies to export encryption devices with electronic key lengths of up to 40 bits. Devices with a large number of bits are stronger and harder to decode. The new plan allows companies to export devices with a harder-to-crack length of 56 bits, as long as they have a plan for law enforcement to unlock secured communications, the wire service reports. HP Plans Encryption Announcement On the heels of President Clinton's signing of a new federal data encryption order, Hewlett-Packard Co. is set to unveil technology it says will provide a breakthrough in the long-deadlocked debate over secure datatraffic. Reporting from Palo Alto, California, Samuel Perry of the Reuter News Service says, "If the encryption technology has won the backing of industry and the U.S. and other governments -- which Hewlett- Packard officials say is the case -- the development could eliminate a key obstacle to the growth of electronic commerce via the Internet." Look for HP Chairman Lewis Platt this week to provide details on the plan, which includes technology patented by the Palo Alto computer giant as well as other technologies. A company spokesman told Perry technology from RSA Data Corp. the de facto standard-setter for Internet security, will be involved Hewlett- Packard officials said. Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. executives also are scheduled to attend tomorrow's news briefing at the National Press Club in Washington. HP officials told the wire service the technology will make it possible to export products containing so-called "strong encryption," which cannot be exported under national security laws dating back to the Cold War. "Under national security law, the U.S. government has allowed the export of software and other computer products containing only weaker data encryption technologies," Reuters notes. As noted, encryption has been classified as munitions because of its potential for use by terrorists, spies or other criminals to conceal messages. Encryption programs use mathematical formulas to scramble information, such as electronic mail messages or credit card numbers, to render them unreadable to computer users without a password or "software key" that can unlock the coded material. Silicon Valley executives recently noted that consumer devices, such as WebTV Network's Web browsing television device that hit store shelves this autumn, use the same levels of strong encryption as used in militarysystems. Notes Reuters, "The government recently proposed that the roadblock be eliminated by providing a key recovery system, in which authorities could recover keys to crack messages if they received a court warrant to do so. Industry has rebuffed this as difficult to manage." HP says its solution will be flexible, allowing customers to use the levels of encryption required by different governments, allowing "very strong encryption," said a spokeswoman. The company said its technology provides a means of "solving the data security and integrity issues that have impaired and frightened users andcompanies from exploiting the full power of the Internet." As reported earlier, Clinton has signed an executive order liberalizing U.S. export policy to allow companies to sell more powerful encryption devices abroad. But firms taking advantage of the new rules first must assure the U.S. government that law enforcers - - acting on court orders -- can crack the code and intercept the communications. Net Search Market Shakeout Seen The market for consumer-oriented search and directory services is overcrowded, and a shake out could be in the offing in 1997, according to New York market research firm Jupiter Communications. "There are simply too many players offering similar functionality and features, competing for a limited number of advertising dollars and users," says Diana Simeon, Jupiter's content publisher. "Search and directory players are now in direct competition with online aggregators, local and specialized content sites, and the many others that are threatening to usurp the traditional role of these services." Jupiter forecasts that: ú Only the select few search and directory sites that have already established a critical mass of usership and brand name resonance have a reasonable chance of survival. ú Those players competing in the consumer space must evolve into more rich and deep World Wide Web services in order to keep users and, in turn, boost advertising dollars. This is requiring the development ofspecialized services, such as personalization, and the licensing of news, entertainment and other programming. ú Advertising has become (and will continue to be) the primary revenue stream. In the first half of 1996, the top five major players -- Yahoo!, Excite, Magellan, Infoseek and Lycos -- generated approximately $14 million in advertising revenues, putting them among the top online publishers. ú There is an opportunity to diversify the revenue stream with new offerings, including offline ventures, derivative online ventures and, potentially, for-fee services. These companies will be partnering with a variety of strategic players on these fronts. ú Major players could indirectly -- or directly -- begin to pose competition to major online services such as Microsoft Network, CompuServe and even America Online, and vice versa. The race is on to get maximum share of the "Web desktop" by partnering with client developers, such as Netscape and Microsoft. Technology advancements are of central importance to players, as they seek to be the "best" in consumers' minds, plus derive revenues from licensing. Compaq Settles Complaint Under an agreement with 22 states, computer industry leader Compaq Computer Corp. has pledged to adopt measures to prevent dealers from repackaging used computers and selling them as new. Also, Compaq will no longer give dealers materials such as extra marked boxes and factory sealing tape, which had been used to replace cartons damaged in transit. The Associated Press reports Houston-based Compaq will be allowed to provide dealers with styrofoam pieces and unmarked boxes for use in returning products to the company. And Compaq will pay $6,000 to each state to cover costs of their investigations. The wire service notes the investigation was sparked by complaints that some Texans may have bought used Compaq computers they thought were new. Compaq lawyer William D. Coston said the company itself had asked the states to look into ways in which independent computer stores took care of returns of its computers, adding, "The outcome for Compaq is not that we were doing anything improper in handling returns." As reported, Compaq rival Packard Bell Electronics Inc. agreed in September to a similar settlement with the same 22 states. The company said it would place notices on all its computer and monitor boxes explaining that the products may contain components from previously sold computers. Packard Bell also agreed to pay $70,000 to each state. In addition to Texas, states entering yesterday's agreement with Compaq are Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri,New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, WestVirginia and Vermont. Net Ads Challenge Newspapers New Internet-based classified advertising technologies are evolving so rapidly they may seriously impact the revenue patterns of traditional print newspaper classifieds sections in as little as three years, according to a new industry study. The report, to be published by Editor & Publisher Co. on Dec. 2, warns that "if the newspaper industry does not respond to the threats posed by electronic competitors creating new niche products and services, serious injury is certain." Editor & Publisher, based in New York, publishes a weekly newspaper industry trade journal. The issue of cyber-competitors is critical for newspapers, warns Editor & Publisher, because classified ads account for so much of their revenue. U.S. papers, for instance, derive 37 percent of their total advertising income from classifieds. The issue is also controversial. Opposing camps in many print publishing companies are currently fighting bitterly over whether to expand their companies' advertising presence in cyberspace or focus on protecting the traditional print classifieds franchise - even against the marketing programs of their own companies' new media divisions. The reports finds that although many newspapers have set up Web sites that include classified advertising sections, the strategies and functions of those sections are generally weak and ineffectual in comparison to the innovative systems deployed by the leading non-newspaper cyber-classifieds companies. It notes that "only a few traditional print publishers have been able to think 'out of the box' when it comes to reinventing classified advertising." Additional information about the report may be found on Editor & Publisher's Web site at http://www.mediainfo.com. New Mail 'Virus' Is Book Hoax Word from London is online rumors of a new virus circulating by e-mail are a hoax orchestrated by Penguin Books as a publicity stunt. Consultant Graham Cluley with Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit told Wes Thomas of the Newsbytes computer news service that the online message in question reads: "There is a computer virus that is being sent across the Internet. If you receive an e-mail message with the subject line 'Irina,' DO NOT read the message. DELETE it immediately. Some miscreant is sending people files under the title 'Irina.' If you receive this mail or file, do not download it. It has a virus that rewrites your hard drive, obliterating anything on it." The message cites as its source "Professor Edward Prideaux, College of Slavonic Studies, London." The London Daily Telegraph notes "Prideaux" is one of the main characters in the Irina book Penguin is planning to launch. Cluley told Newsbytes that Penguin sent out a bogus letter to newspapers and television stations, adding, "The hoax was eventually traced back to Penguin via the envelopes used. The College of Slavonic Studies does not exist. But London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies said it had been inundated with calls to the fictitious Prof. Prideaux." Newsbytes quotes Cluley as saying the letter was sent by Guy Gadney, the former head of electronic publishing at Penguin, adding, "Although Gadney sent out a second letter explaining that the first was a hoax, it has done little to stop the spread of the alert, and it is now beyond anyone's control, like the Good Times hoax." And at least one anti-virus company apparently complicated matters by faxing the phony alert to their users. "Seems they didn't realize it was a hoax," said Cluley, adding, "One should note that merely reading an e-mail text message -- as long as that e-mail program is not foolishly configured to launch attachments automatically -- cannot cause damage or spread a virus." U.S. Firms Report Computer Crimes More than half the major corporations in America have been victimized by computer break-ins, suggests a new survey done in cooperation with a congressional committee. USA Today reported this morning the survey, done in conjunction with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, found: ú 58 percent of the companies that responded said they had experienced a break-in in the past 12 months. ú Nearly 18 percent said they suffered losses of more than $1 million. ú Two-thirds reported losses exceeding $50,000. ú More than 20 percent of the break-ins were believed by the corporations to be the work of competitors. ú More than a third of the corporations would report a break-in only if required by law. Many companies said they were concerned that disclosure of the crime would undermine customer confidence. Jim Christie, a Defense Department computer crime investigator, told the paper, "A lot of this kind of crime goes unreported despite everyone seeing it happen. The survey supports what we understood." The paper says the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which held public hearings on this summer on computer crime, cooperated in the survey along with major corporations. A total of 236 out of 500 companiesquestioned responded to the survey. Computer Injuries on the Rise An Illinois-based consumer group finds a significant boost in the percentage of on-the-job injuries that are musculoskeletal disorders that corresponds with an increased use of computers in various occupations. Reporting from Springfield, Illinois, United Press International says a study by the Coalition for Consumer Rights finds that: ú 66 percent of all new on-the-job injuries reported during the past two years were computer related. ú About 75 percent of people who work with computer terminals suffer some sort of disorder, even if it is not severe enough to prevent them from working. Director Nancy Cowles told the wire service such injuries "can be as devastating as a violent crash or explosion, making it impossible for them to work or to carry out day to day activities without pain." The report indicates service and retail trade workers suffer 46 percent of all keyboard- related injuries, and note the number of women with such disorders is significantly higher than the number of men. In the past, coalition officials have been critical of changes made by the Republican-dominated General Assembly of the past two years in the area of worker compensation law. "Those changes were intended to benefit business interests by bringing injured-worker lawsuits under control," UPI notes, "but Cowles said they have had the effect of making it more difficult for people who suffer computer injuries to collect compensation." Meanwhile, Mike Doyle, director of the Chicago-based Families Advocating Injury Reduction group, says results in higher costs for government, as Medicaid winds up paying for treatment, adding, "Government ought to be trying to reduce the number of injuries, not just shifting off the burden for paying for them." California Eyes Ergonomics California is set to become the first state to pass ergonomics standards to protect workers from injuries caused by repetitive work, such as typing on keyboards or working an assembly line. Reporting from San Diego, Associated Press writer Matthew Fordahl says that after two years of debate and a court order, the state's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has voted unanimously to approve the regulation. "The ergonomics standards are not due to take effect until January," Fordahl says, "but already they are being criticized by labor groups as too soft and by businesses as too harsh." The regulation calls for employers to evaluate the work site, control exposure to the injury-causing routine and implement a program designed to minimize the problem. Preventative measures include training programs, special breaks and special furniture. AP notes a state report two years ago showed 31,800 California workers reported repetitive motion injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and muscle sprains, which are generally believed to be the fastest- growing workplace ailment among both blue- and white-collar workers. The standards apply only to businesses with 10 or more employees and after doctors document that two workers with similar jobs suffer from repetitive motion injuries. Labor unions are unhappy with that. "It is an unenforceable standard," said Tom Rankin, of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. "Any employer can say, `Sorry, the work wasn't identical.'" But AP says the occupational safety board defended the measure, which passed after a state court ordered the board to comply with a Legislature-imposed deadline. Said spokesman Rick Rice of the state Department of Industrial Relations, "The reason it is written this way is that no two workplaces are alike. It would be impossible to draft regulations that specifically cover conditions in every workplace." First Net Commercial to Debut The first full motion video commercial made specifically for the Internet will begin appearing at six Web sites next week, marking a new milestone in the development of the Net as a commercial medium. The commercial is sponsored by VDOnet Corp. and promotes the Palo Alto, California, company's VDOPhone as an ideal holiday gift to bring families living apart closer together. VDOnet specializes in Internet communications and video technologies. "The video commercial made specifically for the Internet is a strong indication of how far and how fast video streaming technology has advanced the past year and how the Internet continues to develop as a commercial medium," says Yuval Cohen, vice president, marketing, for VDOnet. "Because the quality of video on the Net has evolved far enough, people will be able to make educated buying decisions based upon what they see and therefore we expect to see a significant growth in such Internet commercials by a long list of advertisers." The VDOnet commercial was written and directed by Michael Tarr, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and film maker. The commercial will run through the end of the holiday season. VDOnet says it will track ad viewership at each site and measure the effectiveness of the message through sales data. The VDOnet commercial will appear on the following web sites: www.vdo.net; www.azteq.com; www.brainworks.net; www.imall.com; www.lumanet.com and www.virtualmedianet.com. Net Homes to Hit 66.6M by 2000? A prominent Internet observer is predicting the number of worldwide "online households" -- those with PCs or other devices for accessing online services and the Internet -- will reach 66.6 million by the year 2000, up from 23.4 million this year. Jupiter Communications says increased PC penetration, telecommunications deregulation and deployment of ISDN (integrated services digital network) in Europe and Asia will be the key factors driving growth. Kurt Abrahamson, managing director of New York- based Jupiter Communications, says in the report, "The global market for online services is in position to grow tremendously over the next five years." The company provided this breakdown of world Net connections today and its prediction for year 2000: ú North America, 15.4 million currently, 38.2 million in 2000. ú Europe, 3.7 million to 16.5 million. ú Asia/Pacific Rim, 3.4 million to 10 million. ú "Non-Primary markets," 0.9 million now to 1.9 million in 2000. In a statement from New York, Jupiter comments, "Japan, Germany, and the U.K. are clearly the non-U.S. front-runners for growth in online households. The U.S. will continue to lead in online households with 36 million in the year 2000, but its share of the total world market will drop from 62.8 percent in 1996 to 54.1 percent in 2000." Computers Most Wanted Holiday Gift A survey sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association finds that computers top Americans' holiday wish lists. Large-screen color TVs, Internet appliance/Web TV devices, camcorders and VCRs are the other top electronics products that consumers hope to receive as gifts this year. CEMA, based in Arlington, Virginia, polled 1,000 U.S. adults in late October and early November. "With the growing popularity of the Internet and all of the different services that personal computers can provide, computers are really a gift that the whole family can enjoy," says CEMA President Gary Shapiro. "We're seeing this trend across other product categories, as well." The survey finds that during the holiday season, desktop computers will be purchased for family use 53 percent of the time. Forty-one percent of VCRs, 42 percent of camcorders, 44 percent of home stereo systems and 42 percent of cordless phones will be purchased for the entire family, the survey finds. Survey Says Firms Rushing to Net From London comes a new survey that finds consumer-related companies are rushing to the Internet to communicate with the public about a wide range of subjects. Some 83 percent of top advertisers in Britain -- comprising multinationals in the United States, Western Europe and Japan, and local British companies -- have created home pages on the Internet's World Wide Web, says Kathleen Callo of the Reuter News Service, which conducted the survey. "The survey showed people on the Internet could use company Websites to buy books, get insurance quotes, track soccer results, check flight schedules, learn how to fit a bathroom, get advice on choosing a dog and avast number of other day-to-day activities," Callo reports. While companies such as Britain's Tesco and J.Sainsbury allow Internet users to order wine, chocolate and flowers from their Websites other companies use Websites for softer marketing, Reuters found. For instance, Procter & Gamble, the world's biggest advertiser, has about 10 Websites, but singles out its "parenttime" site http:/www.parenttime.com) as a valuable connection to consumers, providing information for busy parents about child development. Meanwhile, Britain's Bass Brewers said it created a site (http//www.fa-carling.com) to show the public the company loves soccer, providing information about soccer clubs, results and players, and offers soccer club shirts and other merchandise. Says Callo, "Just under half of the companies who responded said they used their Website to sell products or services. They said Internet users could use a variety of payment methods, including online payment by credit card, and orders placed by fax, phone or e-mail." Also, just under half the respondents said their companies advertised on or sponsored other Websites. Called "Advertising and Marketing on the Internet," the Reuters survey covered the top 100 advertisers in Britain, as listed by Register MEAL research group. Microsoft Unveils Windows CE Windows CE -- a slimmed-down version of the Windows 95 operating system designed for a growing class of smaller consumer and business devices -- has been unveiled by Microsoft Corp. on the eve of the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas. At least seven companies are expected to launch products built around CE and, says business writer Catalina Ortiz of The Associated Press, while most are hand-held computers similar to Sharp's Zaurus or the Psion Palmtop, "the operating software could be used for a huge range of devices, from set-top boxes that turn televisions into Internet cruisers to 'smart' phones that handle electronic mail." In fact, "That's a key Microsoft technology you're going to hear a lot about because we intend to use it in quite a variety of devices," Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said at last night's unveiling. Analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Research International told the wire service Windows CE was an attempt by Gates "to take his Windows 95 franchise and extend it beyond the desktop," adding, "It could be on anything that's digital -- and specifically for the consumer." Previously code-named Pegasus, CE is its first operating system smaller than existing ones and shares many key components with Windows 95, which should make it relatively easy for people familiar with it to use the new hand-held computers and write programs for it. Compaq Unveils Hand-Held Unit A hand-held computer called The PC Companion, designed to work in conjunction with traditional desktop PCs, has been unveiled by Compaq Computer Corp. Reporting from Compaq's Houston headquarters, The Wall Street Journal this morning quotes the computer maker as saying the battery- powered device can be used separately to enter and organize data or to access the Internet, and information can be transferred to any desktop PC running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95 operating system. Compaq said the unit uses Microsoft's new Windows CE operating system, a scaled-down version of Windows 95. The PC companion is available today through both retail and direct channels at $499 to $699. It is manufactured in conjunction with Casio Computer Co., which is expected to release its own version of the product. The Journal says the product weighs less than a pound and includes a small keyboard and touch- sensitive gray screen. It comes with either two megabytes or four megabytes of random-access memory, includes word-processing and spreadsheet software packages, and can be combined with a pager from the SkyTel unit of Mobile Telecommunications Corp. for wireless two-way messaging. Several other computer makers also are expected to unveil similar products this week as Microsoft touts Windows CE at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas. Notes the Journal, "Compaq didn't label its device a personal digital assistant, or PDA -- an unwelcome tag in tech circles. Those early versions of the hand-held computer were plagued by software and hardware bugs. Computer makers are positioning the new generation of products as PC supplements rather than stand-alone machines." U.S. Robotics Upgrades Modems A program for upgrading modems to its new faster "x2" technology, including some free upgrades, has been unveiled by modem market leader U.S. Robotics Corp. From Robotics' Skokie, Illinois, headquarters, the Reuter News Service reports the x2 technology allows users to connect at speeds of 56 kilobits per second over regular analog phone lines, twice as fast as today's common connection. U.S. Robotics officials told the wire service that customers with remote access servers, modem pools and Courier desktop modems purchased between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 will be eligible for a free upgrade. For products purchased as of Jan. 1, x2 upgrades will be priced at about $60 to $95 per port. The upgrade will be in the form of a software and will not require a change in chip or equipment, Reuters says. U.S. Robotics said software upgrades for Courier products will be available in January and for Total Control Enterprise Network Hubs in February. Upgrades for other systems are expected in February and March, depending on the product. U.S. Robotics said it will offer additional upgrades once a standard for the 56K bps technology is established. Apple OS Chief Steps Down Isaac Nassi, head of Apple Computer Inc.'s computer operating system division, has resigned from the company to pursue other interests. Nassi headed the Applesoft Division of the computer company for the last two years. The Reuter News Service quotes an Apple spokesman as saying the move was announced internally to Apple employees on Friday. Reuters notes Apple declined to elaborate on Nassi's reasons for leaving "and whether it was the result of disagreements over the company's direction under Chairman and Chief Executive Gilbert Amelio." The wire service notes Apple has been widely rumored to be interested in buying Be Inc., a start up company founded by former Apple executive Jan-Louis Gassee, a move which would allow Apple to improve its operating system. Nassi's duties will be assumed by Ellen Hancock, Apple's new chief technology officer. Browser War has a NEW FACE? STR Focus Barksdale trying a NEW Twist? Here WE GO AGAIN! An Opinion by Ralph F. Mariano In this reporter's opinion, Jim Barksdale, CEO of Netscape, has made it abundantly clear. Its no longer a simple and easily defined Browser War. It's a Fight for Survival as far as Netscape is concerned! While he may not have stated so directly. in this reporter's opinion, the handwriting is already on the wall. Microsoft's Internet Explorer has literally entranced and captured the Brower world with its sleek, sure-footed performance. Now, we see Barksdale and company busy touting an end run affair they're "proudly" calling "Constellation". To bad they didn't ask me what name I'd prefer to use. Titanic seems to fit rather well. "Netscape Communications is developing software designed to organize a computer desktop, pushing Microsoft's Windows software off center stage. Constellation, which is expected to ship in mid-1997, gives the computer the look of a television screen with a row of buttons down one side. Each button represents either a Web site to visit or an application program. Netscape "hopes" its new product could become a de facto operating system, with software developers writing their programs for Constellation rather than Windows." Microsoft on the other hand, plans to introduce a competing product, called Active Desktop, in the second half of next year. One analyst says Netscape's new approach to the browser battles shows it's growing up: "Up until this point it's been primarily a religious battle, with Netscape saying, it's us or them. Now they're saying, we realize we will not rule the entire domain. However, what we will do is become the entire container within which disparate pieces can be used." This may, in a certain warped interpretation, make sense to the stockholders and most of the cheerleaders of Netscape. But in reality, we've all seen the "move over Windows" OS promotions and gimicks before. Can anyone recall the names of some recent contenders that didn't make it? Frankly speaking, any progress Netscape makes with this exercise will be due to Microsoft allowing such. At this point, its fairly obvious that Windows 95/NT is "the name of the game. In all honesty, if this is anything like some of the other recent schemes popping up on the `Net ..for the benefit of the `Net.. perhaps, its time for the Netscape stockholders to consider a new "catch word" like SELL. Especially after all the AWARDS Microsoft has had bestowed upon them at Comdex. Oh well. the times they are changing and going to get interesting. At least for Netscape and company. For Immediate Release Corel Corporation Launches Corel VENTURA 7 Full featured, high-end DTP package offers multimedia publishing capabilities, a new customizable UI and powerful document design tools. OTTAWA, Canada - November 18, 1996 - Corel Corporation and its subsidiaries celebrated the launch today of Corel VENTURAT 7 at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scheduled to begin shipping by late November, Corel VENTURA 7 is a high-end desktop publishing package that combines the ease of traditional desktop publishing with the power of the online world. Rewritten to take full advantage of Windowsr 95 or Windows NTr 32-bit processing and multi-tasking capabilities, and for the first time featuring multi-document windowing, Corel VENTURA 7 is a fast, smooth and efficient way to produce documents. A fully customizable interface, multi-user access and the drag-and-drop features of VENTURA LibraryT and VENTURA NavigatorT add to the user's control and flexibility. In addition to advanced desktop publishing capabilities, Corel VENTURA 7 ships with a full assortment of valuable applications and utilities such as Corelr WordPerfectr 7, Corel PHOTO-PAINTT 6, Corelr Database Publisher, Corelr CD Creator 2 and much more. The package carries a suggested list price of $895 US, with upgrades available for $249 US. "Corel VENTURA 7 has reached a new level of ease-of-use along with unprecedented publishing power. This latest version allows users to publish one document to paper, to a portable electronic EnvoyT document, or to the World Wide Web, while consistently maintaining formatting and markers," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "Multiple master pages, a context-sensitive Property Bar and the ability to easily transform documents to the Web using the power of JavaT technology in Corel BaristaT make this powerful publishing software at its best." According to the July 15, 1996 edition of INFOWORLD, "the new Corel VENTURA 7 currently offers the most alternative publishing options, and they are better designed than those that you'll find elsewhere. Corel VENTURA 7 now equals and often surpasses the functionality of its competitors." The August 1996 edition of Home Office Computing adds that "Corel VENTURA 7 will provide you with helpful features including pre-designed layouts and advanced drawing tools. The latest version of Corel VENTURA offers practical, high-level function to create sophisticated publications." New User Interface Features in Corel VENTURAT 7 Property Bar: The Property Bar, which complements the modeless cursor operation in Corel VENTURA 7, is an innovative and powerful context- sensitive toolbar that changes depending on the tool and object the user has selected. Modeless dialog boxes: Many dialog boxes are now modeless, meaning that users can leave them open while working on documents, or open more than one dialog box at once. Master pages: To give users more power in document design, Corel VENTURA 7 now incorporates multiple master pages into each publication. Grids and guidelines: To assist with the layout and design process, Corel VENTURA 7 now provides optional non-printing grids and guidelines. Tables: All tables now include spreadsheet-like features such as hundreds of built-in functions, support for formulas, and AutoFill and Sort commands. Users can import spreadsheets as Corel VENTURA 7 tables and maintain any supported formulas. Other enhancements include the ability to have multiple paragraphs in a cell, a skewed header row and skewed header text. Conditions: Paragraph tags, frames, graphics, tables, and ruling lines now support conditions. Conditions allow users to produce different versions of a document from one Corel VENTURA 7 publication. Electronic Publishing Features Publish As: This command enables users to publish Corel VENTURA 7 documents to HTML, Novell EnvoyT, Adobe Acrobatr, a CD-ROM, over an internal network, or on the Internet. Corel BaristaT: Corel has taken the power of the JavaT programming language and incorporated it into Corel VENTURA 7, giving users the ability to create Web documents that will appear consistently across all Java-enabled browsers and operating system platforms. Web pages can be created in Corel VENTURA 7 and published to the Web with WYSIWYG accuracy -- with no programming knowledge required. Corel SGML Layout Designer: Allows users to pre-format documents by associating Corel VENTURA based layout tags with SGML objects in a context-sensitive manner. Corelr Visual DTDT (Document Type Definition): Allows users to compile an SGML DTD, a textual description of a SGML document pattern. InContext SGML Editor: Allows users to edit and validate a SGML document. New Paper Publishing Features Hi fidelity color printing: The Pantoner HEXACHROMET color library is now included for high fidelity color printing and separations. Powerful drawing tools: Full vector drawing and node-editing tools have been included for creating objects and node-editing frames and imported vector graphics. A new artistic text tool which enables text to be fitted to a path, stretched, skewed or rotated has also been added. Advanced color separations and prepress tools: The package now includes full page print preview, controls for trapping and custom imposition, halftone type selection, support for PostScript level 2, RGB to CMYK-TIFF conversion and selective printing of inks, text or graphics. High-end typography controls: Users can now maintain high precision control over tracking and kerning within the publication or shared with other publications. Support for additional file formats: Corel VENTURA 7 can now import 44 different graphic file formats and 50 text file formats. Advanced color management system New Document Management Features VENTURA NavigatorT: This feature provides one location for users to find everything they need to manage a publication. It displays information about all open publications, making it easy to share information between documents, or to drag and drop files. VENTURA Navigator works like Windowsr 95 Explorer: click and double-click to expand and compress the display of a publication's structure, including chapters, master pages, and style sheets. VENTURA LibraryT: This feature makes the documentation process easier and less time-consuming. A Library is a file window that contains all available VENTURA components from graphics and bitmaps, to tags and master pages. Users can borrow any of the components or any previously created document, or share them with other users, other documents or open publications. Simply drag the desired element into the open publication. In addition to this, when changes are made to an element in a Library, the changes are reflected in every element to which it is linked the next time the document is opened. Corelr Versionsr: Corel Versions provides document archiving and version control for all file types. Users can compare any two files to see the differences between them and retrieve any archived version of a file. Users can also track multiple users of a common file, delete any archived file from the history list, or protect a specific archived version from being discarded. Multi-user access control: You can now assign read/write access rights for chapters, style sheets, or entire publication as well as create passwords and assign administrator rights to maintain control over shared files. Other applications include: Corel WordPerfect 7: This award-winning, 32-bit version puts the Internet to work while taking advantage of Windows 95 to enable users to finish faster and work smarter with improved output. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 6: A powerful paint and photo re-touching program. Corel Database Publisher: Databases to Corel VENTURA 7 or HTML can be published weekly or daily at timed intervals automatically with this application. Corel CD Creator 2: To complement the new electronic publishing capabilities of Corel VENTURA 7, Corelr CD Creator 2 software is included for publishing documents to CD-ROM. Corel SCRIPT EditorT: This feature allows the user to automate complex or repetitive tasks. Scripts work like macros and can be created by recording actions or keystrokes, or by using this feature to create dialogs and make Corel VENTURA work the way the user works. CorelMEMOT: An OLE compliant utility that allows users to attach notes to their drawings or documents without altering the original graphics or text. Corel CAPTURET: An advanced screen capture utility used to capture all or custom areas of a screen. CorelDEPTHT: An easy-to-use utility that facilitates the creation of 3D logos and text. CorelrWEB.Site Builder: A graphical Web site creation tool. ATM (Adobe Type Management ) 4.0 Lite: A font-management program. Over 80 new templates Libraries of HTML buttons and graphics Over 20,000 clipart and symbols Over 100 HTML Templates Over 1,000 Type 1 and TrueTyperFonts System Requirements Users will require a minimum of a 486 DX2, 16 MB of RAM, 640x480, 256 colors, 120 MG of hard disk space for a typical installation, (65 MG for a minimum install) a CD-ROM player (double-speed or higher recommended), a Mouse or Tablet, and Windows 95 or Windows NT version 3.51 or higher. Corelr Announces Corel Print & Photo HouseT Corel's New Graphics Tool Perfect for Home or Small Business Design Projects OTTAWA, Canada -- November 19, 1996 -- Shipping now for Windowsr 95 and Windows NTr 3.51 or higher, Corel Print & Photo HouseT is an easy-to-use graphics package designed to help home or small business users create greeting cards, certificates, banners, business forms, signs, calendars and more. Corel Photo House, a brand new photo-editing and bitmap creation application, has been developed to make it easy for users to scan in their own photographs, touch them up, and add fun special effects or create bitmap images using the painting tools. "Corel Print & Photo House is a simple, all in one graphics shop with a friendly wizard-based interface that anyone can use without training," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "With a variety of ready to print sample files, drawing tools, clipart images, photos and phrases, users will be able to create any project within minutes." Corel Print & Photo House includes more than 1,600 ready-to-print sample files (700 of which are cards), 1,000 photos, 1,000 phrases, 150 TrueTyper fonts, 7,000 clipart images, 200 backdrops, 70 intelligent borders and templates from PaperDirect Inc. Users can also use their imaginations to express their own ideas once they have become familiar with the program. New features in Corel Print House include the following: Shapes: A feature that allows shapes, including circles, hearts and raindrops, to be dropped onto artistic, paragraph text objects and bitmaps. Fit Text to Path: A feature that makes it possible to fit text to a path. Rainbow fills: This feature allows users to create fancy looking rainbow fills. Align/Distribute: Allows users to easily align and distribute objects. Display Printable area Corel Print House key features include the following: Wizard-based User Interface: Corel Print & Photo House wizards are available to walk users through any task such as changing the color of an object or adding shadows to text. Notebook: Convenient on-screen context-sensitive help guides users through various operations such as how to apply effects, choose a paint brush or access the photo collection. It also provides easy and visible access to clipart, borders, backdrops, and preset styles that can be dragged and dropped into designs. Tools: In addition to the Rectangle, Ellipse, Pen and Text tools, the Polygon tool lets users easily create multi-sided objects such as stars and flowers. The Table tool automatically creates tables for business projects. Namelist: Corel Print House gives users the ability to create customized lists of names and groups. This option makes it possible for users to print letters, greeting cards or any other design for a group of people. Shadows and Fading: Allows users to easily create shadows for text and objects and fade any object. Fully Editable Graphics: All vector graphics and text can be flipped, rotated, re-sized, ungrouped and fully customized by color and shape. Corel Photo House key features include the following: Notebook: Convenient on screen help guide gives users easy and visible access to photos, effects, colors and brushes. Tools: Selection, Rectangle, Freehand, Eyedropper, Eraser, Flood Fill, Paintbrush, Spray Can and Clone tools give users plenty of mobility when touching up photos. Touch-up Effects: Seven effects including Sharpen, Brightness/Contrast, Remove Dust and Scratches, Reduce Speckles, Simplify Colors, Remove Red Eyes, and Change Colors gives users everything they require to spruce up or enhance photos. Fun Effects: With these special effects -- Page Curl, Emboss, Swirl, Custom Negative, Vignette, Motion Blur, Add Light Source, Psychedelic, Ripple, Texture, Impressionist and Sketch -- photo editing possibilities are endless. Availability and Pricing Shipping now, Corel Print & Photo House is available for a suggested retail price of $69 US. System Requirements The minimum system requirements for Corel Print & Photo House are an IBMr PC 486 DX or compatible, Windowsr 95 or Windows NTr, a CD-ROM drive, a VGA card and monitor and a mouse or tablet. Windows 95 users will require 8 MB of RAM and Windows NT 3.51 or later users will require 12 MB of RAM. Corel Corporation Hopes You Can Help Save The World Ottawa, Canada - November 14, 1996 - Corel Corporation today announced the release of The Wild World of Madison JaxxT. This educational, geographic game is one of the latest additions to the CD HOME line and is targeted towards anyone from eight years old to adults. The Wild World of Madison Jaxx will be available for a suggested retail price of $59 US. "The Wild World of Madison Jaxx is a comprehensive and fun way to learn about geography and current world affairs," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "The hundreds of maps, photographs and profiles of over 150 countries will quickly improve anyone's geography skills and knowledge." The game revolves around nine occupational characters who travel around the world as they try to track down dangerous criminals. In the course of the characters' missions, players will be asked to answer questions about each of the countries that the characters visit and provide information on the criminals who cross their paths. This five-CD-ROM title features real-time video characters, 90 cases to solve, over one hour of narrative video, 530 sites, over 450 location photos, 200 country and regional maps and an interactive geographical encyclopedia. The game begins in the headquarters of the Global Special Services (GSS), a crime-fighting enterprise owned by Mr. Madison Jaxx. Mr. Jaxx himself addresses the nine specialists in the room and asks for their help in solving the many new cases which the GSS has been asked to solve. Once his briefing is over, the player selects an assignment through the occupation screen. Players can choose from characters including a diplomat, a TV journalist, a film maker, an archeologist and an environmentalist. By clicking on the face of one of the characters, the player will hear them state their name. A click on the button displaying their job title will call up detailed information on the character including their education, languages spoken, previous experience and other skills. The player can accept this character and their missions or return to the occupations list and choose another. The missions reflect the nature of the characters' work and are informative in a unique way which makes geography come alive. In the course of the film maker's assignment, for example, the player will learn about Portuguese wines, Spanish history and even experience the usual and the not-so-usual problems which can beset a film crew. As players follow the characters around the world, they will gain an insider's knowledge of the politics, history and culture of every country they visit. The interactive story of the player's journey is narrated for their enjoyment. These entertaining audio segments are very informative and contain answers to the clues which the player must attain. After listening to each segment, they will be prompted to answer specific geography questions relevant to the storyline. The players score points for each correct answer and lose if an answer is incorrect. If they don't know an answer but do not want to lose points, they can click the "Country Info" button and access the GSS database right from their laptop via a simulated Internet connection. A click on the "Country Map" button will provide information pertaining to a country's borders, location and geography. The goal of the game is to continue visiting different sites and answer the questions, which will result in the successful solution of the case. However, brain power alone is not enough. Players have to be nimble and quick in order to neutralize dangerous criminals, or that could be the end of their assignment. After each encounter with a criminal, the player can click on the "Crime Lab" button and relay the clue which they have just obtained. After the player has been to more than 10 countries and solved as many clues as possible, Madison Jaxx will greet them and congratulate them on their success. Development and System Requirements The Wild World of Madison Jaxx was developed by Studio Arts Multimedia, Inc. Minimum system requirements include Windowsr 3.1x, a 486 DX 66, 8 MB of RAM, 23 MB hard disk space, 640x480, 256 color graphics display, 16-bit audio capabilities, speakers and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. 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, Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7, Corelr Office Professional, CorelCADT, 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. Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks and CorelDRAW, CorelVIDEO, Corel VENTURA CorelMEMO, Corel CAPTURE, CorelDEPTH, PHOTO-PAINT, Visual DTD, VENTURA Library, VENTURA Navigator and CorelCAD are trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. JFK STR Spotlight John Fitzgerald Kennedy Quotes about the Man. "John F. Kennedy was a man of his generation, an eloquent spokesman for that strange new world which the Second War had ushered in. More than any President since Woodrow Wilson, he believed in the power of ideas. His quick intelligence gave him an extraordinary grasp of the vast scope of the Presidential office; his deep intellect molded a philosophy of government that rare oratorical powers enabled him to articulate with grace and with distinction. "He was a man of the world, who understood the role of the United States in this world. He was a man of peace, who at first hand had experienced war. He was above all a man of political sophistication, who appreciated what the United States could do and what it could not do in its relations abroad. While a brilliant exponent of American democracy, he never fell into the trap of believing in the myth of American omnipotence. "He was a man of moderation, as he demonstrated repeatedly during his too- brief years in office; he was also a man of courage, as he showed in that moment of acute crisis over Cuba a year ago... He has been murderously cut off in the prime of life and power; the Nation has suffered another day of infamy which the American people will never forget." Quotes of His own.. "I do not promise to consider race or religion in my appointments. I promise only that I will not consider them.""Hungry men and women cannot wait for economic discussions or diplomatic meetings -- and their hunger rests heavily on the consciences of their fellow men." "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer." "Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life." "When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters.. one represents danger and one represents opportunity.""While we shall negotiate freely, we shall not negotiate freedom.""I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, human liberty as the source of national action, the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas.""With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." "We seek not the world-wide victory of one nation or system but a world-wide victory of man. The modern globe is too small, its weapons too destructive, and its disorders too contagious to permit any other kind of victory." "I do not believe that any of us would exchange places withany other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it.. and the glow from that fire can truly light the world." "...Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. The advancement of learning depends on community leadership for financial and political support.. and the products of that learning, in turn, are essential to the leadership's hopes for continued progress and prosperity..." (to have been delivered at Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963.) one day, the truth shall be known.. for indeed, it is out there A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N LEXMARK OPTRA C COLOR LASER PRINTER For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates LEXMARK Optra C SUPERIOR QUALITY 600 dpi Laser Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's LEXMARK Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its price range. It is far superior to anything we've seen or used as of yet. It is said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. The out put from the Lexmark Optra C is worth ten thousand words! Send for the free sample now. (For a sample that's suitable for framing, see below) Guaranteed. you will be amazed at the superb quality. (Please.. allow at least a two week turn- around). If you would like a sample printout that's suitable for framing. Yes that's right! Suitable for Framing. Order this package. It'll be on special stock and be of superb quality. We obtained a mint copy of a 1927 COLOR ENGRAVER'S YEAR BOOK. Our Scanner is doing "double duty"! The results will absolutely blow you away. If you want this high quality sample package please include a check or money order in the amount of $6.95 (Exp, S&H only) Please, make checks or money orders payable to; Ralph Mariano. Be sure to include your full return address and telephone number . The sample will be sent to you protected, not folded in a 9x12 envelope. Don't hesitate.. you will not be disappointed. This "stuff" is gorgeous! A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N MS Office 97 STR Spotlight Does it get any better than this? Microsoft Office 97 Preliminary Overview Microsoft Office 97 brings organizations the power of the intranet, enabling users to share information, collaborate on projects and be more effective in getting their work done. Office 97 provides: ú Individual Efficiency Intelligent and integrated software helps users get organized and be more productive. ú Intranet Solutions Users can exploit the power of the intranet for sharing information throughout an organization. ú Improved Software Management Enhanced setup and administration tools translate to easier migration and reduced support costs. This whitepaper will discuss in detail how organizations can make a successful transition to Office 97 through software management improvements over previous releases of Office. All of the capabilities mentioned in this whitepaper are fully documented in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit from Microsoft Pressr. Customer Requirements Upgrading software for end users in a large organization is not a trivial undertaking. Most large organizations go through extensive evaluation of any software prior to purchase. In addition to providing capabilities end-users want, software is also evaluated for: Ease of deployment. ú Administrative flexibility in setting defaults. ú File sharing capabilities across different platforms and versions of the same software. ú Ability to get information and support for deploying the software. Migrating to Office 97 Microsoft Office has an installed base of more than 22 million licensed users. Over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Office. The rise in popularity of Microsoft Office started with Microsoft Office 4.x, when many large organizations recognized the benefits of the ease of use and consistency of the products, and standardized their entire organization on Microsoft Office. Microsoft works closely with large organizations to find ways to make it easier to deploy new versions of Microsoft Office. This includes making it easier for users to work together when they are using different versions of Microsoft Office, or using Microsoft Office on different operating systems. Following are some of the capabilities, tools and strategies in Office 97 that make it easier to migrate, and some pointers for deploying Office 97 in your organization. Setup Flexibility Microsoft Office is a full-featured set of desktop productivity software tools with a wide variety of setup options to support Microsoft's broad customer base. It is designed to provide administrators with the same high level of flexibility and control whether end-users go through setup themselves, a technician goes out to the computer to set-up the software, or a fully-automated, hands-off process such as Microsoft Systems Management Server is used. All of the options discussed below work on all three platforms Office 97 supports: Windowsr 95, Windows NTr Workstation and the Macintoshr, except where noted. Options Physical Media There are a variety of media sources from which to install Office 97. Users who are not connected to a network can install Office 97 from a CD-ROM or floppy disks. For users connected to the network, it's easier to create a network installation (formerly called an administrative installation) of Office 97 on a server. Not only is it easier for the end user (no swapping disks), but the administrator retains maximum control and flexibility. What to Install? For simplicity, administrators can advise users to do a Typical installation. This installs the most frequently-used components without forcing users to make decisions they may not understand. Administrators can use the Network Installation Wizard (described below) to effectively create a custom Typical installation, to ensure users have all of the components they need. Since this customization allows for several different scripts, several Typical installation types can be used within one organization. Where to Install? Users can also choose where to install the software. For example, laptop users may want to install all the software on their hard drive to ensure they have all of the tools they need even when they are disconnected from the network. Some organizations may prefer to run all software from a network server for complete control and easier administration, even though it may increase network traffic and decrease performance. A third option, making it possible to run the shared components from a server, reduces the install size on an end-user's computer without sacrificing performance. Individually, these components are smaller and used less frequently, but combined, they can save a great deal of hard drive space on the end-user's computer. Batch Mode Setup supports creation of one or more script files that work with the setup engine to customize an installation of Office 97. Switches can be used to specify the script file to use and to turn off any user-interaction dialog boxes. Switches also control whether the user's screen shows the progress of the installation or shows nothing (a "quiet" installation). In Office 97, batch-mode setup is supported on the Macintosh as well as Windows. Additional Setup Features It is not uncommon for a user to delete a vitally important file such as Excel.exe, to decide after the fact that they want a feature they did not initially install, or, to want to delete clip art to free hard disk space. To address these needs, additional setup options are available after Microsoft Office has been installed. These include Reinstall, Add/Remove Components, and Uninstall, which will completely remove Microsoft Office. Reinstall does not recopy files that are fine - it just fixes files that may have been deleted and makes sure all registry or preferences information is restored. A new feature in network installations writes to a network log every time a user installs Microsoft Office. This gives administrators a way to track users who have installed from each share point. Technologies Supported Many large organizations use tools to manage their users' desktops, so Microsoft has provided the technology to support these tools. System Policies Introduced in the Windows 95 operating system, and now supported in Windows NT Workstation 4.0, System Policies give the administrator control over custom settings for both the operating system and the applications on end users' computers. System Policies can be enabled for any user who logs on to the network. Through System Polices, the administrator can determine operating system options, the appearance of the Desktop and Start Menu, and options in Microsoft Office. Options in Microsoft Office that can be determined via System Policies include default file formats in which to save documents, default file locations, Office Assistant settings, the workgroup template location, and many of the options available in the Tools, Options dialog boxes in each of the applications. Microsoft Systems Management Server Microsoft Systems Management Server is one of the BackOfficeT server products from Microsoft. It provides the following services: ú Hardware and software inventory ú Software distribution ú Remote administration of end user desktops Microsoft included support for Systems Management Server in Office 97 and individual applications to make it easy to deploy Microsoft Office throughout an organization without having to make a physical visit to each desktop. The appropriate Package Definition File (PDF) is included with the software. The PDF is the set of instructions Systems Management Server uses to distribute software. PDF and the many batch-file switches for Office Setup described below, make it possible to create a customized, completely hands-off method for distributing Office 97. At the end of setup, a message information file (MIF) is generated for Systems Management Server, so a report is returned on whether or not the installation was successful, and what error(s) occurred. Administrative Tools Most large organizations have worked diligently to establish a network and computing paradigm that works well for their enterprise and desktop computing needs. These models vary widely between organizations. Rather than providing solutions for the few common permutations, Microsoft has created tools that allow administrators to customize Microsoft Office to an organization. Following are descriptions of these tools. Network Installation Wizard Many organizations want to be able to create several types of custom installations to handle different departments and user populations. The most-frequently requested improvement to our Setup program is friendly interface for customizing batch scripts. For Office for Windows 95, we delivered the first version of the Network Installation Wizard, and we've improved it for Office 97. This is a tool that functions like a typical Office Wizard, stepping users through the process and options for creating a custom Setup Table File (STF) for Office 97. Options include choosing which features should be installed; whether users should install the software on their local hard drive or run it from the server; the default folder for installing Microsoft Office; the default location for the "My Documents" folder; and the ability to add additional files to Setup, such as custom templates. The Network Installation Wizard is available on the CD-ROM in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit, which is available in book form and electronically on the World Wide Web. Setup allows users to specify which STF to use during any given installation, so Network Installation Wizard lets users create one network installation of Microsoft Office 97 and several different STF files - one for each type of setup. Users simply give each type of setup a different name, such as accntg.stf or sales.stf, and use the appropriate Setup switch to point Setup to the correct STF file, without having to create another network installation. The Network Installation Wizard runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 or later. Custom installation scripts can be created for each of the platforms. The Network Installation Wizard Policy Template Most users would find it very difficult to create a Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 System Policy entry from scratch. What really makes System Policies useful are templates with the settings and appropriate options defined by software developers. The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit CD-ROM includes a policy template developed for the common custom settings for Office 97. It can be used with the Policy Editor utility that comes with Windows 95 or Windows NT to check off options that the user wants to set. For more information on implementing System Policies, customers can refer to the Windows 95 Resource Kit or the Windows NT Resource Kit. Windows 95 System Policy Editor with the Office 97 Policy Template The Office Upgrade Wizard One of the benefits of Office 97 is that nearly 50 percent of the code is shared by the Office 97 applications, so it uses less memory and disk space. In addition, many Office Family and Office Compatible applications, such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Publisher and a variety of third-party products, also rely on this common code and won't install it if it's already available on the computer or network. Because of this, when upgrading from Office 4.x to Office 97, it is not always best or necessary to remove all previously installed software. The Office Upgrade Assistant, available with the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit, helps end users and administrators remove all old Office 4.x or Office for Windows 95 software. It provides a variety of choices and is configurable by the administrator. Other Office 97 Tools ú Batch file converters Convert entire directories of files to any file format supported by that application. ú Complete list of files A database with a complete list of files installed, including queries that show what feature installs which files, where they are installed to, version information, and whether they are included in Typical Setup. ú Project Deployment Planning Template A template created in Microsoft Project to help users plan and schedule the deployment of Microsoft Office 97, including resource allocation. There will also be a Microsoft Excel version of this tool. File-Format Compatibility File-format compatibility is potentially one of the greatest areas of concern for organizations moving to a new version of desktop productivity applications. Unfortunately, new features, which greatly enhance software, often also require changes to the file format. For example, additions such as Microsoft Excel PivotTabler dynamic views, Visual Basicr for Applications, an object model, and support for shared code such as for the new OfficeArt, have all required changes to the file formats. Microsoft's goal is to develop file formats that do not need to change when new features are added. Until this goal is achieved, the groundwork is laid in Office 97 to eliminate converter issues, even when the file formats change. New File-Converter Architecture In a mixed environment of Microsoft Office users, sharing files can be problematic. Administrators don't want to expend the effort and cost of installing converters for older versions of software, and users of the new version don't want to give up new features in order to save in older formats. It is also annoying to end users to receive a Microsoft Word object, for instance, in email, but double-click, and have Microsoft Word fail to recognize the file or open it. These are the problems the new converter architecture should solve. ú File Format Detection Starting with the Office 97 applications, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and PowerPointr will be able to determine if a file that is being opened was created in a newer version. ú Network File Converter Location Converters will be able to exist on a shared network location, even if the user has installed Microsoft Office on the local hard drive. This is supported via a registry entry which tells the applications where to look for additional converters. ú System Policy Template Support Administrators will be able to predetermine or change the location of the converter using System Policy. We will make it easy to set this entry by supporting it in our System Policy Template. This support is available only on Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 or higher, since these are the only two operating systems with this feature. ú Install from Web if the application detects that there is neither a converter stored locally for the given format nor a network location for the new converters, it will inform the user that this is a newer file format and that there is a converter available for reading it. If it detects that the user has a way of connecting to the Internet, it will invite the user to connect to the Web and download this new converter from the Microsoft Web site. If the user agrees, the application will start up the connection, allow the user to download the filter, install it, and end the connection. The user can then open the file successfully. Migration to new versions of Microsoft Office will be much smoother since users working with different versions of Office will not have problems sharing files. Even better, there are no costs associated with this solution. File Format Differences There is a great deal of compatibility between different versions of Microsoft Office. The few incompatibilities that do exist are documented in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit. There is also thorough documentation on file-format compatibility for those switching from applications other than Microsoft Office, such as WordPerfectr and Lotusr 1-2-3r. Default Save Another frequently requested feature from administrators is the ability to restrict users to saving in a particular file format. Since most large organizations do not upgrade everyone at one time, this is an effective intermediary solution for sharing files. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint all support the new Default Save feature that only allows users to save documents in the file format of a previous version of the application. End users can specify the file format in which to save documents in the Tools Options dialog box in each of the applications. In addition, on the Windows 95 and Windows NT platforms, the administrator can set the file format using the System Policy. Administrators can set what file format to save in and customize the message users see when they save in a different file format. If users are not sharing files and want to save them in the Office 97 format, they can override this setting. Batch File Conversion Once users have migrated to Office 97, many administrators will want to convert all older files so end users don't have to do it one file at a time. Batch file converters provided with the software will convert entire directories of files from any given format to the Office application format. Viewers The ultimate compatibility tool, Viewers allow users who do not have Office to view and print Office documents. Although they cannot create or edit files, Viewer users can accomplish specific tasks such as following hyperlinks, using the various views in the Microsoft Word Viewer, showing a presentation in the PowerPoint Viewer, or using the AutoFilter feature in the Microsoft Excel Viewer. Viewers will be available for Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel on the following platforms: Windows 3.1 Windows 95 Windows NT Macintosh File Format Compatibility The following section highlights ways users of different versions of Microsoft Office can share files and the compatibility between these versions. Full details can be found in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit. Microsoft Word Microsoft Word 97 will be able to open and save documents created by earlier versions of Microsoft Word, back to version 2.0 of Microsoft Word for Windows, 4.0 of Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, and 5.0 of Microsoft Word for MS-DOSr. In addition, users of Microsoft Word for Windows back to version 2.0 and Microsoft Word for the Macintosh back to version 5.0 can open Microsoft Word 97 files by using a converter that must be installed separately. If changes are saved in the earlier version, there may be loss of some features that are new in Microsoft Word 97, but data is preserved. Although the development environment and language have changed completely in Microsoft Word 97, almost all older WordBasic macros should work without problems. Microsoft Excel Microsoft Excel 97 can open and save to earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, back to version 3.0 on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Microsoft Excel can save both the Microsoft Excel 97 and the Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 format information into one file. The file will be larger than the average file, and will take longer to save, but, end users of Microsoft Excel 5.0, 95 and 97 can open and save files in this format. It is not necessary to install special converters for users of Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 95. The older macro language, XLM, continues to be supported in Microsoft Excel, so older macros should run without problems. Microsoft Access Microsoft Access can open all older Microsoft Access files on the Windows platform only. (Microsoft Access is not available on the Macintosh.) Users can view all objects in the database and add, delete, or modify records. However, users can't modify the design of objects such as Forms, Reports or Modules. Earlier versions of Microsoft Access can not open Microsoft Access 97 files, but, Microsoft Access for Windows 95 users can use (attach to) data from Microsoft Access 97 tables and queries. A solution for compatibility among Microsoft Access users is to separate the tables and queries from the application, put data in one format that all users can attach to, and then have more than one version of the application so users of Microsoft Access 97 can take advantage of new functionality. Microsoft Access 97 can run both older Access Basic and older Visual Basic for Applications modules with very few exceptions. Microsoft Outlook Microsoft OutlookT desktop information manager replaces previous Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Exchange e-mail clients and Schedule+. The following information covers most compatibility scenarios. More information can be found in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit. Outlook 97 users will be able to participate in the following activities with users of Outlook 97 and all previous Schedule+ versions, regardless of whether the mail system is Microsoft Mail 3.2 or Microsoft Exchange Server. Send to and receive meeting requests View published free/busy information Import calendars from previous Schedule+ versions and other common formats (text, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel) Schedule+ 95 introduced a new feature which, with permission, allows users to right-click on a busy time for another user in Planner View, and get the details of the appointment. Outlook 97 users will be able to view these details for all users, However, Schedule+ 95 users will not be able to see the details for an Outlook 97 user. Delegate Access allows one user to appoint another user to act as an owner of a schedule - planning appointments, requesting meetings and accepting meeting. Outlook 97 supports Delegate Access, but only among Outlook 97 users. The Microsoft Exchange client and Outlook 97 support the ability to create customized views of email messages, both for personal and public folders. Outlook 97 users will be able to use views created in the Microsoft Exchange client, and both will be able to use views created in Outlook, provided that the Microsoft Exchange client switch is turned on when the view is created in Outlook. For electronic-forms compatibility between Microsoft Exchange client and Outlook 97 users, users should create forms with the Microsoft Exchange Forms Designer, which will run in Outlook 97. Finally, the Outlook object model is very different from the Schedule+ 95 object model, so solutions created for Schedule+ 95 will not work in Outlook 97. Microsoft PowerPoint The PowerPoint presentation graphics program can open and save to older files back to versions 3.0 on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. There will be converters that need to be installed separately for users of PowerPoint for Windows 95 and PowerPoint 4.0 on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. These converters allow users of previous versions to open PowerPoint 97 files. PowerPoint also allows users to save files in a version that includes all information needed for both PowerPoint for Windows 95 and PowerPoint 97 formats. This will enable users of these versions to share files without being concerned about the version. The object model in PowerPoint has changed extensively for more consistency with other applications and to include a host of new objects. Consequently, programs written for PowerPoint for Windows 95 will need to be updated. Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit In the tradition of the various Windows Resource Kits, the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit is designed to be the administrator's guide to Microsoft Office 97, and will be available when Microsoft Office 97 ships. Organized into five main sections, the resource kit covers the majority of IS migration issues: ú Deploying Office 97 Fully explains Setup procedures, including customizing client installations, optimizing Office 97, and troubleshooting. ú Upgrading to Office 97 Complete coverage of how to upgrade from previous versions of the Office applications, back to Office 3.0. ú Switching from Other Applications Similar to the preceding section, this is complete information on making the change from non-Office applications, such as WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 and Lotus Freelancer. ú Using Office 97 Throughout Your Organization This section covers many topics, including supporting multiple versions of Office at the same time, workgroup functionality in Office 97, administering an Office Web, and interoperability with electronic mail. ú Architecture Detailed information on the architecture of the Office applications, including registry settings, and ways to exploit the architecture. Resources ú Microsoft Office is overwhelmingly the most popular suite of desktop productivity applications in the world and there are a variety of resources available to assist efforts to deploy and support Microsoft Office. ú Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit Available Online ú The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit is continually updated after it is published. As accounts deploy Office 97, new information is learned that can help others. The up-to-date, electronic version of the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit can be found in the following locations: ú Microsoft Web Site: www.microsoft.com/ork/ ú Microsoft TechNet CD-ROM Solution Providers a host of Microsoft Solution Providers are specifically trained to assist in deployment of and development with Microsoft products. Information about Solution Providers can be obtained by calling 1-800-SOL-PROV in North America or by calling your local Microsoft subsidiary. Training Organizations A variety of training organizations offer training to end users on Office 97. For information on Authorized Training and Education Centers, call 1-800-SOL-PROV in North America or a local Microsoft subsidiary. Microsoft TechNet Microsoft TechNet is a comprehensive information resource for anyone who evaluates, implements, or supports Microsoft business products. A survival guide for the technical jungle, TechNet includes more than 150,000 pages of in-depth information on CD - shipped to subscribers every month. The ultimate tool for supporting Microsoft products, this monthly CD-ROM includes all of the Microsoft Resource Kits, Microsoft's Product Support Service Knowledge Base of support articles, support information written by third parties, and much more. Customers in the U.S. and Canada have three ways to subscribe: Contact their authorized reseller. To start a subscription immediately, call (800) 344-2121, dept. 3120 with credit card information any time between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Pacific Time, weekdays. Fill out an electronic order form on our Web site. Outside of North America, see the complete listing of phone numbers in the TechNet area of the Microsoft Web Site. World Wide Web Site The Microsoft World Wide Web site has everything from product information to free software and drivers, to electronic versions of resource kits and the TechNet CD. ú Microsoft Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/ ú Microsoft Office Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/office/ ú TechNet Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ Product Support Services All Microsoft products are backed by an award-winning Product Support Services (PSS) group. Microsoft Office, Standard Edition, is the only desktop productivity suite with free, unlimited end user support (via toll lines). Microsoft Access includes two free support calls. Microsoft also provide some free developer support, with a variety of packages to fit user needs for additional developer or premium support. For more information on PSS packages for Desktop Applications, in North America call 1-800-931-4100, visit the Support area on the Microsoft Web site, or contact a local subsidiary. 1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. Microsoft, BackOffice, MS-DOS, Outlook, PivotTable, PowerPoint, Microsoft Press, Visual Basic, Windows, Windows NT, and the Office logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft in the United States and/or other countries. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. Lotus, 1-2-3, Freelance is a registered trademark of Lotus Development Corportation. UltraEdit32 STR Spotlight UltraEdit / UltraEdit-32 - v4.20aThe editor for all your editing needs.UltraEdit is an excellent replacement for NOTEPAD and a lot more, with support for unlimited file sizes, 100,000 word spelling checker, full HEX editing capabilities, configurable syntax highlighting for programmers, column editing. UltraEdit has all the features you will need. UltraEdit handles multiple files at once, even if they are multi-megabyte files. It is Disk based and only requires a small amount of memory, even for very large files. UltraEdit-32 designed for Windows NT and Windows 95, and UltraEdit for Windows 3.1 with no additional fee. Standard Features: - Disk based text editing - No limit on file size, minimum RAM used even for multi-megabyte files - Multiple files open and displayed at the same time - Column mode editing!!!, Insert columns/ delete/ cut/ add sequential - numbers - File sort (with remove duplicates, ignore case, ascending, descending) - 100,000 word spell checker - Syntax highlighting - configurable, pre configured for C/C++ and VB - Automatic word wrap at specified column with hard return - Insert file into an existing document at cursor position - Drag and Drop support from the file manager - Configurable toolbar - Splitter windows - Insert and overstrike modes for editing - Multi-level undo and redo - UltraEdit is Windows 3.x CUA compliant - Find and Replace - Also allows selection of text between caret and - find target when shift key is pressed - Goto Line Number/Page Break - Font Selection for display and printer. (Supports all fonts installed - including TRUE-TYPE fonts) - Print support with headers, footers, margins and page breaks. - Automatic Line Indentation - Tab Settings - Word Wrap Support - Hexadecimal Editor - Allows editing of any binary file - HEX Cut, - copy and paste support - HEX Insert and Delete of characters - HEX Find, Replace and Replace All - Bookmarks - Unlimited number of Bookmarks - Multiple Windows of the same file - Comprehensive macro support, including saving and loading - Context Sensitive Help - Automatic backup file generated with (.BAK) extension in the directory of the original file - UltraEdit retains its screen position each time it is used - Line & column number display (line number display may be disabled) - Pop-up menus with right mouse button. - Text conversion to lower or upper case and capitalization. - Unix/Mac to DOS Conversion - DOS to Unix conversion - Auto detect UNIX/Mac files - Convert Word Wrap to CR/LF's allowing word wrap to be written to file - with hard returns - Convert CR/LF's to Word Wrap (removes CR/LF's from file) - Template Support - More ... Also: - UltraEdit accepts a command line input and so can be used to replace NOTEPAD or other editors that are called up from a file manager by clicking on a file. RegistrationYou are limited to 45 Days of use for an unregistered version.UltraEdit is a shareware program. If you find it useful and continue to use it you are obligated to register it with the author by sending $30.00 (Ohio Residents add $1.65 Sales Tax) to: Ian D. Mead 8209 Chestnut Hill Ct. West Chester, OH 45069 USA Free upgrades for at least 1 year. Upgrade fee is $15.00 (Ohio residents add $0.83 Sales Tax)for previous registered users. VISA/MASTERCARD Accepted For VISA/MasterCard orders, include: 1) Name of card holder 2) Address of card holder 3) Name and address of user if different from card holder 4) Expiration date of card 5) Card #. Credit card orders may be faxed or telephoned to (513) 779 8549, or sent to my E-Mail address (see below). Compuserve Registration UltraEdit may also be registered online on compuserve by typing GO SWREG and following instructions for registering using ID 2662 (Same ID was used for MEDIT and EditPro - UltraEdit replaces these products at the same cost). This will entitle you to an authorization code, the latest registered version, and technical support. For CompuServe registrations, a newer version is not sent out if the latest version is available on CompuServe. E-Mail Address Internet: IDM@iglou.com CompuServe: 71613,2654 WWW http://www.iglou.com/idm Return Policy No refunds are issued after an authorization code has been issued. Exchanges are allowed if appropriate. This program may be freely distributed provided it is unmodified, no charge is made for the software, and all of the following files are included: 1) READ.ME - This File 2) UltraEdt.EXE - Executable File 3) UltraEdt.HLP - UltraEdit help file Latest Version The latest version of UltraEdit/UltraEdit-32 may be found in several places: The following www page: http://www.iglou.com/idm - In the WINUSER Forum on CompuServe, an official distribution and support online resource for future updates. Search for ULTRAEDIT.ZIP, and UEDIT32.ZIP. - The Windows Users Group Network (WUGNET), operators of the oldest and largest independent support resource forum (WINUSER) for Windows Users on CIS with nearly 1,000,000 active members is recognized in the press, user groups, developers, and Microsoft as the foremost resource for shareware publishers on CompuServe and the Internet. - The Bounty BBS 904-268-4116 - On the Internet on several sites, including CICA and other sites. History History - Purged changes prior to v3.10 v3.10 - Enhanced macro support for file loading, saving closing, HEX editing and mode switching - see help for full set of features. - Allow multiple macros, with configurable HOT KEYs - Allow nested macros - Added support for upto 6 languages for syntax highlighting - Allow configurable block comments with syntax highlighting - Spawn a DOS command and capture output - run a compiler - Start a Windows Program - Auto detect UNIX or Binary/Hex files when loaded - Added regular expression support - Added literal character insertion to insert control codes - CTRL+I - Added find matching brace - Other minor changes and fixes v3.10a - Fixed GPF with open of file from most recent file list when file did not exist. Minor fix to syntax highlight for configurable block comments on and off. Fix problem not being able to open multiple instances. Shows up when opeing files from file manager. v3.10b - Fixed "Nocase" not working with Syntax Highlighting and causing possible GPF's. Fixed pop-up format menu on pop-up edit menu. Fixed possible lockup with Convert Wrap to CR/LF's. Fixed loading of pre v3.10 macros with find/replace. Other minor fixes. v4.00 - Added the following features: - Configurable toolbar - Splitter Windows - Read Only default option and edit menu item - Save Select As file - Delete Line - Insert Date and Time - Command line option for line and column - Enhancements: - HTML keyword for syntax highlighting to allow '<,>,/' characters - UNDO for column paste, insert functions - Time/Date in status bar and page headers follow control panel settings - Column functions honour select start and end for inserts v4.00a - Minor change for deleting columns in column mode and fix DOS command in 32-Bit version on Windows 95. Generated at customer request. v4.00b - Fixed GPF when exiting using EXIT button on TOOLBAR. - Allow multiple files on command line on 32-Bit version if fully qualified, or in quotes ("...")v4.10 - File Sort with ascending, descending, remove duplicate, ignore case (no undo for sort) - Convert ANSI to OEM, OEM to ANSI (format menu) - DOS to MAC conversion - Color selection for background, normal text, bookmarks (view menu) - Tools configuration, up to 10 user tools in advanced menu - Improved DOS commands and output capturing (particularly for Win95) (now can pass path and/or filename and/or extension) - Invert Case - Macros can choose not to show the cancel dialog - Option to automatically reload the last set of open files on startup - Ctrl+Double Click now selects a complete string (configurable delimiters) - 20 Templates now available - HEX mode highlights both sides of display (HEX and ASCII) - Improved macro support - Syntax highlighting now has configurable delimiters to better support langauges with words that contain not alpha characters - Show spaces, tabs and new lines (View menu) - Bug fixes v4.10a - Bug fixes - Foreign keyboards not working with AltGR+0 to AltGR+9 Change templates 10 - 19 to use Shift+Alt+0 - 9. - Fix window sizing when invoked from right mouse button - Allow commas in file names - Fixed Find in Files to not lose sreen information - Changed Ctrl+Alt for aumlet characters - see help keyboard commands - Fixed intermittent problem with two small square boxes showing up at end of file (at last) V4.20 - ASCII file compare under file menu - Replace in files - Replace in all open files (option under standard replace) - Command line improvements: a) The command line parameter /r will open the specified files for read only. b) Wildcard support: you may now specify *.c to open all c files. c) You may specify that the filename on the command line contains a list of file to open: uedit32 filelist.txt /f where filelist.txt contains a list of files, each on a separate line. - New spelling checker engine that supports French, German, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Swedish and Dutch. Download dictionaries separately. Alos support multiple user dictionaries and can share Microsoft's custom dictionaries. - New column markers to indicate the lines extending beyond specified columns (View menu). - Added option "Save File As Input Format" also that allows a Unix file to be opened and then save as Unix format automatically when used in conjunction with the "Auto Convert Unix Files" function. - User selectable reference help files. From the Help menu you may add help files that you want UltraEdit to be able to reference with keyword searches. Great for adding help support for your programming API. - Syntax Highlighting improvements: a) Fixed //* problem with comments for C/C++ b) Added support for selectable colors for all 6 languages c) Added 5 user colors per language (was 3) d) Added color selection for strings (stings not recognized if cross multiple lines) - Added FORTRAN_LANG key word for syntax highlighting to support 'c', 'C' and '*' as comment indicators if in first column. - Long or short filename support passing file names in the Dos/Windows and Tools commands. If the %F, %P, %N and %E are lower case the name passted to the application is the long file name and the user should put the %f in quotes i.e. c:\somecommand "%f" or c:\somecommand "%p%n" - Other changes V4.20a - Bug Fixes: Vertical Scroll Bar Thumb Size Opening files with UNC convention computer name Fix possible crash with syntax highlighting (reported once) Windows is a registered Trademark of Microsoft Corporation. MICROSOFT OFFICE 97 STR Review "The BEST becomes BETTER! MICROSOFT OFFICE 97 Editor's Choice 1997 By Ralph F. Mariano The evolution and maturation of Microsoft's universally acknowledged top of the line suite of productivity applications has a list of powerful yet easy to use functions. Office 97 is bound to appeal to Office 95 users in droves. Office 97's New features, options, and benefits are both plentiful and well thought out. They range from easy to use enhancements and updates to truly a more intuitive and easy to observe interface. The everyday- language help system, along with a simplified network installation and management tools are added bonuses. For Network Administrators increased code sharing offering less hard disk consumption and fewer GPF's generated by corrupted DLLs and overwritten system files is an added plus. Office 97 Professional showcases the fact that Microsoft's code crunchers understand the implications and future of Web technology. This powerhouse package also includes Web search, hyperlinks, and a powerful HTML formatter. A new Web toolbar provides easy access to all the `Net features of the suite's applications. IntelliSense IntelliSense, an anticipatory sort of machine intelligence, tries to understand what you want to accomplish. With an interface similar to the real-time spelling checker in Office 95, IntelliSense has been expanded, enabling it to detect grammar errors in real time. IntelliSense works across all of the suite's modules. In Excel, for example, it lets you write formulas that refer to a cell's contents instead of requiring you to define a named range. In addition, Excel will now automatically correct the dozen or so most common errors in formula building. Office Assistant How do you write software for millions of users, while making it work as if it were designed for each individual user? Microsoft created software that can learn from the user and change its behavior based on what the user does. The role of user assistance, or help, in Microsoft Office has evolved over time. Initially I all help files, the goal was to document every feature and its use in a hard copy manual. However, since many people didn't have the time to read that type of huge documentation, Microsoft decided to integrate user assistance into the product. They put more information into online help, making it easier to access or search for particular topics. Along the way, they added features such as Cue Cards, which are a form of online help that stays on-screen while you use it, and the TipWizardr assistant, which watches what you do and suggests an easier way to accomplish specific tasks. While these innovations advanced users' abilities to work with Office, customer feedback and a series of research projects indicated the need for a fresh approach to online assistance. Microsoft observed the phenomenon of the departmental guru, and created the Office Assistant to emulate that guru, allowing the user to ask questions in everyday terms, not "technobabble," to get assistance in using Office 97. The Office Assistant also serves as the central place to unify all of the user assistance provided in the Office products. Microsoft obviously spent a great deal of time testing Office Assistant, ensuring that it would be appropriate for all levels of users, and for users around the world. The Office Assistant is in every Office 97 application. Some of the ways the Office Assistant helps the user include: ú Natural Language Assistance When a user asks the Office Assistant a question in everyday language, such as "How do I print sideways", the Office Assistant shows the way. ú Tips Based on the way a user uses Office 97, the Office Assistant can give tips for methods that are more efficient, or expose features the user may not have discovered. ú Intelligent Help Based on user actions, the Office Assistant will actually guess what they might need assistance on without their even having to ask. The Office Assistant is designed to give guidance to the user in using the existing user interface, not to replace it, as was the case with Microsoft BobT. It is highly customizable, allowing the user to control what it looks like and how it behaves. There is even an object model so that developers creating custom solutions with Microsoft Office can add their own help to the Office Assistant. Office Art Every one of the Office applications are able to use the same powerful set of greatly enhanced drawing tools. Create 3-D objects with shading, beautifully formatted fills, or textures that can also be used to enhance charts, Bezier curves, and connectors to create flow charts or diagrams. Special effects include lighting and finishes such as matte or metallic, and there are a host of pre-created shapes that you can size to your needs. Text can be added to any object without creating an additional text box and any drawing object can have a hyperlink associated with it. This makes it easy for any Office user to create great-looking navigation buttons or maps within their documents or for use elsewhere. With Office Art, you get one set of sophisticated drawing tools that have the ease of use of Office to use in all of the applications. Outlook Outlook, a multilayered personal information manager, (PIM) combines an address book, contact manager, calendar, universal in-box (superseding Exchange, Microsoft Mail, and Schedule+), and a personal task manager that can manage every minute of your professional life. As with all of the applications in Office 97, Outlook is also packed with innovative and useful touches. For example, E-mail Preview shows the first two lines of messages, AutoName inserts the recipient's name from your address book, and the Meeting Planner shows available times for the people you want to attend a meeting. The applause for the best new goodie in Office 97 goes to Outlook. Outlook is the hub of Office 97's enhanced workgroup capabilities. One of the Key benefits includes a full Messaging API-compliant e-mail messaging client. Word 97 Letter Wizard The Office Assistant in Word works together with the Letter Wizard to offer assistance in creating letters. As soon as the Assistant sees that you are addressing a letter, it offers assistance and starts up the Letter Wizard. The Letter Wizard then functions as a central place to choose and edit all letter elements. No more rewriting common text and tweaking details to make sure that the letter "looks" right. In addition, the Letter Wizard helps place all the necessary elements with the right punctuation. And, when you're done with your letter, it even offers to step you through creating an envelope. AutoSummary Different audiences for your documents often want to see varying levels of detail. Your manager may want all of the details of the project you are working on, but the division vice president may only want a synopsis. Word 97 now helps you automate document summaries by creating them for you. Word analyzes the document statistically and linguistically to generate summaries based on the following choices: ú Choose a specific percent of the document or word-count-based summary. ú Condense the document or highlight relevant portions on-screen. ú Create an abstract and insert it in the document Background Grammar Checking In Word for Windows 95, we introduced background spell checking. While you worked, Word would go through your document, spell checking it, and putting a wavy line underneath words that were misspelled. A simple shortcut mouse click on the word would reveal the suggested corrections for that word. Background Grammar Checking is very similar to this feature. Now, while you work, Word uses its new natural language Grammar Checker to check your document for grammatical errors. It puts a green wavy line under problem words, phrases, or sentences, and gives you suggested corrections when you click on the underlined text with the shortcut mouse button. By changing the options for the grammar checker, you control what mistakes it looks for. Table Drawing Tool What's more intuitive than simply drawing out a table the way you want it? That's how you do it on paper, and now you can do it that way in Word 97. Simply click on the Table Drawing tool on the toolbar, and start drawing. You can draw in the rows and columns where you need them, and Word will make corrections for grammatical errors. It puts a green wavy line under problem words, phrases, or sentences, and gives you suggested corrections when you click on the underlined text with the shortcut mouse button. By changing the options for the grammar checker, you control what mistakes it looks for. Excel Excel now shares its workbooks thus, allowing multiple users to collaborate on the same spreadsheet. The Merge Workbooks function consolidates changes in multiple copies of a single workbook and exports it to Office Binder. Extending the idea of group cooperative efforts to intranets, Office 97 includes Web FindFast, a full-text search engine; hyperlinks; and Web Toolbar, which substantially speeds up the creation, editing, and posting of HTML documents. Office 97's Publish to the Web wizard handles most of the time-consuming conversion details with ease. If. you still can't find the application or feature that fits your needs within Office 97, build in your own!! That's right, build your own custom solutions using the suite's bundled Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Release 5, and VBScript. VBA's integrated development environment is complete, including a project explorer, an object browser, property sheets, a debugger, and ActiveX control support. Dialog boxes are created with Forms, a set of 32-bit forms and controls to create custom windowless dialog boxes. PowerPoint 97 Save as HTML Wizard With the Save as HTML Wizard for PowerPoint 97, you can build dynamic presentations that can be easily exported as robust HTML pages without having to master HTML. The Internet Assistant simply asks a series of questions: ú Would you like your output to contain frames? ú Would you like your speaker notes displayed as text? ú Would you like your output to have an outline that allows those viewing your presentation to manually browse through your slides? ú Would you like your presentation to have links? ú Would you like it to export as static GIF or JPEG images, or would you like it to export as a full animation? PowerPoint Animation Player You can use PowerPoint 97 to easily add multimedia to a Web page by taking advantage of built-in PowerPoint animation, movies, and sound. Simply create a great-looking animated presentation with all of the easy-to-use PowerPoint tools, and use the Internet Assistant to save the file as a PowerPoint Animation. Those who want to view the animation can simply download the free PowerPoint Animation Player (a browser extension that works Netscape Navigator 2.0 and higher, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and higher), which allows individuals to view a full-fidelity presentation within a window. The PowerPoint Animation Player and Viewer are distributed for no charge at http://www.Microsoft.com, or you can choose to allow users to download it from your site as well. Presentation Conferencing It isn't always possible to collect everyone in the same room for a presentation. The people needed may be scattered around the country or around the world, or perhaps there simply aren't enough conference rooms available when you need to meet. With PowerPoint Presentation Conferencing, you can hold a "virtual" meeting, presenting your information via PowerPoint over the network. Presentation Conferencing allows users to join a conference over the network, and then sends the presenter's presentation, in slide-show mode, to all of those users. It's remains a live meeting because the presenter advances or otherwise navigates the slides when appropriate, driving them on all of the audience members' machines as well. Presentation Conferencing supports up to 64 users connected via TCP/IP on a LAN, WAN, or even an Internet connection. Improved Software Administration For a larger organization, the answer to the question of whether to upgrade or change software is based largely on what it will take to make the change. Issues that have a bearing on such a decision include how easy it will be to deploy and administer the software, whether existing hardware supports it, and whether users with different versions of the software will be able to work together. Office 97 provides features, tools, and documentation that support the administrator. System Policy Template The Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 operating systems have a feature called System Policies. When a user logs on, the policies the administrator has set up are downloaded to her computer, enforcing a standard set of policies. This makes it much easier to administer the desktop. Office 97 supports system policies in two ways: first, most of the user settings are stored in the registry, and second, Microsoft created a policy template that can be used with the System Policy Editor. The administrator can determine user settings such as the default directory for saving files or the default file formats to use. With a policy template, it's as easy as checking off features to define. Network Installation Wizard The Network Installation Wizard is used to create custom setup scripts. It looks and operates like a traditional Office wizard, and prompts the administrator to determine whether the user will run the software from the hard drive or network server, what features to include, and even how the program items should appear on the Start menu or Program Manager. Support for Microsoft Systems Management Server Also included is support for Systems Management Server in Office 97 and the individual applications to make it easy to deploy Microsoft Office in your organization without having to visit each desktop. You create the appropriate Package Definition File (PDF) and include it with the software. This is the set of instructions Systems Management Server uses in order to distribute software. When used in conjunction with the many batch file switches for Office Setup described below, it's possible to create a customized, completely hands-off method for distributing Office 97. And, at the end of setup, a MIF (message information file) for Systems Management Server is created, so you'll get an entry in your Systems Management Server database on whether the installation was successful; if it wasn't, the entry will include what the error was. Office 97 Cleanup Utility Since Office 4.x, Office has installed code that is shared not just by the Office applications, but by Office Compatible and other applications as well. Because we cannot always tell whether there are other applications installed that depend on this code and would break if it were removed, we tend to be cautious in removing this code when upgrading Office. The Office 97 Cleanup Utility allows the end user or administrator, who knows whether any of the old software is still needed, to have Setup remove all old files. Microsoft Office 97 ProfessionalMicrosoft Corp.'s sweeping remake of its flagship suite combines superb wide-ranging enhancements, an outstanding lineup of features, and a user interface that, almost magically, is able to make time at the keyboard highly productive and unbelievably, fun. Soon after Office 97 Professional ships, Microsoft will offer the Office 97 Developer Edition, which will contain distribution tools, sample code, and developer licensing agreements. Positives: Intuitive, helpful menus; total collaborative computing; custom application development; Internet and intranet connectivity; fast performance. There is no going back to Office 95 ..this product is superb. Complaints: So Far.. NONE! EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed Edupage Contents Time Warner Asks FCC To Squelch MCI Satellite Plan Debate Over Internet Taxation Continues Microsoft Bleeding Red Ink On Net Services New Group Formed To Advance Internet Telephony NRC Report Refutes Assumptions In Intellectual Property Treaty BellSouth Says Interactive Cable Not Yet Profitable Chip Insecurity Hewlett-Packard Has New Encryption Scheme NYU Expands Learning Opportunities Neural Nets Concentrate On Virus Particles Computers Become Part Of Solution To Urban Problems Clinton Okays Encryption Policy Change Campus Computer Growth Slowed Since Last Year Bank Warns E-Money Needs Regulation Compaq's New Hand-Held Computer Time Pathfinder Moves To Subscription Model MasterCard Takes 51% Stake In Mondex PC Makers Must Deliver More Than PCs Bell Plans Market Trial CompuServe May Pull Admin Unit Out Of Germany Computer Theft, Low-Tech Style Canada Eyes Internet Regulation German Police Seize Corel Software Remembering Paul Evan Peters Half Of Companies Surveyed Hurt By Computer Break-Ins "Ping Of Death" Security Flaw Treasury Says: No Taxes On Internet IBM Smart Card Spells Computing Mobility Sun Powers Up MIT Project Intel Urged To Slow Down New AMD Chip Challenges Intel Hegemony Compaq Acts To Stop Dealer Malpractice On Used PC Sales Netscape Plans To Edge Microsoft Off The Desktop Barksdale Says E-Mail Will Soon Look Like A Web Page TIME WARNER ASKS FCC TO SQUELCH MCI SATELLITE PLAN Time Warner is urging the Federal Communications Commission to deny MCI's application for a satellite license, on the grounds that MCI is being acquired by a foreign-owned company (British Telecommunications). If the MCI satellite plan is blocked, a major loser would be Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which in partnership with MCI hopes to use the satellite for direct-broadcast TV services in the U.S. However, it seems unlikely that the FCC will withhold MCI's license. (New York Times 16 Nov 96 p23) DEBATE OVER INTERNET TAXATION CONTINUES At a conference held last week on taxation of telecommunications and electronic commerce, several participants advocated federal pre-emption of state taxation powers, saying that state tax laws would take too long to update and that state tax officials often get hung up on the "how much money are we talking about" level. Bruce Reid, director for excise and property tax at Microsoft, pointed out that Internet service providers already pay telecommunications taxes when they acquire connection services from carriers, and that online customers pay taxes on their phone line connections. Meanwhile, Dan Bucks of the Multistate Tax Commission said he was "in total shock" to hear that the Treasury Department apparently is leaning toward residency-based taxation, which he says is "a dead end in an Internet world" because computer servers can be relocated at any time in a matter of minutes. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 14 Nov 96 H5) MICROSOFT BLEEDING RED INK ON NET SERVICES Microsoft Executive VP Steve Ballmer says his company will spend about $400 million this year on content development for its Internet services, and plans to continue investment at approximately that level over the next few years. "We're going to lose a lot of money before we break even," says Ballmer. In addition to content for Microsoft Network, the company is also investing in MSNBC and its Expedia travel service. None of the services is expected to be profitable for several years. "If only companies with the financial power of Microsoft can make it in the content business, then we're years away from a viable Internet economy," says the president of Forrester Research. A group director at Forrester estimates that revenues generated from companies' Web activities are covering only about 20% to 30% of their costs. (Wall Street Journal 15 Nov 96 B9) NEW GROUP FORMED TO ADVANCE INTERNET TELEPHONY A coalition of about 40 vendors has formed the Voice Over IP (VoIP) Forum, with the goal of creating and deploying a set of technical standards for Internet telephony products, including hardware, software and networking. The group's formation was instigated by networking giant Cisco Systems and Internet telephony software firm VocalTec Inc., and includes companies such as Dialogic Corp., 3Com Corp., Creative Labs Inc., Micom Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, Nuera Communications, Vienna Systems, Voxware and U.S. Robotics. "The VoIP goal is to complement" the International Telecommunication Union's H.323 interoperability standard, and address those issues not covered by H.323, says VocalTec's chairman. (InfoWorld Electric 12 Nov 96) NRC REPORT REFUTES ASSUMPTIONS IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TREATY The National Research Council is taking the unusual step of releasing a portion of its upcoming report on electronic copyright concerns, called "Bits of Power," in an effort to counter government forces advocating the treaty on database copyright drafted by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Debate on the draft treaty is scheduled to begin on December 2 in Geneva. The report's findings indicate that market forces are not capable of protecting the public good associated with open access for scientists and educators. The full report, which has been two years in the making, will be released Nov. 22. Researchers have argued that implementation of the draft treaty, as it's now written, could make it more difficult and costly to access data on everything from the human genome to global weather patterns. (Science 15 Nov 96 p1074) BellSouth SAYS INTERACTIVE CABLE NOT YET PROFITABLE Though reaffirming his company's commitment to continued tests of interactive cable services, BellSouth executive Duane Ackerman admits that a pilot program involving 8,000 households in an Atlanta suburb has failed so far to demonstrate the economic viability of interactive television, because the necessary equipment costs too much at the present time. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 15 Nov 96 H1) CHIP INSECURITY Cambridge University lecturer Ross Anderson says even the most secure chips on the market can be penetrated: "We have been able to break every chip we have turned our attention to. The onus is now on companies to show their system is sound." Anderson thinks banking system designers are unwise to trust the claims made by manufacturers that their smart cards and other security processors are resistant to tampering. (Financial Times 16 Nov 96) HEWLETT-PACKARD HAS NEW ENCRYPTION SCHEME Hewlett-Packard thinks it has developed an encryption scheme that will resolve the controversy over the government's rules for limiting exportation of technology using powerful encryption algorithms. The HP encryption scheme, supported by Intel and Microsoft, adheres to export controls because it incorporates an authentication procedure that would enable the government to maintain control over who receives and uses products containing stronger cryptography. (Los Angeles Times 16 Nov 96) NYU EXPANDS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES New York University has teamed up with IBM to boost the number of online course offerings from four to 30 by next year. The partnership focuses on classes geared toward information systems professionals, as part of a "global virtual college" program. "The goal is to allow computer professionals to sharpen their IT skills or obtain graduate degrees without entering a classroom," says the director of NYU's IT continuing education program. (Information Week 11 Nov 96 p136) NEURAL NETS CONCENTRATE ON VIRUS PARTICLES Researchers at IBM's Thomas J. Watson lab have found a way to enable neural networks to sniff out viral code without exposing them to the entire universe of existing viruses. Rather, by digesting computer code into sequences of three bytes each, and isolating those likely to be present in computer viruses but not in legitimate programs, the "virus particles" have formed the basis for the learning process that neural networks go through to train as virus spotters. "Our program is on millions of desktops and has detected about a half-dozen previously unknown boot viruses," says a senior manager at the lab. "There have been only three false positives, and all of these were security programs whose codes share many similarities with viruses." (Forbes 18 Nov 96 p252) COMPUTERS BECOME PART OF SOLUTION TO URBAN PROBLEMS The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been working to revitalize East St. Louis, Missouri, developing hard evidence with which to confront slow-moving city inspectors -- 800 specific sites of serious code violations (illegally dumped trash, derelict buildings, dense overgrowth) that students surveyed and entered on the university's computerized Geographic Information System. The project's Web site is being used to gather data, maps and analysis for neighborhood improvement and to force city cooperation. Computers, including surplus university equipment, are being installed at multiple sites, with training available. (Washington Post 16 Nov 96 F07) CLINTON OKAYS ENCRYPTION POLICY CHANGE President Clinton has signed an executive order loosening U.S. encryption export policy, allowing companies to begin exporting encryption technology with key lengths longer than the previous limit of 40 bits. At the same time, the order mandates third party "key escrow," ensuring that U.S. law officials could obtain decoding keys on a case by case basis from a "trusted" third party. Hewlett-Packard has already developed an encryption technology that can be built into any computer, but must be activated by a third party before it can be used. Theoretically, that would give the government the ability, through licensing and other restrictions, to determine whose encryption system gets activated. "We support any move that encourages electronic commerce in a safe and sensible manner," says an HP spokesman. (Wall Street Journal 18 Nov 96 B3) CAMPUS COMPUTER GROWTH SLOWED SINCE LAST YEAR The 1996 Campus Computing Survey results are in -- and indicate that about 25% of college courses use e- mail, up from 20% last year. The 5% increase was small in comparison to the previous year, which saw growth rate of about 12%. "After a year of tremendous growth, it's not unusual that we see a period of consolidation," says survey author Kenneth Green. More than half the schools surveyed had a technology resource center for faculty, but only one in eight rewarded their faculty for the time they put in on integrating information technology into their teaching methods. About half the faculty surveyed had computers, but fewer than a third of the students did. One in seven campuses surveyed uses a private company to provide students with Internet accounts. (Chronicle of Higher Education 22 Nov 96 A21) BANK WARNS E-MONEY NEEDS REGULATION The Bank for International Settlement, sometimes called the "Central Banker's Central Bank," warns in a recent report that electronic money currently is so unregulated that it risks being used as a cross-border vehicle for illegal activities, including money laundering. The report notes that while the use of e-money can make retail transactions cheaper for both the merchant and the consumer, the issue of who actually has final legal jurisdiction over e-money in cross-border transactions bears close scrutiny. In countries such as Japan and the United States, where cash constitutes a large portion of central bank liabilities, extensive use of "electronic money" could shrink those liabilities very quickly. "This issue is, at what point this shrinkage might begin to adversely affect monetary policy implementation," notes the report. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 18 Nov 96 A1) COMPAQ'S NEW HAND-HELD COMPUTER Compaq Computer's new hand-held PC companion is designed to be used separately to enter and manipulate data or access the Internet, and can then transfer information to any desktop running Windows 95. The PC companion uses Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, weighs less than a pound, and includes a small keyboard and a touch-sensitive screen. (Wall Street Journal 18 Nov 96 B3) TIME PATHFINDER MOVES TO SUBSCRIPTION MODEL Time Inc. has launched its Pathfinder Personal Edition, offering customized Web content to subscribers at $4.95 a month. Readers can choose content from Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly, as well as 30 news feeds and other content sources. Time hopes its new format will experience the same success that the Wall Street Journal's online subscription service has enjoyed. The Journal currently claims 30,000 online subscribers. (Broadcasting & Cable 11 Nov 96 p65) MASTERCARD TAKES 51% STAKE IN MONDEX MasterCard is acquiring a 51% stake in Mondex International, a company which issues prepaid smart cards containing embedded computer chips that store value and allow a card holder to make small retail purchases. Additional value can be added to a card from the card holder's bank account. (New York Times 19 Nov 96 C19) PC MAKERS MUST DELIVER MORE THAN PCs Intel CEO Andy Grove says there's more to the PC business than just building machines: "By the end of the decade, the definition of the personal computer will broaden again to include interactive, lifelike experiences. We need to look at our business as more than simply the building and selling of personal computers. Our business is the delivery of information and lifelike interactive experiences." (Wall Street Journal 18 Nov 96 B4) BELL PLANS MARKET TRIAL Bell Canada announced plans to launch a one-year trial market of a new wholesale service aimed at providing billing choice in the wireless market. The trial will allow wireless service providers to offer cellular and personal communications system users the option of subscribing to a service in which the calls they receive would be billed to the caller. (Toronto Financial Post 19 Nov 96 p11) COMPUSERVE MAY PULL ADMIN UNIT OUT OF GERMANY CompuServe's administrative operations in Germany may be transferred to another country because of proposed German legislation that would make Internet companies block access to pornography, neo-Nazi material or extremist pictures or writing. CompuServe says it does not want to be in the position of having to "censor" the Internet. (New York Times 19 Nov 96 C5) COMPUTER THEFT, LOW-TECH STYLE A thief broke into a Visa International data processing center in California a couple of weeks ago and stole a personal computer containing information on about 314,000 credit card accounts, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club, says a Visa spokesman. Some issuers, including Citibank, began calling customers last week and have issued new cards. Others are keeping quiet about the event and monitoring accounts for unusual activity. Authorities speculate that the perpetrator was stolen for the resale value of the hardware, rather than the information it contained. (St. Petersburg Times 19 Nov 96 E2) CANADA EYES INTERNET REGULATION Canada's federal regulator says it may regulate content on the Internet to provide for more Canadian content. (Ottawa Citizen 15 Nov 96 D15) GERMAN POLICE SEIZE COREL SOFTWARE Police in Munich confiscated CorelDraw 6 software from store shelves because it contains Nazi-related "clip art" images under the historical people sections that are allegedly not legal for use in Germany. The move followed the use by one individual of images of Adolph Hitler in neo-Nazi propaganda. Corel says its software includes a provision that clip art images not be used for unlawful purposes and insists that the images in its clip art do not glamorize the former Nazi leader or nazism. The company has appealed the seizure, and a German judge has overturned an earlier judicial order that allowed police to seize copies of its CorelDraw software that contained clip art images of Hitler. (Toronto Globe & Mail 18 Nov 96 B8, 19 Nov 96 B4) REMEMBERING PAUL EVAN PETERS We are saddened to report the untimely death of Paul Evan Peters, from complications of asthma. Well- respected by the entire Educom community, Paul was Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information. He will be remembered and missed for his wisdom, charm, and sweet nature. HALF OF COMPANIES SURVEYED HURT BY COMPUTER BREAK-INS WarRoom Research LLC, a Baltimore-based security firm, says 48% of the 200 Fortune 1,000 companies it recently surveyed had experienced computer break- ins over the past 12 months, with 84% putting their losses at $50,000 or higher per incident. Forty-one percent said their losses totaled $500,000 or more per intrusion. costs were calculated based on the loss of assets, plus the costs of repairing the damage and installing new security protections. WarRoom's executive VP cautioned that the survey was "far from being a scientific survey" of the overall state of corporate computer security, but called it "the best indicator that has been done so far." Assisting in the survey were the National Computer Security Association, and several vendors of computer security equipment, including IBM and Symantec. (Wall Street Journal 21 Nov 96 B4) "PING OF DEATH" SECURITY FLAW Software programmers are scrambling to fix a recently documented security flaw found in the "ping" Internet function, which is used to check whether a piece of hardware is properly hooked up to a network. The problem arises when a cracker sends a booby-trapped ping command, nicknamed the "ping of death," to a targeted computer. The computer responds by rebooting, crashing or shutting down. Computer security expert Eugene Spafford says he's seen two such attacks on his campus, neither of which was malicious: "You ust track down where this came from and have a long talk with them, with or without a blunt instrument." For more information on the "ping of death," check out < http://www.sophist.demon.co.uk/ping/ >. (Chronicle of Higher Education 22 Nov 96 A23) TREASURY SAYS: NO TAXES ON INTERNET The U.S. Treasury Department is issuing a draft report opposing new federal taxes on the Internet. A deputy secretary said: "We absolutely reject the idea that the Internet is some sort of golden goose whose feathers should be taxed. The key message of the report is, no Internet taxes." The department plans to post the document at < http://www.ustreas.gov >. (New York Times 21 Nov 96 C20) IBM SMART CARD SPELLS COMPUTING MOBILITY IBM has developed a network computer with a built-in smart card reader, allowing users to download their "computing personalities" from any location. The feature would allow users on a network to sit down at any NC and download all their individual applications and files. In conjunction with IBM's NC, Lotus has developed a series of Java-based applets that allow users to customize the interface that appears on a networked system, depending on that person's job responsibilities. "The applets let you customize the GUI depending on what class of user you are in your company. And if you like to check your e-mail first, you can make sure that comes up first when you log on in the morning," says a Lotus spokesman. (InfoWorld Electric 19 Nov 96) SUN POWERS UP MIT PROJECT Sun Microsystems has donated $2.6 million worth of computing equipment to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be used as the basis for Xolas, MIT's high-performance computer-clustering project. The gift, which Sun says is one of its largest donations to a university to date, comprises nine symmetric multiprocessor servers and related gear. The Xolas system will handle large-scale computations for the physical sciences and other research. "Xolas will enable a unique collaboration of physical and computer scientists at MIT to play a leading role in the future development of high-performance computing," says an MIT nuclear science professor. (Investor's Business Daily 20 Nov 96 A8) INTEL URGED TO SLOW DOWN A Gartner Group analyst says Intel's relentless drive toward higher-powered microprocessors is wearing down PC makers and buyers. Computer manufacturers "would love to skip a generation and I think the end users would love to skip a generation," he suggests. In response, Intel is working on a module that would allow users to install a new microprocessor in their existing machines. (Wall Street Journal 20 Nov 96 B1) NEW AMD CHIP CHALLENGES INTEL HEGEMONY A new 200-megahertz microprocessor from Advanced Micro Devices threatens to give Intel a run for its money, says AMD group VP and former Intel engineer Vinod Dham. The new K6 chip will be faster than Intel's Pentium and Pentium Pro chips, will have multimedia capabilities, and will be smaller and cheaper as well. Intel plans to retaliate next spring with two new generations of chips, including multimedia Pentium and Pentium Pro chips. "It's going to be an interesting 1997," says Dham. The K6 chip, which will ship in early 1997, is based on NexGen technology. AMD acquired NexGen last January for $800 million in stock. (Wall Street Journal 21 Nov 96 B5) COMPAQ ACTS TO STOP DEALER MALPRACTICE ON USED PC SALES To prevent dealers from trying to repackage used PCs and reselling them as new ones, Compaq will stop providing dealers with materials such as extra marked boxes and factory sealing tape (which had been given to dealers so that they could replace damaged cartons). Packard Bell recently took similar steps to combat the same problem. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 21 Nov 96 D3) NETSCAPE PLANS TO EDGE MICROSOFT OFF THE DESKTOP Netscape Communications is developing software designed to organize a computer desktop, pushing Microsoft's Windows software off center stage. Constellation, which is expected to ship in mid-1997, gives the computer the look of a television screen with a row of buttons down one side. Each button represents either a Web site to visit or an application program. Netscape hopes its new product could become a de facto operating system, with software developers writing their programs for Constellation rather than Windows. Microsoft plans to introduce a competing product, called Active Desktop, in the second half of next year. One analyst says Netscape's new approach to the browser battles shows it's growing up: "Up until this point it's been primarily a religious battle, with Netscape saying, it's us or them. Now they're saying, we realize we will not rule the entire domain. However, what we will do is become the entire container within which disparate pieces can be used." (Wall Street Journal 20 Nov 96 B10) BARKSDALE SAYS E-MAIL WILL SOON LOOK LIKE A WEB PAGE Netscape chief executive officer James Barksdale says that the Web browser "is just the beginning of what you'll be able to do. 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