Silicon Times Report "The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) March 28, 1997 No.1313 Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 R.F. Mariano, Editor STR Publishing, Inc. Voice: 1-904-292-9222 10am-5pm EST FAX: 904-268-2237 24hrs STReport WebSite http://www.streport.com STR Publishing's FTP Support Server 10gb - Back Issues - Patches - Support Files (Continually Under Construction) ftp.streport.com Anonymous Login ok - Use your Email Address as a Password STReport published with MS Office 97 & Adobe Acrobat Pro v3 Featuring a Full Service Web Site http://www.streport.com Voted TOP TEN Ultimate WebSite Join STReport's Subscriber List receive STR through Internet Toad Hall BBS 1-617-567-8642 03/28/97 STR 1313 Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary 1987-97! - CPU Industry Report - Major wants EMail - Promote French? - Gateway to buy Amiga - NEW MSIE 3.02 - New Shareware List - Webmaking Shakeout - SPAM Blocker - Domain Name Suit - Oregon Trail II - People Talking - Classics & Gaming Aol in LEGAL Tangle AGAIN Ellison Mulls Apple Takeover IBM Ponders Apple LapTop Market STReport International OnLine Magazine Featuring Weekly "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports Adobe Acrobat Pro 3.0 Please obtain the latest issue from our Auto Subscription, Web Site or FTP Site. 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. 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 1987-1997 Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35 Results: 03/15/97: 2 of 6 numbers, no matches From the Editor's Desk... This being Good Friday, and the middle of the Easter Holiday, I'd like to extend the very best of Easter wishes to Everyone. This will obviously be a short editorial. But I must talk about a recent incident in the computing community I found rather disturbing. It seems a game console game writing group, creating on a dead platform, decided to put together an AVI of their yet to be released effort named Battlesphere. Ok, that is a good idea. I obtained the three megabyte AVI and viewed it. I had to view it three times to fully agree with myself that I saw what I saw. The AVI itself was done very well but at the very end an oh so typical shock jock trick evidenced itself. The composer(s) of the AVI obviously felt compelled for whatever reason to advise all viewers of the AVI to drink human excrement. Incredible? Yes. Stupid? Incredibly. Understandable? No. Forgivable? Yes, with the appropriate apologies. Upon further examination I must add. although not very witty, I did enjoy the demo avi but I am certain the people working in the copyright and trademark division of George Lucas' Lucas Arts Production Studios may not. It appears the thing is a blatant knock off of the Star Wars theme, sound and format. Not for anything, but with the recent revival of the Star Wars Trilogy, I'd be inclined to believe that Tom Harker's 4Play Battlesphere is treading on extremely dangerous ground. Unless of course, they've obtained all the necessary licensing. In any case, the vulgar conclusion to this otherwise well done avi truly destroys any good that could've come from the avi. I thought to myself, "another astoundingly dumb footshot in the Atari Arena." Very Sad. Or, as one observer stated; "What a bunch of Maroons!" Of Special Note: http://www.streport.com ftp.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/FTP Site, 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. You'll be pleased to know you are 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 Shareware Listings R.F. Mariano Help Wanted Lloyd E. Pulley Classics & Gaming Kid's Computing Corner Dana P. Jacobson Frank Sereno STReport Staff Editors Michael R. Burkley Joseph Mirando Victor Mariano Allen Harkleroad Vincent P. O'Hara Glenwood Drake Contributing Correspondents Jason Sereno Jeremy Sereno Daniel Stidham David H. Mann Angelo Marasco Donna Lines Brian Boucher Leonard Worzala Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles, reviews, etc., via E-Mail w/attachment to: Internet rmariano@streport.com STR FTP ftp.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 Hawking Surfs Net Without Wires In a meeting at Cambridge University, Intel Chairman Gordon Moore and Stephen Hawking today demonstrated publicly for the first time a new wireless technology that will give the renowned astrophysicist access to the Internet. According to a statement issued by the chip maker, Hawking can now connect to the Internet from almost anywhere in the world using a wireless GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) connection and a notebook computer specially modified for Hawking by Intel engineers and powered by an Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology. The new system also allows Hawking to use radio remote controls for lights and doors and has wireless remote control for his entertainment systems. His new laptop based on the Pentium processor with MMX technology also makes it easier for Hawking to communicate by accelerating his text-to-voice synthesis software. "Intel's newest Pentium processor technology keeps me connected to the world," says Hawking, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. "I have immediate access to the Internet and e-mail wherever I am. I must be one of the most connected people in the world, and I can truly say, I'm Intel inside." UK's Major Invites E-Mail British Prime Minister John Major has set up an electronic mail address and has invited Internet-surfing Britons to send electronic messages to him during the current election campaign. Reporting from London, the Reuter News Service notes, "The Conservative Party, fighting against a mood for change in Britain after 18 years in power, said it would be using email and the Internet as a key campaigning tool in the run-up to the May 1 election." Conservative Party chairman Brian Mawhinney told the wire service, "As from today up to four million people in the UK will be able to E-mail the prime minister and the Conservative Party." Those interested in sending email to Major should visit the Conservative Party's site on the Internet's World Wide Web http://www.conservative-party.org.uk) HP, AMD Win Energy Star Award Hewlett-Packard Co. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will jointly receive the 1997 Energy Star award for best technological innovation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award was presented Monday in Washington. The award recognizes HP and AMD for Magic Packet technology, developed jointly by the companies, as well as for HP's NightDIRECTOR, which is based on Magic Packet technology. The tools allow network administrators to remotely "wake up" a PC on a network for off-hours maintenance and then return the machine to the power-off mode, thereby saving energy. "This is only the second time in the past three years that the EPA has presented this award," says Andrew Fanara, program manager of the EPA's Energy Star office equipment program. "We were extremely pleased to see two industry leaders collaborate to advance the development and adoption of this environmentally friendly technology." Prior to the development of Magic Packet and other remote- power-on technologies, network managers who wanted to do administrative backups or software upgrades over the network outside of normal business hours often instructed users to leave their PCs on 24 hours a day, increasing energy consumption. DIBA: Diba and LodgeNet Introduce First Internet Browser for Hotels MAR 20, 1997, M2 Communications - A new kind of Internet browser product designed specifically for hotels has been announced by LodgeNet and Diba. The system, which is being piloted in a Sioux Falls, US-based hotel, is based on LodgeNet's b-LAN system architecture. The system, installed and operating since early February, is the first of its kind to be deployed in the hotel industry. Through the 'LodgeNet Internet,' any hotel guest in any room can surf the World Wide Web on their television using the LodgeNet remote control. LodgeNet, the fastest-growing provider of interactive television services to the hotelindustry, will install the Internet browser service at additional US hotels over the next few months. "The LodgeNet Internet is another great example of the enormous value of our proprietary b-LAN (broadband local area network) system," said Tim C. Flynn, president and CEO of LodgeNet. "Because of our b-LAN, the LodgeNet Internet is currently available to any guest without the need for any Internet-specific hardware or wiring in the room, unlike other companies which have announced only their intention to provide such an Internet service. The LodgeNet Internet product is network-based, just like our Nintendo video games and on-demand movies, which makes adding this exciting new service very cost effective." LodgeNet has been working with Diba, a Silicon Valley technology firm, on the development of its test system. The Diba Application Foundation and browser software were integrated with LodgeNet's b-LAN system through the use of LodgeNet's third-party Applications Programming Interface (API). "The importance of Diba's Internet browsing software and application architecture is that it gives us an open solution," said David M. Bankers, vice president, Corporate Technologies. "Through the LodgeNet Internet, guests can surf the Web or navigate directly to news, sports, weather, travel, entertainment and sites of local or national interest. We didn't want a limited web environment where our guests could only view certain sites because of restrictive content filtering." "We are pleased to be working with LodgeNet to develop the most compelling and cost-effective Internet TV solution that meets the needs of the hotel industry," said Farid Dibachi, chairman of Diba. "LodgeNet's approach to introducing this technology is consistent with Diba's goal of bringing more information to more people." Hundt Courts Computer Firms Computer firms should use their influence to help sway FCC commissioners to vote yes on a bill that would provide Internet access to schools, says FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. The May 8 vote is on a plan to require Internet access providers to offer discounts to libraries and schools and would reimburse them by up to $2.25 billion a year. In Tucson, Arizona, yesterday, Hundt told a PC Forum conference the FCC already has four commissioners expected to vote in favor of the plan and, "We need three." The Reuter News Service reports Hundt also reiterated that he planned to vote against a bill that would let regional Bell telephone operating companies charge Internet access providers a fee for using their local lines. In a speech that focused on the problems of the current education system in the United States, he said, "I'm not going to vote for access charges to be put on Internet access providers." He pointed out currently 65 percent of all public schools have at least one connection to the Internet but there are no telephone lines in the classrooms, adding that most teachers cannot even call for help if they were being held up at gunpoint. Said Hundt, "There are 45 million people that this communications system does not reach," referring to the number of students in the United States. He called on the industry to e-mail the FCC commissioners to support his plan, adding that the industry has enormous power. Intel Aims for Improved Graphics Intel Corp. is launching a broad initiative aimed at delivering powerful new visual computing capabilities. The San Jose, California-based chip maker says its new Visual Computing Initiative will result in the widespread availability of high-performance 3-D graphics, video and imaging and will provide lifelike experiences to users. Intel notes that eight leading graphics chip companies have already expressed support for the project. "This initiative is an important step in the evolution of the Connected PC," says Craig R. Barrett, Intel's chief operating officer and president-elect. "Our activities to align industry efforts will ensure the rapid adoption of open, standards-based solutions by providing the building blocks necessary to deliver this on Intel-based platforms. The initiative represents an exciting opportunity for industry participants to deliver new products and technologies." "The visual computing capabilities that result from coupling the increased performance of Intel's latest MMX technology-based processors, the high-bandwidth memory access of AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) and the excellent graphics solutions the industry is making available are staggering," says Albert Yu, senior vice president of Intel's Microprocessor Products Group. "We expect this initiative to bring a 10X improvement increase in 3-D performance for all price points over the next three years." Nations Urged to Promote French French President Jacques Chirac is urging an alliance of 49 French-speaking nations to promote use of the French language -- especially on the Internet -- as a rival to English. "The president insisted that we need have no complexes in this area but instead have initiatives to take," government spokesman Alain Lamassoure told the Reuter News Service after a weekly Cabinet meeting. "(Chirac) recalled that ... we have two priorities, firstly to develop a Francophone area with a cultural dimension that is also political and dynamic, (and secondly) to ensure that France is present on the new networks," Lamassoure said. France is leader of the 49-nation Francophonie Club, which accounts for 400 million people worldwide. It believes that after a shaky start it is catching up with English on the worldwide computer network. "It was our great concern that the Internet should not be totally invaded by Anglo-American," Margie Sudre, France's secretary of state for language told Reuter. "But our delay is no longer a curse. Over the past two or three years in France we have been catching up." Reuter notes that the Web is officially known in France by the French name "toile," but many -- possibly most -- local computer enthusiasts call it "le web." Ellison Mulls Apple Takeover An investor group organized by Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison is considering a bid of more than $1 billion to take control of Apple Computer Inc, reports the San Jose Mercury. According to the newspaper's Internet edition, Ellison is floating the possible bid as a trial-balloon to gauge investor reaction before he decides to go ahead with a formal offer. The report noted that if Ellison's group succeeds in taking over Apple, it would remove the computer maker's current board of directors and top managers, including Chairman and CEO Gilbert Amelio. The report added that Ellison and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs would be likely candidates for a new board. Visit the San Jose Mercury's Mercury Center at http://cgi.sjmercury.com. Gateway Plans to Acquire Amiga Gateway 2000, Inc. says it plans to acquire the assets of Amiga Technologies including all patents, trademarks and trade names. The company is a subsidiary of ESCOM AG, a German-based computer firm that went into bankruptcy last July. Gateway says its offer has been accepted by the court-appointed administrator, adding that the agreement is subject to regulatory approval. The North Sioux City, South Dakota-based direct market specialist didn't reveal the offer's terms. "This acquisition is good news for Gateway and customers of Amiga," says Rick Snyder, Gateway 2000's president. "It will strengthen our intellectual property position and invigorate a company that has been a pioneer in multimedia solutions and operating systems technology." Amiga Technologies will be renamed Amiga International. The company will operate as a separate business unit and retain its current president, Petro Tyschtschenko, who will work to develop new products for the Amiga market. The Amiga computer line, originally developed in the 1980s by Commodore International Inc., pioneered multimedia technology by combining computer graphics, animation and film sequences with stereo sound. NCs to Feature Simple Interface Oracle Corp. Chairman and CEO Larry Ellison has announced that the first network computers (NCs) his company will unveil next month will feature a "video user interface." According to Ellison, the VUI will make it easier for new users -- including students -- to master basic tasks such as writing and sending e-mail. NCs are no-frills, lower-cost computers designed for use on the Internet and other networks. Ellison, speaking at CMP's Networked Economy Conference, envisions classrooms configured with an NC server and a client on each student's desk. "Only when everyone can have a computer will we have an information age and a networked economy," he said. Ellison also predicted that NCs will outsell traditional PCs nine to one by the year 2000. "The next generation telephones, TVs and computers will be based on NC technology," he said. NC Shipments Set to Soar A new study from Zona Research Inc. forecasts that shipments of consumer network computer devices are projected to jump from 2.0 million in 1997 to more than 70.0 million in 2000. The Redwood City, California-based firm also projects that the total market size for commercial network computers could grow from about 1.7 million units in 1997 to over 6.7 million units in 2000. NCs are no-frills, lower-cost computers designed for use on the Internet and other networks. Gateway Adopts x2 Technology Gateway 2000 Inc. has become the latest PC maker to embrace U.S. Robotics' high-speed x2 modem technology. The North Sioux City, South Dakota-based direct market PC specialist says it plans to begin shipping desktop systems featuring 56K bps x2 modems in April. "We expect rapid customer adoption of x2 Technology because our direct business model enables us to offer x2 without charging a price premium," says Dave Berger, Gateway's director of product marketing. Berger notes that Gateway's most popular modem, the TelePath modem for Windows, can be upgraded to x2 performance with the addition of new software that's set to become available next month at a "minimal charge for Gateway customers." Microsoft Launches New IE Internet Explorer 3.01 for Windows version 3.1 and the Windows NT version 3.51 operating systems have been launched by Microsoft Corp. The Dow Jones news service notes this version is a 16-bit browser providing users with full support for Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java technology, including Java Virtual Machine. The browser can be downloaded free of charge from the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/ie/). IBM Announces Storage Speed Boost IBM Corp. says it has taken a big leap forward in network storage technology with prototype chips that double the data transfer rate between storage devices and computer processors. IBM reports that the new chips boost Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) throughput from 80MB per second to 160 megabytes per second. The company expects to begin shipping products incorporating the new technology next year. SSA technology is designed to speed the flow of data for businesses that are tied to information flow, including companies using data-intensive computer applications such as large databases, data mining, data warehousing and business transaction processing. "IBM originally developed SSA for the fast-emerging world of network computing, where high-performance, reliability and scalability are absolute requirements," says Bill Pinkerton, director of marketing for IBM's open systems storage products unit. "Now, we're extending our storage leadership in serial technology, and reinforcing our commitment to develop advanced serial solutions. Report: IBM May Offer Mac Laptop Apple Computer Inc. could soon face a powerful new competitor in the Macintosh market: IBM. The Techwire news service reports that IBM may introduce a laptop based on Apple Computer's MacOS operating system. The new system, which would probably bear an IBM logo, would use IBM technology and the latest release of MacOS running on the 240MHz PowerPC 603e processor, a project source told TechWire. TechWire analyst James Staten notes that "IBM could easily take 30 percent to 40 percent of market share away from Apple because Apple can't meet the demand. This is a prime time to do it." IBM and Apple are currently working together on an Apple- branded MacOS sub-notebook -- code-named Comet -- for the Japanese market, an Apple spokesman told TechWire. Windows 97 or Windows 98? An industry trade journal is reporting that Microsoft has delayed its planned introduction of Windows 97 to the point that it will be known as Windows 98. Computer Reseller News says sources have told it that Microsoft will not ship any new operating system releases in 1997. It adds that Microsoft officials privately have begun warning hardware partners not to expect to preload "Memphis" -- the code-name of the next version of Windows -- on systems this year. CRN notes that Memphis is the first full-fledged upgrade to Windows 95. It is slated to include an optional FAT32 file system, support for new PC Plug and Play hardware, and a "self-maintaining" capability enabling it to automatically find, download and install operating system updates and add- ons. It also is expected to include improvements to the Windows registry and new power-management features. But the Reuter News Service reports that Microsoft developers still hope to release an update to Windows 95 by the end of the year. "We're working as hard as we can to make it a 97 product," Memphis Product Manager Phil Holden told Reuter. But he added that the final release date would depend on feedback from testers. Editor's Note. Don't believe all the rumors you may read. regardless of the source. MS Stock Drops on 'Memphis' News News that Microsoft Corp. may not release the next edition of its Windows 95 operating system until next year isn't sitting well with investors. The software giant's stock dropped sharply in trading Monday on a report that the enhanced OS, code-named "Memphis," may not reach users before 1998. A delay would give competitors, including Netscape, Sun, IBM and Oracle, time to promote a rival Java-based platform. After losing about 7 percent of its value, Microsoft recovered about half its loss by the close of trading. The company's stock finished at $90.12 1/2, down $3.87 1/2, on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Over the weekend, Computer Reseller News reported that Microsoft will not ship any new operating system releases in 1997. The trade journal noted that Microsoft officials have privately begun warning hardware partners not to expect to preload Memphis on systems this year. IBM to Buy Stake in NetObjects IBM says it plans to buy a majority stake in NetObjects Inc., a privately held supplier of software used by businesses to build Internet Web sites. Reporting from Somers, New York, the Reuter News Service quotes IBM officials as saying the investment reflects Big Blue's strategy to champion leading Internet technologies that help businesses exploit network computing. NetObjects Chairman/CEO Samir Arora says the firm will continue to operate as an independent company that supports leading platforms and standards. Reuters adds NetObjects has partnerships with other computer industry leaders including AT&T, Microsoft Corp., Netscape Communications Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and WorldCom Inc.'s UUNET. The wire service says Lotus Vice President Michael Zisman will join NetObjects board and will represent IBM's interests, while the original investors, the management team and employees of NetObjects will retain investment interests. Net Ad Spending Hits $267M in '96 The Internet Advertising Bureau reports that advertisers spent $267 million in 1996 to promote their products and services on the Internet. A study issued by the Chicago-based organization notes that advertising spending grew steadily throughout 1996, with fourth quarter revenue increasing almost 45 percent from the third quarter. Fourth quarter revenues reached $109.5 million. Five leading industry categories dominated Internet advertising spending during 1996: computer products (38 percent), consumer-related products (20 percent), new media (17 percent), telecom (9 percent) and business services (6 percent). The study also notes that the vast majority of the revenue transactions were cash-based, with barter deals representing only 3 percent of total spending. "The 45 percent quarter-to-quarter increase is a clear indication of the growing role advertising revenue is playing in supporting the Internet as it evolves into a true consumer medium," says Rich LeFurgy, the IAB's chairman. "All indications are that we will continue to see significant growth throughout the year 1997." Net Eavesdropping Proposal Dropped A U.S. proposal to allow law enforcement agencies to eavesdrop on the Internet appears headed for defeat, despite support from France and Great Britain. As reported earlier, the U.S. endorsed an international system of computer-security codes that would have been held by law enforcement agencies and could only be accessed after obtaining a court order. However, The New York Times reports this morning the 29 nations belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris is expected to formally reject the proposal this week. "Industrial nations are divided over whether governments can ever legitimately eavesdrop on the electronic communications of their citizens," The Associated Press comments. Adds the wire service, "Since messages on the Internet are easy to intercept, some people and businesses are protecting their privacy by scrambling their communications. Some nations have either outlawed or are tightening regulations on data-scrambling systems, some of which are used to commit crime." Web Links Found in Mass Suicide The California mansion where 39 men and women died in an apparent mass suicide this week was the center of a thriving business that designed online pages for businesses that want a presence on the Internet's World Wide Web. Meanwhile, a second, less- known Web site apparently operated by the group itself suggests the men and women were part of a quasi-religious group that expected to leave Earth and rendezvous with a spaceship behind the Hale-Bopp comet, currently visible from Earth. The site ( http://www.heavensgate.com ) included a statement saying, "The joy is that our Older Member in the Evolutionary Level above human (the `Kingdom of Heaven') has made it clear to us that Hale-Bopp's approach is the `marker' we've been waiting for. ... We are happily prepared to leave `this world' and go with Ti's crew." The site also included references to the sieges at Waco, Texas, Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and at the ancient fortress of Masada, where more than 900 Jewish zealots committed suicide in A.D. 73 rather than surrender to the Romans. The Heaven's Gate Website also contains an entry specifically against suicide. Associated Press writer Deborah Hastings, reporting from Rancho Santa Fe, California, quotes customers of the company called Higher Source as describing the home's occupants as cultlike and clannish, but businesslike and proficient. Tom Goodspeed, director of the San Diego Polo Club, said Higher Source designed a Web page for the club. He visited the house and described quiet men with buzz-cut hair and stylish, collarless black shirts. And AP cyberspace writer Elizabeth Weise notes the group's business site (http://www.highersource.com), "far from being mystical or eccentric... is as business-oriented as any other Internet company." That page contains no overtly religious material, though it does feature backgrounds of stars and other galactic imagery. Bodies of the 39 men and women, cloaked in purple shrouds, were found in a million dollar house near San Diego yesterday. Commander Alan Fulmer of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department told a news conference early this morning the cause of death remained a mystery, but ruled out gas poisoning. Hastings says members of the group reportedly sent a farewell videotape to a former member and died in the same mansion, lying in apparent peace on their backs, arms at their sides, each covered across the face and chest with a triangular shroud of purple cloth. Beverly Hills businessman Nick Matzorkis, who employs a former member of the Higher Source group, said today members sent the employee -- whom he identified only as Rio -- two videotapes this week that described their intentions to commit suicide. He told NBC's "Today" show that it was his understanding that they died Monday and used sleeping pills to kill themselves. The business-oriented Web page says the group ran a sophisticated Net design company as well as offering programming, systems analysis and computer security services. Says the site, "We at Higher Source not only cater to customizing Websites that will enhance your company image, but strive to make your transition into the `world of cyberspace' a very easy and fascinating experience." The page also listed numerous Websites the Higher Source had designed, mostly for businesses located in the San Diego area, including a parts supplier for British cars and a film production company. "The individuals at the core of our group have worked closely together for over 20 years," says the site. "During those years, each of us has developed a high degree of skill and know-how through personal discipline and concerted effort. We try to stay positive in every circumstance and put the good of a project above any personal concerns or artistic egos. By sustaining this attitude and conduct, we have achieved a high level of efficiency and quality in our work. This crew-minded effort, combined with ingenuity and creativity, have helped us provide advanced solutions at highly competitive rates." 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 (Costs 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 Shareware Treasure Chest STR Feature "The Latest & Greatest" Shareware Treasure Chest By Lloyd E. Pulley lepulley@streport.com Name/Version Release Date Size Price Internet Explorer 3.02 for Win 95 10.3mb Freeware Internet Explorer 3.02 Delivers Improved Internet Security. Internet Explorer 3.02, which includes fixes to recently reported security issues, and also delivers new features known as Auto-Proxy and Auto-Configuration that have been requested by business customers. Internet Explorer 3.02 is a completely new version of the browser and includes fixes not provided in the "patch" fixes you may have already downloaded. Download Site - http://www.microsoft.com/ie/default.asp Name/Version Release Date Size Price EliaShim's ViruSafe 95 2.2 3/13/97 3,300kb Demo $30.00 MSOffice 7.0 support. It has a VXD scanner (Virtual Device Driver) with an integrated SmartScan option. This offers an online protection against both known and unknown viruses, and 100% protection against polymorphic computer viruses. The technique of the stand-alone ViruSafe-WEB version has been integrated in the new ViruSafe95 product; now one can surf without care the Internet and download files from WEB and FTP sites. Download Site - http://www.eliashim.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price MusiFind Pro 1.3 3/23/97 647kb Shareware $5.00 The ultimate database for your music collection, whether its on vinyl, cassette, compact disc, or other media. Makes your music easy to find! Written by a DJ with 15 years experience in the booth and 15 years in software creation. Download Site - http://www.dlcwest.com/~sorev/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Password Tracker 32-bit 2.15 3/23/97 .71mb Shareware $5 It stores usernames and/or passwords so you don't have to remember them! Once you've set up "P-Tracks" in your "Tracking Lists", Password Tracker is always available when minimized in your tool tray. When you visit a web site or open a program that is password protected, right-click on the Password Tracker icon, select the "description" from the quick-access menu, and Password Tracker automatically inserts the required entries into their fields. If you want, Password Tracker will even "select" the enter key for you! That's all there is to it! Download Site - http://www.xnet.com/~robertc/PassTrak.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price CheapDNS 32-bit .96 3/23/97 .95mb Freeware CheapDNS is an Internet utitlity for sharing dynamic IP addresses. CheapDNS will post your current IP address to an HTML file on an FTP server you specify. In addition, CheapDNS will retrieve the address file for an unlimited number of remote hosts, verify the retrieved IP address and update the address and host name in your local HOSTS file. Download Site - http://www.selectinc.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Spam Hater 16-bit 1.05 3/23/97 .60mb Freeware Get lots of e-mail offering you get-rich-quick schemes? Want to hit back? "Spam Hater" (Now at V0.06) is free Windows software that helps you respond effectively and makes it hot for these people. It: * Analyses the Spam * Extracts a list of addresses of relevant Postmasters, etc. * Generates a "WHOIS" query to help track the perpetrator * NEW - Generates a "TRACEROUTE" query to help track the perpetrator's upstream provider * Prepares a reply * Choice of legal threats, insults or your own message * Appends a copy of the Spam if required * Puts it in a mail window ready for sending Spam Hater works with lots of popular e-mail programs directly - there's no tedious cutting and pasting. Download Site - http://www.compulink.co.uk/~net-services/spam/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price ViruSafe WEB 3.01 3/13/97 1.0mg Freeware ViruSafe-WEB is a unique Plug-In Anti Virus for Internet Web Browsers. Whenever user downloads a file from the internet, ViruSafe-WEB will automatically scan this file, even before it is saved to the disk. It can scan programs, compressed ZIP files and WORD documents. If a virus is found, ViruSafe-WEB will suggest erasing the infected file and thus get rid of the virus. If no virus is found, user will be prompted to save it. Download Site - http://www.virusafe.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price CD Alarm 32-bit 2.12a 3/23/97 1.40mb Shareware $6 CD Alarm is a Windows program that sounds user-specified alarms by playing tracks from a CD, by playing sound files, or both. In other words, you can wake up to a CD in the morning instead of a radio station or remind yourself of an important event in the day simply by setting the alarm."Works with NT 4.0 also.Some new features in 2.0 include Brand new interface, Ability to disable multiple snooze presses,Test alarm now lets you test the alarm to make sure that the volume is appropriate and more. New in this version: *Support for multiple CD-ROM drives. Now, you can choose both the CD-ROM drive and the track. *Advanced volume control. Gradual wake-up starts the volume soft and then gradually raises it to the level that you specify. Download Site - http://www.thenerve2.com/cdalarm/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Szipw 32-bit 4.0b 3/23/97 1.60mb Shareware Szipw is the Ultimate Zip file manager for Windows. It supports command line parameters, Creates and manages backup sets for easy backup operations , makes Zip archives with long filenames.View Zip files like Disks with a directory tree, Internal Zip/Unzip. Easy configuration. Easy edit of Zip comments and file comments. Accepts command line parameters like PKZIP. Internal File viewer, updates zip file when contents changed. Support Files and dirs dropped from windows file manager, Add files using a list of path/wildcards, very usefull when files to compress are in different locations. Recompression of archives using different password.compression level. Spanned Disks (multiple diskettes), Hidden/System files, Volume labels, full PKzip 2.0 Encryption supported.Support for Self Extractable archives. Allow renaming, changing file date/time, Moving to another dir (using drag/drop), of the files and directories within the archive. Internal Zip repair functions. Download Site - http://www.voicenet.com/~jank/astec/szipw.htm Name/Version Release Date Size Price CD/Spectrum Pro 32-bit 3.0 build 307 3/23/97 .28mb Shareware CD/Spectrum Pro is a CD-Audio Player with Graphical Spectrum Analyzer for Windows 95. CD/Spectrum Pro will also be ready to run on Windows NT 4.0 (also known as Shell Update Release or SUR) when that version of NT is released. CD/Spectrum Pro has two independent parts: The CD-Audio player and the spectrum analyzer. The CD-Audio player is a full-blown player of audio CDs for your PC. It has many advanced features and complements the spectrum analyzer. The spectrum analyzer graphically depicts the frequency spectra of the CD music in real time. (Unless you don't have a Pentium, in which case it is *almost* real time. Download Site - http://www.halcyon.com/gator/cdspro.htm Name/Version Release Date Size Price AudioActive 32-bit 1.0 plug-in 3/24/97 911kb Freeware A new "streaming" audio plug-in. It offers at least three different quality versions of audio feeds: one for 28.8 users, which results in better than AM quality audio; one for 56K (single-channel ISDN) users, which offers near FM quality audio; and one for 96K (2-channel ISDN or better) users, which offers near-CD quality audio. Download Site - http://www.audioactive.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price V-Phone 32-bit 2.10 beta 2 3/25/97 2.50mb Shareware V-Fone is a new software product that will instantly transform your computer into a video conferencing station. With V-Fone you can send and receive - in real time - video, audio and text to and from anyone in the world via the internet or local area network(TCP/IP). This breakthrough technology provides full-motion video (up to 15 frames per second), supports full color, runs on Windows 95/NT and works on all major on-line services. Download Site - http://www.summersoft.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Loki Diary 32-bit 1.19. beta 0 3/25/97 3.40mb Freeware Loki Diary is a Visual Basic 4.0 program for keeping a diary or journal with a little something for everyone. Designed to be easy to use, it features a calendar for quick navigation, a rich text editor, options to print any range of dates, with the ability to search the entire diary for keywords, and security functions that support an Access95 compatible database. Download Site - http://hudson.idt.net/~lokidog/index2.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price PC-cillin II Anti-Virus Software 2.00 3/17/97 4,800kb Demo By monitoring all possible virus sources and adjusting your protection automatically, PC-cillin II keeps you safe from every kind of virus threat. And with the industry's highest detection capabilities, top-rated ease-of- use and new breakthrough technology, PC-cillin II takes your virus defense for Windows 95 and the Internet to an entirely new level. Download Site - http://www.checkit.com/products/pcc2.htm Name/Version Release Date Size Price Klondike Deluxe Win95 1.0 3/16/97 856kb Shareware $15 A patience card game. You can choose three difficulty levels, background colors, selection colors, Amiga olors, play MIDI-music, choose cardsets and tunes, save your presets and make your own cardsets with this version. Download Site - http://www.cybercomm.nl/~reko1/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Igames 2.82 3/7/97 1,892kb Demo Unique Internet chat room with multiplayer card and board games that occupants can play. Current games include Spades, Hearts, Cribbage, and Backgammon. Many more games being added! Download Site - http://www.igames.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price PhoneBook95 1.3 3/25/97 1,269kb Shareware $20.00 A powerful yet easy to use 32-bit Phone/Address Book Management Application. Organize all your phone #'s, addresses, e-mail addresses etc. with ease. Includes search and dialing capability. Also comes with an install wizard for easy installation. Download Site - http://members.aol.com/lwsoftware/index.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price Auto Care Center 97 1.1 3/21/97 2,412kb Shareware $10.00 This application is designed to help in simplifying the task of automobile maintenance. It will tell you, based on the automobile's current milage, how soon you will need to complete specific maintenance tasks. You can also run a Maintenance Checklist Report for each vehicle you enter into the database. Download Site - http://www.mindspring.com/~islander/software/acc97.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price V-Scheduler 1.2 3/21/97 3.9mb Shareware $25.00 V-SCHEDULER is a 32-bit scheduler application for Win 95. It is designed with total flexibility in mind, and consists of a highly intuitive user- interface. Visually, it sits in the top right corner of the screen and shows number of programmed items together with the current date and time. Clicking the right mouse button over the window activates the Pop Up Menu, from which you can select the various actions. Context-sensitive help is available where appropriate. Download Site - http://www.virdi.demon.co.uk/Scheduler/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price CD Wizzard 4.12 3/22/97 315kb Shareware $19.95 The newest version of CD Wizzard for Windows 95. CD Wizzard is an audio CD player that includes all functions of a home CD Player and more! Download Site - http://www.bfmsoft.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Copyto 1.11 3/23/97 203kb Shareware $12.00 Explorer Add-on that adds a menu"Copyto" to copy,move,delete,update,synchronize files in two folders.You can select the target folder easily by using the browse button. Briefcase like function that can synchronize files in two folders with filetype filtering and excluding specified folders. Display the Operation list before execution. You can select or deselect files in the list by Right click. You can run Copyto.exe at the DOS prompt or created shortcut link with command line options. Download Site - http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~bd7k-isi/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Ancient Ivory 3.1 3/23/97 470kb Shareware $14.95 A centuries-old Caribbean dice game of strategy and luck. It features an intuitive interface with photographic-quality, 256-color images, realistic sound effects, a competitive computer player, and background music. Points are given for five of a kind, four of a kind, large straight, small straight, etc. Score in twelve categories. Download Site - http://members.aol.com/latticewrk/lattice.htm Name/Version Release Date Size Price SubSpace for Win95 1.24 3/26/97 2.20mb Freeware A space type shoot 'em up with a difference. It's played entirely over the internet with all human opponents. The game itself reminds you in a way of the old Atari 2600 game Asteroids because the movement is basically the same. However instead of being one one small screen and blowing up asteroids, you are on a huge level and blow the crap out of other pilots. By itself the game is pretty good (nice graphics), however when you add real human players it really shines. At almost any given time you can find around 50-60 other people playing, so the action is always hectic. You can make squads, join teams, send messages while you play, and generally cause havoc. Download Site - http://www.vie.com/subspace/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price AnimaFlex 32-bit 1.12 plug-in 3/26/97 .20mb Freeware The AnimaFlex plug-in is used to play Web animations created by RubberFlex Software's RubberWeb and RubberWeb Composer. It can also be used to play AnimaFlex animations created with the Web enhanced versions of Flo', MetaFlo' and MovieFlo' from The VALIS Group. AnimaFlex animations are extremely compact and fast and offer streamed playback for the Web. On a typical PowerPC Macintosh or a Pentium PC, a full screen 60 second animation of a warping and morphing face can play at 15-30 frames per second, and the file size would be less than 30 kilobytes. AnimaFlex animations can begin playback after downloading the first few kilobytes, and they can be set up to automatically shrink their frame size for smoother playback on slower computers. In addition, AnimaFlex animations can also be set as buttons and animated hyperlinks. Download Site - http://www.rubberflex.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price TextPad 32-bit 3.0 beta 2 3/26/97 1mb Shareware $27 An easy to use powerfull text editor. It has many nice features such as: In addition to the usual cut, copy and paste capabilities, selected text can be case shifted and block indented, and characters, words and lines can be transposed. Cut and copied text can be appended to the clipboard, as well as replacing its contents, OLE2 drag and drop editing for copying and moving text between documents, and A powerful search/replace engine using UNIX-style regular expressions, with the power of editor macros. Sets of files in a directory tree can be searched, and text can be replaced in all open documents at once. Download Site - http://www.textpad.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Gui4PGP 2.0 3/22/97 245kb Shareware Gui4PGP is a Windows95-GUI for PGP - Pretty Good Privacy. Some features include full Windows95 conform, almost no DOS-windows, read PGPs textoutput in the Gui4PGP-editor, en-decrypting/signing via hotkey, copy text to clipboard, push hotkey - ready, support for Microsoft Internet Explorer, multilanguage, register own file extensions - decrypting simply out of the explorer, treeview of the public keyring, define your own user-buttons, all keymanagement commands build in, simple en-and decrypting in the intern editor, choose user with only a mouseclick, and many many more! Download Site - http://www.lanobis.de/~sascha/gui4pgp.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price After Dark Online 32-bit 2.0 Official Release 3/27/97 3.00mb Freeware After Dark Online is a collection of screen savers that bring news and information from top sources on the Web directly to your desktop. Get news from sources you know and trust: DBC Financial News, Sports Illustrated Online, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Journal Interactive Edition, and ZD Net Computing Central.After Dark Online also gives you stock quotes and sport scores.Best of all you customize the news you want, and you determine how often the news is updated. Download Site - http://www.afterdark.com/index.html Name/Version Release Date Size Price HyperSnap-DX 32-bit 3.0 beta 3/27/97 .29mb Shareware $20 HyperSnap brings professional quality, convenient Windows 95 and NT screen captures to your fingertips. It was designed for ease of use, with powerful and useful features to aid the professional as well as support the needs of the occasional user. Now features DirectX game screen capture technology. Download Site - http://www.hyperionics.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Darklight Conflict for Win95 3/27/97 9.20mb Commercial Demo 3D multiplayer space combat that features: Mutiplay 6 player via network (modem patch to be released at a later date), Real-time lighting: lens- flare effect, multi-light sources (suns, weapons, navigation lights), SVGA 3D space combat, explosions and shrapnel. Download Site - http://www.origin.ea.com/smarty/dark/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price Onlive Traveler 32-bit 2.0 3/27/97 4.30mb Free beta OnLive! Traveler lets users explore virtual communities and meet and talk with groups of people from around the world using their own voices. OnLive! Technologies' voice communication advancements allow multi-participant real- time voice communication between users over the Internet. Users select an on-screen persona, or "avatar," from a library ranging from human to animal to fanciful. People use the 3-D Avatars to navigate through virtual environments and talk with other people online. The OnLive! experience is personalized through customizable avatars and voice modification and disguising options. A high quality natural chat experience is achieved through the low latency, full duplex additive voice bridging and automatic gain control. These technologies allow users to hear and talk to multiple people simultaneously in real time. Audio spacialization and distance attenuation enhance the 3D world by providing realistic 3D audio experiences that emulate the real world. Note: You need at least a pentium and 16mb of ram to even think of running this. Download Site - http://www.onlive.com/ Name/Version Release Date Size Price RegClean 4.1 3/24/97 1.5mb Freeware Search your Registry for unnecessary & orphaned fluff and delete it. Published by Microsoft Corporation Download Site - http://www.microsoft.com/default.asp Name/Version Release Date Size Price Driver Detective 1.5 3/23/97 1,200kb Freeware Driver Detective is a program we have written to make updating your hardware drivers easier. You know you need updated drivers, everyone does in order for their hardware to work properly and efficiently, but how do you know what version you have? This is where Driver Detective will help. Hardware drivers are hidden from you by Windows95, making them hard to find and even harder to get information on. Driver Detective will not only show you ALL the hardware drivers used by Windows on your system, but it will also make getting all the vital information on them as easy as clicking on that driver. Using information gathered with this program, you can then determine if you need to download the latest version or if you are already using the current driver. Download Site - http://www.drivershq.com/ EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed Edupage Contents Novell, Netscape Team Up On Novonyx Global Pact On Information Technology Sales Bill Would Outlaw Online Gambling AOL In Legal Tangle Over Diskette Numbers VDOLive Technology Delivers TV-Quality Videostreaming Smart Card Links Satellite TV Signal To PCs Girls Left Behind In Access To Technology Domain Name Lawsuit Experiencing Everest Through The Internet Nynex-Bell Atlantic Deal Given Go-Ahead Edupage In Italian Crackers Obtained Gulf War Military Secrets Microsoft Lets Windows 97 Deadline Slide Clinton Administration Pushing New Encryption Legislation Euro's Far-Reaching Impact On Information Technology Internet 2: Field Of Dreams Or Fuchs's Law? CEOs Warm Up To IT Spam Block Allegheny Mulls Its Options Amazon Files For Initial Public Offering Web Publishing Shakeout? Clinton Cryptography Plan Gets Cool Reception By OECD IBM Ponders Apple Laptop Market SAP Gold Rush? "Smart Card" Standard For Network Computers U. Of Rochester Includes Web Sites In Library Card Catalogue Net Results Major Expansion Of Internet Shopping Seventh-Graders To Get Laptops For "Total Immersion" Filtering Software Remains A Work-In-Progress NOVELL, NETSCAPE TEAM UP ON NOVONYX Novell Inc. and Netscape Communications are forming a new Internet software company called Novonyx, which will adapt Netscape's browser software to run on Novell's NetWare operating system for managing corporate networks. "There is such a big installed base of NetWare, and people don't want to move," says a Dataquest analyst. The joint venture ups the ante in Netscape's ongoing browser battles with Microsoft, which is pushing its own Explorer browser and Windows NT operating system. The two companies say they'll await Justice Department approval before forming Novonyx, citing potential federal antitrust concerns. (Wall Street Journal 21 Mar 97) GLOBAL PACT ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SALES More than 40 countries are expected to sign a $500 billion agreement that would remove tariffs on information technology products by the year 2000. The pact covers computers, telecommunications products, semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, software, and scientific instruments. The United States, the European Union and Japan are opposed to proposals from Malaysia, Thailand and India and other Asian countries to maintain tariffs on some products until 2005 or 2007. (Reuters 23 Mar 97) BILL WOULD OUTLAW ONLINE GAMBLING Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has introduced the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1997, which would make illegal the transmission of any information related to gambling, including bets, wagers or the chance to win a prize or lottery. "We don't ask ISPs (Internet service providers) to be law enforcers, constantly checking sites," says Kyl. Rather, ISPs would be asked to cut off Internet access only following a written notice from a law enforcement agency. The ISP would not be liable for any damages, penalties or forfeiture resulting from the perpetrator's gambling operation. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 20 Mar 97) AOL IN LEGAL TANGLE OVER DISKETTE NUMBERS America Online is fighting with PTP Industries, the packaging company that helped AOL produce and mail all those little diskettes that flooded the country last year. PTP says AOL owes it $2.1 million, but AOL refuses, saying PTP has overstated the number of diskettes it shipped. PTP claims it shipped 150 million diskettes in 1996. Provident Bank of Maryland is now suing AOL for about $2.1 million, after PTP defaulted on a $3.5- million loan, granted in part because of the contract with AOL. (Wall Street Journal 21 Mar 97) VDOLIVE TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS TV-QUALITY VIDEOSTREAMING VDOnet says its new VDOLive technology is capable of producing TV-quality video on Web sites, delivering video streaming at 30 frames a second. The new version, due out during the second quarter, incorporates an improved compression technology that permits PC users to access video from the same file for any data download rate. (Broadcasting & Cable 17 Mar 97) SMART CARD LINKS SATELLITE TV SIGNAL TO PCs Adaptec has developed a smart card that links a personal computer to a direct-to-home satellite system, enabling the user to receive the TV signals on a home PC. The company is banking on the new interactive services being developed by satellite-TV providers, including Web sites and specialty multimedia programming. (Wall Street Journal 21 Mar 97) GIRLS LEFT BEHIND IN ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY The preliminary report of a study by Simon Fraser University education professor Suzanne deCastell says that the "culture of isolation" surrounding computers is quite difficult for many girls, and she suggests trying to change what technology does rather than trying to change females. (Vancouver Province 19 Mar 97) DOMAIN NAME LAWSUIT PGP Media Inc. in New York City has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Herndon, Va.-based Network Solutions Inc., the company that (under contract to the National Science Foundation) assigns Internet domain names, charging that Network Solutions has conspired with other groups to prevent free and open competition in the market for Internet addresses. PGP wants Network Solutions to add references to the domain names PGP assigns, "so that PGP may compete with Network Solutions in the domain name registration market.'' (AP 21 Mar 97) EXPERIENCING EVEREST THROUGH THE INTERNET Students at an estimated 500 high schools from across North America will experience real-time interaction with climbers as they leave the base camp for their assault on Mount Everest in mid-April. An expedition Web site has been set up at . (Calgary Herald 19 Mar 97) NYNEX-BELL ATLANTIC DEAL GIVEN GO-AHEAD New York State has given its approval to the proposed $22 billion merger of Nynex and Bell Atlantic, providing Nynex spends $500 million and hires additional employees in order to improve its customer service. (New York Times 21 Mar 97) EDUPAGE IN ITALIAN We are pleased to announce a new translation of Edupage into Italian, prepared by Massimo Pancamo and Riccardo Mannella in Italy. To subscribe, send a mail to listserver@citinv.it and in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE EDUPAGE first_name last_name. There will be an archive of old issues at http://www.citinv.it/iniziative/info/edupage/archivio/. CRACKERS OBTAINED GULF WAR MILITARY SECRETS During the Gulf War, computer vandals working from Eindhoven in the Netherlands cracked into U.S. government computers at 34 military sites to steal information about troop movements, missile capabilities, and other secret information; they then offered it to the Iraquis, but the Iraquis rejected it because they considered the information a hoax. Dr. Eugene Schultz, former head of computer security at the U.S. Department of Energy, has told the British Broadcasting Company: "We realized that these files should not have been stored on Internet-capable machines. They related to our military systems, they related to Operation Desert Shield at the time, and later Operation Desert Storm. This was a huge mistake." (London Telegraph 23 Mar 97) MICROSOFT LETS WINDOWS 97 DEADLINE SLIDE It looks like Microsoft's update to its popular Windows 95 operating system, code-named Memphis, will be marketed as Windows 98 or Windows 9x, rather than Windows 97. The company has begun telling PC makers not to expect the new software to be available in time to be installed on machines for sale during the busy Christmas season. Some analysts believe that Microsoft's own customers have urged the company to slow the pace of its technology overhaul, as many corporations are only beginning now to switch over to Windows 95. Memphis is expected to add a speedy boot-up technology called "OnNow," as well as several changes aimed at making networked computers easier to manage. (Wall Street Journal 24 Mar 97) CLINTON ADMINISTRATION PUSHING NEW ENCRYPTION LEGISLATION The Clinton administration will introduce more legislation on encryption technology export, in addition to the three bills already pending in Congress. The latest effort seeks to help develop an electronic key management infrastructure that would allow U.S. users to employ any encryption they want, and would, among other provisions, spell out the legal circumstances for handing over keys to law enforcement officials. The other bills pending are: the Security and Freedom Through Encryption Act, the Promotion of Commerce Online in the Digital Era bill, and the Encrypted Communications Privacy Act. (InfoWorld Electric 21 Mar 97) EURO'S FAR-REACHING IMPACT ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The European Monetary Union's changeover to a single currency -- the euro - - will have a ripple effect through most industries around the world today, but adapting computer software to the new system ranks high on the list of major headaches, rivaling even the Year 2000 problem for complexity and ubiquity. Companies will have to perform a line-by-line inventory of all software code to determine where it's currency-sensitive and change the fields to accommodate the euro. To make matters worse, some countries, such as Italy and Spain, don't use decimals in prices and their computer systems therefore aren't equipped to handle them. And some countries, such as France, quote securities in decimals, but others, such as Britain, use fractions. (Wall Street Journal 24 Mar 97) INTERNET 2: FIELD OF DREAMS OR FUCHS'S LAW? Ira Fuchs, vice president for computing and information technology at Princeton University, says there's a chance that by the time Internet 2 is built, researchers already will be clamoring for Internet 3. He cites what he calls Fuchs's Law, which states that the time to acquisition is longer than the time to obsolescence. "What that means is that the technology is advancing so rapidly that by the time the computer you originally asked for is finally delivered, you don't want that computer any more. That same problem is going to have in effect on Internet 2. We have to worry, Will we have enough time to test, and to think, before everybody is beating down the door to get on this thing?" Educom VP Mike Roberts is a little more optimistic: "I don't think we've worn out the field of dreams... But I think clearly the most important applications are the ones that can't be predicted. There are going to be marvelous things that come out of this, but nobody knows what they're going to be." (Chronicle of Higher Education 28 Mar 97) CEOs WARM UP TO IT A recent survey of 100 CEOs and other senior executives conducted by A.T. Kearney Inc. in Chicago reveals that 85% feel comfortable dealing with technology issues, 69% say they have a working knowledge f the technologies used in their companies, and 40% report spending more than 10% of their time learning about relevant technologies. "CEOs believe that IT is not only important, they are starting to believe they are getting their money's worth," says the chairman of A.T. Kearney's global strategic IT practice. The survey results show that companies with top executives who claim to have a good working knowledge of information technology initiate almost a third of all IT projects, while those with CEOs with only fairly good or poor working knowledge initiate fewer than 15%. (Information Week 17 Mar 97) SPAM BLOCK A California software engineer takes the annoyance caused by unsolicited e- mail messages seriously, and has developed an anti-spam weapon he plans to unveil next month. Dead Bolt allows online users to share their "blacklists" of spam purveyors so that they can more effectively filter offending e-mail. "The problem now is that everyone who is filtering is keeping their own blacklists and they're not working together to tie their lists together in a meaningful way," says Dead Bolt's creator. "What I hope my package will do is allow people to work together over the Net and filter all this stuff out and finally put these people out of business....The problem is that it costs the sender virtually zero dollars to send out a million messages, and even if the response rate is minuscule by all standards -- say .001 percent -- they've made money. So from an economic selfish point of view, it's in their interest to annoy the other 99.99 percent of the people." (Miami Herald 24 Mar 97) ALLEGHENY MULLS ITS OPTIONS In response to a Chronicle of Higher Education story that was reported in Edupage 20 Mar 97, Allegheny College, which has a large installed base of Next computers, says it is considering moving to Apple computers as only one of several options. The college has made no decision yet as to which direction it will go. (Chronicle of Higher Education 21 Mar 97) AMAZON FILES FOR INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING Three-year-old Amazon.com, a company that sells books over the Internet, has filed for an initial public offering that places the value of the company at almost $300 million and reveals that Amazon aspires to become "the leading online retailer of information-based products and services" - expanding eventually into videos and music. Last year Amazon had sales of $15.7 million, but the company's heavy investment in technology and marketing has prevented it from reaching profitability yet. (Wall Street Journal 25 Mar 97) WEB PUBLISHING SHAKEOUT? With the recent demise of such Web publishing ventures such as Politics Now and Out.com and the reduced activity of many others, industry analysts are talking about a Web publishing shakeout caused primarily by the slow growth of advertising support. Henry E. Scott, president of the parent company of Out.com says: I became increasingly concerned that the resources we were putting into the Web product could have been better devoted to our core product, which is the magazine. Having a Web site is no longer a sign of being on the cutting edge. It might be a sign of not doing much original thinking... Newspapers have a classified advertising franchise to protect and just thinking about that you can make a pretty good case that newspapers need to be involved in the Web. But it's entirely unclear to me that a magazine Web site will ever reach profitability." (New York Times 25 Mar 97) CLINTON CRYPTOGRAPHY PLAN GETS COOL RECEPTION BY OECD Policy guidelines released by the 29-nation Organization have failed to endorse the U.S. "key escrow" cryptography proposal that would allow law enforcement agents with search warrants to obtain from escrow agents the mathematical key to unlock encrypted communication. There is no consensus among nations about whether governments should be able to eavesdrop on the electronic communications of their citizens, and so the OECD is giving its member nations latitude to adopt any encryption strategy they wish. (New York Times 27 Mar 97) IBM PONDERS APPLE LAPTOP MARKET IBM is eyeing the Apple laptop market, and is considering producing and putting its name on a high-powered portable that would run Apple's MacOS operating system. IBM Microelectronics makes PowerPC chips for Apple and is the sole licensee of Apple's laptop version of MacOS. The companies are working together on an Apple-branded sub-notebook, code-named Comet, destined for the Japanese market. "IBM could easily take 30 to 40 percent of market share away from Apple because Apple can't meet the demand," says a Dataquest analyst. "This is a prime time to do it." IBM officials say, "There has been no decision made. That's not a product that we've announced." (TechWire 24 Mar 97) SAP GOLD RUSH? High salaries currently paid to SAP specialists are creating a "gold rush" mentality that could result in a glut of SAP professionals over the next three to five years, say industry observers. "It's not surprising for an SAP consultant to see his salary increase 35% to 60% the first time he changes jobs to his next assignment," says a recruiting director at Austin McGregor International. "The problem is the expectation that his salary will take that sort of jump the next time around. That's not necessarily going to happen." A survey of SAP technicians with two to three years experience showed they expected to be paid a minimum of $90,000 a year; meanwhile, only 10% of the SAP user firms surveyed said they'd be willing to shell out that kind of money. The average pay for that level of experience is $80,500. (Information Week 17 Mar 97) "SMART CARD" STANDARD FOR NETWORK COMPUTERS IBM, Netscape, Oracle, Sun and Network Computer Inc. have formed an alliance to develop products using a "smart card" technology called OpenCard Framework designed to give people the ability "to access any network computer with any smart card, regardless of the (type of) computer or smart card they're using.'' Instead of carrying around a laptop computer, a person would just carry the smart card for insertion into any computer that has been adapted for the new technology. To address security concerns, the new technology scrambles the information being transmitted; a person would have to have a personal identification number, or PIN, to use the card. In contrast with a similar project announced last year by Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Groupe Bull and Schlumberger, this alliance is targeted to network computers (NCs) rather than personal computers. (AP 26 Mar 97) U. OF ROCHESTER INCLUDES WEB SITES IN LIBRARY CARD CATALOGUE The University of Rochester has developed a next-generation information catalogue, which includes not only the volumes housed in the university's library, but also journal citations, information from full-text databases, and links to Web sites. The Voyager system, which runs on PCs wired to the Internet, also includes the table of contents for about 30,000 books -- useful for tracking down a specific poem, for instance. "We wanted to remove barriers to access to information so that someone doesn't have to worry about, 'Is this a book or is this a database?'," says the library's acting head of reference. (Chronicle of Higher Education 28 Mar 97) NET RESULTS Simmons Market Research Bureau's 1997 Study of Media and Markets indicates that the use of online interactive services has increased to 20%, from 12.7% in 1995. Another 10% of the 20,000-plus adults polled plan to go online within the next 12 months. Meanwhile, the Electronic Information Report says the number of online subscriptions hit 21 million in 1996, up 45% from 1995. Many of those subscriptions are a result of the migration of some information services, such as Microsoft Network, Prodigy, Lexis- Nexis, Dow Jones and Reuters, to the Web. Consumer services, such as America Online, racked up the biggest gains. And finally, the Internet Advertising Bureau says fourth quarter revenue for online advertising reached $109.5 million last year, up 45% from the third quarter. Five industry categories dominated: computer products (38%), consumer-related (20%), new media (17%), telecommunications (9%), and business services (6%). (Investor's Business Daily 26 Mar 97) MAJOR EXPANSION OF INTERNET SHOPPING Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retail company, will more than double the number of items (to about 80,000) that will be available to persons who shop on the Internet, making it possible for online shoppers to find as many items as they would find in any of Wal-Mart's 2,000 out-of-town discount stores. (Financial Times 27 Mar 97) SEVENTH-GRADERS TO GET LAPTOPS FOR "TOTAL IMMERSION" The Kent, Connecticut, school district has bought every one of its 36 seventh graders a $1,855 laptop computer, purchased through a program set up by Toshiba and Microsoft. A school administrator says: "It's like learning French in France rather than in Connecticut. It's total immersion as opposed to dabbling." Students will store their computers in locked cabinets during lunch and other periods when the systems are not being used. (New York Times 26 Mar 97) FILTERING SOFTWARE REMAINS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS The software packages designed to provide parents the ability to censor the Internet sometimes produce curious results, such as the censoring of the poet Anne Sexton because of the first syllable of her surname, and the blocking of a search for information on the country Sri Lanka, which one software package deemed, inexplicably, to be erotic. At the same time, some sexually explicit Web pages are able to elude censorship by not using any of the words or phrases considered to signal objectionable material. (AP 26 Mar 97) Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas (douglas@educom.edu). Voice: 404-371-1853, Fax: 404-371-8057. Technical support is provided by the Office of Information Technology, University of North Carolina. EDUPAGE is what you've just finished reading. To subscribe to Edupage: send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: subscribe edupage Marvin Minsky (assuming that your name is Marvin Minsky; if it's not, substitute your own name). ... To cancel, send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: unsubscribe edupage... Subscription problems: educom@educom.unc.edu. EDUCOM REVIEW is our bimonthly print magazine on learning, communications, and information technology. Subscriptions are $18 a year in the U.S.; send mail to offer@educom.edu. When you do, we'll ring a little bell, because we'll be so happy! Choice of bell is yours: a small dome with a button, like the one on the counter at the dry cleaners with the sign "Ring bell for service"; or a small hand bell; or a cathedral bell; or a door bell; or a chime; or a glockenspiel. Your choice. But ring it! EDUCOM UPDATE is our twice-a-month electronic summary of organizational news and events. To subscribe to the Update: send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: subscribe update John McCarthy (assuming that your name is John McCarthy; if it's not, substitute your own name). INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE The CAUSE organization's annual conference on information technology in higher education is scheduled for the end of this month in New Orleans. The conference will bring together administrators, academicians and other managers of information resources. For full conference information check out or send e-mail to conf@cause.colorado.edu. ARCHIVES & TRANSLATIONS. For archive copies of Edupage or Update, ftp or gopher to educom.edu or see URL: < http://www.educom.edu/>. For the French edition of Edupage, send mail to edupage-fr@ijs.com with the subject "subscribe"; or see < http://www.ijs.com >. For the Hebrew edition, send mail to listserv@kinetica.co.il containing : SUBSCRIBE Leketnet-Word6 or see < http://www.kinetica.co.il/ newsletters/leketnet/ >. For the Hungarian edition, send mail to: send mail to subs.edupage@hungary.com. An Italian edition is available on Agora' Telematica; connection and/or free subscription via BT-Tymnet and Sprint (login: directly from CAB's "Open URL"-dialog, under a multitasking environment. Telnet VT102 replaces Jim Baumgardner's Telnet VT52 and is completely re-written. Best Regards Mille Babic eMail: mille@mail5.tripnet.se http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille (English, German, Swedish, Croatian) Atari Falcon CPU40MHz:DSP50MHZ (12MB RAM 540MB+1.0GB HD) N.AES Operating System with MiNT Kernel and N.Thing Desktop Effective immediately, Anodyne Software has a new Internet Service Provider, cyberus.ca. Our new email address is: anodyne@cyberus.ca Please note the domain is CA, not COM! We're also expanding our online support, with our own web page which will include information on our products, including upgrade patch files. Look for the web page shortly, at: http://www.cyberus.ca/~anodyne Roger Burrows Anodyne Software, your Atari CD-ROM specialist Hi! NAS '97 (The Nordic Atari Show and Convention 1997) will be held in Gothenburg in mid-june. I have started to create a webpage about this show. You will find the page at: http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille/english/nas.html Best Regards Mille Babic Hi all! Thanks for Your support... I can now give You CAB v2.0 demo (Seems that I'm the only one on The whole Internet) :) This version is the original from The CeBIT '97 Show and I must say that CAB v2.0 is not completed yet, it is under a big testing phase. You have to wait for a while until ASH have completed the original full package, before You can buy CAB. Check out their Homepage for news... they will inform when it's for sale. You will (only) find CAB v2.0 Demo at: http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille/english/cab.html Best Regards Mille Babic FIDONET - Echo Bases / Atari ST Echo, #248 of 250 Date: 22 Mar 97 09:50:08 From: Tom D'Ambrosio of 1:106/7861 To: All Subj: C Hoax Revealed! I n t e r n a t i o n a l N e w s S e r v i c e INS TECHNOLOGY WATCH: [Mike Taylor, INS Correspondent] [Natick, MA, USA] COMPUTERWORLD April CREATORS ADMIT UNIX, C HOAX In an announcement that has stunned the computer industry, Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan admitted that the Unix operating system and C programming language created by them is an elaborate April Fools prank kept alive for over 20 years. Speaking at the recent UnixWorld Software Development Forum, Thompson revealed the following: "In 1969, AT&T had just terminated their work with the GE/Honeywell/AT&T Multics project. Brian and I had just started working with an early release of Pascal from Professor Nichlaus Wirth's ETH labs in Switzerland and we were impressed with its elegant simplicity and power. Dennis had just finished reading 'Bored of the Rings', a hilarious National Lampoon parody of the great Tolkien 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. As a lark, we decided to do parodies of the Multics environment and Pascal. Dennis and I were responsible for the operating environment. We looked at Multics and designed the new system to be as complex and cryptic as possible to maximize casual users' frustration levels, calling it Unix as a parody of Multics, as well as other more risque allusions. Then Dennis and Brian worked on a truly warped version of Pascal, called 'A'. When we found others were actually trying to create real programs with A, we quickly added additional cryptic features and evolved into B, BCPL and finally C. We stopped when we got a clean compile on the following syntax: for(;P("\n"),R-;P("|"))for(e=C;e-;P("_"+(*u++/8)%2))P("|"+(*u/4) %2); To think that modern programmers would try to use a language that allowed such a statement was beyond our comprehension! We actually thought of selling this to the Soviets to set their computer science progress back 20 or more years. Imagine our surprise when AT&T and other US corporations actually began trying to use Unix and C! It has taken them 20 years to develop enough expertise to generate even marginally useful applications using this 1960's technological parody, but we are impressed with the tenacity (if not common sense) of the general Unix and C programmer. In any event, Brian, Dennis and I have been working exclusively in Pascal on the Apple Macintosh for the past few years and feel really guilty about the chaos, confusion and truly bad programming that have resulted from our silly prank so long ago." Major Unix and C vendors and customers, including AT&T, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, GTE, NCR, and DEC have refused comment at this time. Borland International, a leading vendor of Pascal and C tools, including the popular Turbo Pascal, Turbo C and Turbo C++, stated they had suspected this for a number of years and would continue to enhance their Pascal products and halt further efforts to develop C. An IBM spokesman broke into uncontrolled laughter and had to postpone a hastily convened news conference concerning the fate of the RS-6000, merely stating 'VM will be available Real Soon Now'. In a cryptic statement, Professor Wirth of the ETH institute and father of the Pascal, Modula 2 and Oberon structured languages, merely stated that P.T. Barnum was correct. In a related late-breaking story, usually reliable sources are stating that a similar confession may be forthcoming from William Gates concerning the MS-DOS and Windows operating environments. And IBM spokesmen have begun denying that the Virtual Machine (VM) product is an internal prank gone awry. Gaming Section Iron Soldier 2! World Tour Racing! Zero 5! Worms! Telegames! JEO?? PSX News! And much more! From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! Well, I sorta called it! Earlier in the week, fellow STReport Editor Frank Sereno sent me a message stating that AEO was coming back - had I received any word from Travis Guy about it. I responded negatively, but I wasn't surprised to learn of this prospect. My theory was that there'd be at least one more issue of AEO, when Battlesphere was close to being released, or released. Well, I don't know the status of the game's release (does anyone?); and, AEO isn't returning. However, JEO (Jaguar Explorer Online) has been released - edited and published by Clay Halliwell. JEO is a clone of AEO, with a few cosmetic changes, and obviously endorsed/blessed by AEO's Guy. I wish Mr. Halliwell luck with his new endeavor. I have to admit that at this point in time, I find it hard to understand why someone would start a Jaguar-specific magazine; but, knowing what it's like to be fan _and_ supporting the machine myself - I have to applaud his chutzpah! Who knows how much more will be forthcoming for anyone to cover?! Still no positive word on the release of Iron Soldier 2, or the other announced titles from Telegames. Hopefully, Telegames will have some positive news in the days to come. We're "refreshing" your memories with a brief synopsis of the pending games elsewhere in this section. So, let's see what's going on in the world of console gaming this week; there's plenty for everyone! Until next time... Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! DreamWorks Signs Deal With Electronic Arts LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1997 MAR 25 (Newsbytes) -- By Richard Bowers. DreamWorks Interactive (DWI) Tuesday announced that Electronic Arts (EA) will be the exclusive worldwide distributor for all of DWI's next generation console products. DWI's games for the PC will still be distributed by one of the partners in DWI, Microsoft [NASDAQ: MSFT]. The first console title to be released by DWI in partnership with EA is "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" for the Sony PlayStation. The title is scheduled to be released in the early summer on the heels of the film by the same name." The Lost World: Jurassic Park" will also be available for the Sega Saturn system. Sega of America will publish and distribute the Sega Saturn version of this game. Pat Becker, director of corporate communications for EA, told Newsbytes, "Due to a prior agreement with DreamWorks Interactive, Sega will publish and distribute the Saturn version of Lost World. From this date forward, all future console titles will be distributed by EA." DWI is slowly becoming a giant in the multimedia game market, and this deal represents a major boost for EA's half-billion dollar revenue stream. DreamWorks Interactive is a joint venture between Microsoft and DreamWorks SKG. DreamWorks SKG is an entertainment company founded by industry moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Paul Allen co-founder of Microsoft is also a major investor in DreamWorks SKG. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" game allows the player to be both the hunter and the hunted in a 3-D action/adventure that pits humans and dinosaurs against each other. Players will assume the role of five different characters from a raptor to a human hunter. The setting is an island populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs. Players, as either a human hunter or a dinosaur, will combat more than 20 species of sauropods that animate, stalk, track, attack and fight. Sony PlayStation's Digital CD Magazine FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1997 MAR 26 (Newsbytes) -- By Richard Bowers. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. [NYSE:SNE] is coming out with a new marketing gimmick, a CD magazine called PlayStation Underground. The new digital publication will only play on the Sony PlayStation game console, and is intended to create an "unique club for PlayStation game console owners." The premier issue of the PlayStation Underground CD magazine will be distributed today to PlayStation game console owners who have signed up to be PlayStation Underground members through the registration cards that are included in hardware and software packaging. The first issue will serve as an introduction to the PlayStation Underground CD magazine, which will then become a regular subscription-based quarterly. A yearly subscription to the PlayStation Underground CD magazine will cost $29.95, and be published quarterly. Each issue of PlayStation Underground will encompass two full CD-ROMs that can only be played on a PlayStation game console. The discs will contain game codes, demos of upcoming and import PlayStation titles, artwork, movies, interviews with celebrities and developers, "behind the scenes" features, sweepstakes and special offers. With the CD format, Sony has a distinct edge over its biggest rival Nintendo. Nintendo has stayed with the game cartridge for its game console, and in this one area of CD magazine, would be foreclosed from keeping up with Sony. "PlayStation Underground is much more than 'just' a CD-ROM based magazine," said Peter Dille, senior director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "PlayStation Underground is another example of Sony Computer Entertainment America leading the interactive entertainment industry into new and exciting areas. Our main competitor cannot produce anything like this, specifically because they are publishing on cartridge instead of CD-ROM." The first disc is made up of ten different sections: The Vault, with playable demos of new titles; Code Book, with game hints, codes and strategies; Imports, with games for downloading that have not been released in the United States; Download Station that will include extra secret levels or hidden characters that can be loaded onto the user's memory card for integration into select games; Tech Q&A; Debriefing which includes video interviews with Sony developers for the PlayStation game console; Behind the Scenes; Event Center; Bulletins where notices for club members can be posted; and, Transmission, which will include contests and upcoming features. Accolade Ships Test Drive: Off-Road for the PC and PSX SAN JOSE, CALIF. (March 27) BUSINESS WIRE -March 27, 1997--Accolade, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software, announced today that Test Drive: Off-Road, an off-road racing game for personal computers and Sony PlayStation game consoles, has begun shipping. Test Drive: Off-Road allows players to race in high performance off-road vehicles, including the Hummer, Land Rover Defender 90, Jeep Wrangler, and Chevrolet K-1500 Z71. "The Test Drive series has always had a strong following since its start over 10 years ago," said Jim Barnett, president and CEO of Accolade. "The game's well-known licenses and its high speed 3D engine will bring Test Drive: Off-Road to the top of the off-road racing market." Test Drive: Off-Road features 12 tracks, three environments, including dirt, sand and snow, and various weather conditions. Its high-speed 3D engine and realistic driving physics give players an unparalleled driving experience in four of today's hottest off-road vehicles, while listening to the adrenaline-pumping sounds of Gravity Kills, the well-known alternative rock band. Test Drive: Off-Road also features four bonus vehicles. Test Drive: Off-Road for the Sony PlayStation includes head-to-head matches via split screen and the PlayStation link cable. The PC version of the game will include multiplayer capabilities for up to four players via split-screen, modem or network play. The PlayStation version supports up to two players. Both versions offer single race, multiplayer tournaments or full-season modes. Test Drive: Off-Road for PCs running MS-DOS and Windows 95 is available at an estimated street price of $39.95. Test Drive: Off-Road for the Sony PlayStation console will be available next week at an estimated street price of $49.95. Jaguar Online STR InfoFile - Online Users Growl & Purr! Jaguar Gets New Life, Part 2 Telegames Announces New CD Titles Telegames, the first and only remaining third-party publisher for the Atari Jaguar, announces two new CD titles to be released during the coming months, in addition to four previously announced cartridge products. Iron Soldier 2 is the knockout sequel to be available on CD for the Jaguar. Pilot your 42-foot tall mech robot through 20 missions against the evil Penta Forces. Dramatically enhanced 3-D graphics create a virtual battlefield with war waged in all 360 degrees. Outfit your mech with combinations of 12 weapons systems and begin your fight against the multitudes of enemy weapons. With full motion video, driving soundtrack, and realistic sound effects - all available in stereo or surround sound - this product must be purchased by any true gamer. With the proper code, you can even play as an adversary to the Iron Soldier, the dreaded Satyr Walker Mech! World Tour Racing is the first Grand Prix style racing game for the Jaguar. Select your racer, customize its features, and set off to conquer the international racing world. With a super-high frame rate, this game really puts you in the driver's seat. Video interludes gives you a genuine feeling of being in the pits, and a multitude of features makes each race a new experience! Worms is the hit product that is available on most other next-generation systems. Designed for one to four players, this game combines the best elements from the very best games ever created. The game requires great thought, strategy, and elements of sheer outrageous fortune within an almost infinite range of playing possibilities. Teams take in turn to bombard the enemy with whatever weapon they feel is likely to reap the most reward. Each battle has a time period and once this is over a period of extra time may be played where all remaining worms are reduced to 1 unit of energy and the slightest hit will render them out of the game. The last team remaining wins the game. Zero 5 is a futuristic space shooter set in a 3-D, 360 degree playfield. The year is 2044 and the battle for Earth has begun. On the far reaches of the galaxy, a massive invasion force is assembling. Scanners at DEFCON have alerted you to the alien threat. The Earth's best pilots are dispatched in their BAMBAM cruisers to engage the enemy. Multiple weapons, driving soundtrack, non-stop combat, multiple power-ups, and 15 extended missions contribute to a shooter's game with real depth. Telegames has chosen to continue support of the Jaguar platform even though Atari (now JTS) has terminated support for its own system. "There remains a significant base of loyal Jaguar owners who will support new product releases. As long as this support continues, Telegames will deliver additional quality products" said Telegames president Terry Grantham. Telegames may be reached on the Internet at: http://www.telegames.com ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! PEOPLE... ARE TALKING On CompuServe Compiled by Joe Mirando jmirando@streport.com Okay friends and neighbors, listen up! This is something I've never done before and will probably never do again. I'm going to speak of another online service favorably in this column! It's not that I feel that no service is as good as CompuServe... indeed, each service that I've used has had its own strong and weak points (including CompuServe). While CompuServe is by far the fastest service I use now, it is also the one that shows the most signs of caving in to Microsoft in an effort to garner members. This is not an entirely bad thing because more members equals more profit and more profit equals more and better services. While the Macintosh is currently supported, the main thrust is now Microsoft. The bad part is that, by "going Microsoft", they are leaving behind many of their customers who either won't, can't, or don't use Microsoft-encumbered machines. A case in point: CompuServe offers members the ability to post their own web pages within CIS. I decided a while ago that, when I had the time, I would teach myself HTML (the language of the World Wide Web) and set up my own web page. I checked into doing it on CompuServe only to find that you need special software to install your page. The software is, of course, available for Windows and Mac (and they seem to feel quite put upon for having to provide that), but not for others. "You can" they say in a quite reasonable-sounding tone, "use a friend's PC to upload the pages". This is true. You could do that. But if you are like most people on the web, you will end up changing and adding things quite often. Using a friend's PC each time you want to make a change is a good way to weaken a friendship. For this reason, I decided to put my web page on Delphi. They make it quite a bit easier. To be fair, I believe that the underlying programming is what makes it easier, not a corporate decision or dark plan hatched somewhere in Washington state, but the effect is the same: I can quickly and easily install and modify my web page on Delphi, and I cannot do it at all on CompuServe. So if you want to take a look, my web page is located at http://people.delphi.com/porthos Now, let's take a look at what's going on in the Forums. From the Atari Forums on CompuServe Jack Hughes tells us about his frustrations: "...I also just started PageStream v2.2. And it is giving me fits..... Yesterday I started the Tutorial. Everything went fine until it was time to input text to the screen. And I get dumped back to the Desktop with four bombs! According to my info 4-bombs is "Illegal Instruction". Thinking that there was a conflict with an Auto prg I cut back to the bare minimum for TOS 1.4. Same old thing, back to the Desktop. I have tried to input directly via the keyboard as well as inport. Only the keyboard dumps me back to the desktop, inporting doesn't do anything. Seems to and then still a blank, unfilled screen. Is PageStream still supporting the program, answering questions? Any and all help, suggestions, etc will be tried and appreciated." Ben @ TOC Oz. asks Jack a rather delicate question: "First of all is it a "legal" copy of 2.2 ? Uninstalled copies of PGS can behave very badly ..... What version of NVDI are yoy running and what TOS? My guess is that you've either run out of memory, or the GDOS drivers haven't been set up properly with NVDI, and PGS. PGS doesn't like fonts embeded in too many folders also." Jack replies: "[It] Came in a sealed _Soft Logic_ box, purchased from a "legit" vendor, at least I think they are. ... NVDI 4.11 R6, 1040STf upgraded from TOS 1.0 and to 4M of memory many years ago. Run out of memory? Maybe, but don't think so. Have not checked with NVDI & PGS installed but usually have about 2.5M free in normal circumstances. Embedded folders? This is a very real possibility. What I know/understand about GDOS drivers would fit in the eye of a needle with room left for the thread!!! Guess, I'll keep on plugging away and hope something clicks." Carsten Baron asks: "Why [don't] we have a modern logo like in orther CIS forums?" Sysop Jim Ness tells Carsten: "We're open to submissions, if you have an artistic talent and want to create a GIF or JPG file. About 150x150 pixels." George Iken posts this about using a parallel port hard drive or other storage device on the ST: "The parallel port version of most any of the removable drives will work ONLY on a PC. It will NOT work (even if someone tried to make a driver) on an ST because the ST paralell port does not support bidirectional data (unfortunately, even for the most simple disk writes, the computer really needs to ask a few questions of the hard drive .. otherwise you might be able to cobble up a write many, read never drive interface through the ST parallell port). The SCSI version of virtually all of these removable drives DOES work with the ST (or Mac even). On the ST or MegaST you need a DMA to SCSI host adapter (an ICD or other host adapter). On a TT or Falcon, just plug in to the SCSI port. The ZIP drive is a little unique in that it needs to pull power off the SCSI bus. Not all DMA to SCSI host adapters have power at the pin the Zip is looking for it. If you have the right adapter though, the Zip works fine. I personally prefer the faster and more adaptable (you can use any SCSI ID versus only #5 or #6 on a Zip) Syquest drives. I especially love the EZ135 (I have 3) and EZ230 (I have 2) drives for transferring data between ST and PC." James Spielman tells George: "Okay, I hadn't actually given any thought to the ST's parallel port not being bi-directional. Oh, yes! I have a Link II for my STf/Mega ST2 (I need two, really ) and I also have an EZ 135. I should probably get another as it also works just great on my Apple IIGS, Mac Classic, and PC (hmmm, I need a Black Box for the 8-bit Atari's....)! SCSI is great! Just another example of a "better" technology losing to market inertia or something." Philippe Bogdan posts: "Just to let you know that I saw a demo of Performer 5.5 on Mac and I really liked it. I've always been a Cubase inconditional - on Atari - but I'm seriously wondering if I will ending switching to Performer 5.5. It would run fine on my old DUO230. Until now I've use my DUO for everything but music, but I may switch altogether to Mac. Don't know yet though, I developp a sentimental 'relationship' with my from all this years of hard and good work. Plus I have some hardware (MIDEX +)... But Performer 5.5 has many features I've been looking for in a sequencer. I haven't made my mind yet." Dennis Larson asks Philippe: "Have you looked at [Notator] LOGIC at all? It was originally developed on the Atari, then ported over to Mac and PC platforms. It is a completely integrated sequencer/notation program that does some pretty cool things. Though it is being supported more for those *other* platforms, I heard that v2.5 is just out for the Atari (I think that will be the last version for Atari). It's worth looking into. Available from Emagic in Germany." Simon Churchill posts this about using a Hewlett-Packard Thinkjet printer with an ST: "The HP Thinjet is a relativly new printer and DEGAS is a stone age sod, IF you have a suitable printer driver (And you would have to write it, I guess) and all the patches installed AND the control Panel or a parallel to serial redirection util then you should get perfect print's. Many year's ago I used the serial port all the time due to the printer's parallel port getting blown up and used a small util which would redirect the parallel info to the serial port, add to this a patch and it all worked very well. (TOS used was 1.2, TOS 1.4 has more bug's, which TOS have you got?) I had to do it like this because timework's 1 would only sent to the parallel port. The other way was to have the control panel ACC loaded and set the printer setting's to the serial port (Don't forget to save the desktop), add the patches and you were away. If you have tried both of the above and still get junk out then look at your printer driver. Another way to print your pictures is to use something like GEM VIEW or PIC SWITCH 1.01 and send the picture to the printer from them." Chris Meyer posts this: "Just a quick little quirk....... ATARI has been in the past the market leader in home gaming and...more importantly, after school entertainment. I mean lets get real here, when you you get down to it all the the graphics and technology don't mean squat unless the product is fun. Nintendo has built an entire advertising campaign on that one fact alone. The failure ( or near immenent failure ) of both the Lynx and Jaguar leads me to conclude that being the most advanced should not be the goal of the ATARI home gaming agenda. I have been a loyal and faithful ATARI customer since the old 2600 days, and I for one, think that ATARI would do well to go through some major pondering and restructuring. Before giving up entirely on home users, and before going through another costly unsuccesfull system, lets see what ATARI had that made it so great. ú GAMES, gotta have em, can't live without em....nuf said. ú FUN FACTOR, simplicity, durability, and style all added up to one thing fun. ú SUPPORT, the kids loved you, and more importantly, so did the developers. ú PRICE, you built so many that you could pump them out cheap. ú NOTICEABILITY, you were out there, everywhere!, you could find them any of a hundred locations, so they were CONVENIENT. ú RESPECTABLE, everyone cool had one, and with a good track record the 26's and 54's seemed a good safe investment. Well I just wanted to get that out of my system, for now and for always long live ATARI." Sysop Ron Luks jumps in and tells Chris: "The only problem is that Atari is effectively out of business. They no longer sell computers nor any games. the remaining assets of Atari have been merged into JTS, a disk drive company." Alexander Smith asks: "Has anyone got their hands on IS2 yet? I'm very interested in reading a couple reviews of this game." Larry Tipton tells Alexander: " Here's the latest news... Update from Telegames [www.telegames.com] Iron Soldier 2 Delayed The projected release date of Iron Soldier 2 (CD) for Jaguar has been delayed due to a CD replication problem. Although Atari's "officially" licensed replicator has had the gold masters of IS2 since February 20th, they have been unable to create problem free glass masters that are required for mass production. Their problems are partly related to the sophisticated security encription on the Jag CDs. Engineers have been working furiously since the masters were delivered to fully resolve the problems. We will update our web site as more info becomes available. Please do not send individual e-mail inquiries asking about the status. ...End of Post Alexander tells Larry: "As usual Larry, you're the man with the lastest news. Thanks for the info." Bruce Faierson asks for help with Highlander: "I think there might be a problem with my Highlander CD. After I leave the village at the beginning of the game, I go to the right, and I can't get past the tank. If I go left, I can't get past the other tank. Is there some secret I don't know about?" Albert Dayes tells Bruce: "I do not have the game but I believe there was some trick to get past the tank. There are some hint files in the library on Highlander if I am not mistaken." Steve Watkins asks Bruce: "The green monster tank? I only remember seeing one (I've only played it briefly a couple of times - enough to get to the canyon section) and the only problem was the ridiculous shifting perspectives. Go left and keep trying to walk through. I don't think you need to be holding a certain item, but I don't know... Or maybe you didn't kill all the enemies? Beats me. Sorry - I didn't have any trouble just walking right past it." Fred Horvat adds: "The tank outside the fort in the opening part of the game you can just walk on by with no problem. I think you do need to cross the stream first. The tank in the desert if I remember correctly you can run right by it but you may sustain serious damage as there are soldiers besides the tank shooting at you." Well folks, that's about it for this week. If you are able, and if you have the time, check out the web page on http://people.delphi.com/porthos and let me know what you think. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING EDITORIAL QUICKIES May the Easter Holiday bring Peace, Health and Happiness. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL STReport International OnLine Magazine [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport HTTP://WWW.STREPORT.COM AVAILABLE through the Internet and OVER 250,000 BBS SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" March 28, 1997 Since 1987 Copyrightc1997 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1313