SILICON TIMES REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE "STReport; The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!" (Since 1987) STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. October 06, 1995 No. 1140 Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano, Editor Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo Voice: 1-904-786-8805 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * Featuring: * 4.5GB * of Download Files * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1- 904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:112/35, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial, on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. WEB SITE: http//www.streport.com CIS ~ PRODIGY ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ PROWL ~ FNET ~ AOL Florida Lotto LottoMan v1.35 Results: 09/30/95: 2 matches in 2 plays From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" It seems its more appropriate to talk about a few of the most recent happenings than computers for the a moment since most everyone is preparing for Comdex and then the Holiday Rush . First, about the O. J. Simpson verdict. I have a few comments about this (only a few?) Having had the opportunity to observe the legal system for some time from the right side of the law, I can understand the verdict a bit easier than some. First, let me say I feel the verdict was a just verdict based on the evidence found and used by the prosecution. While many have indignantly claimed that race entered into this case favorably on the side of the defense, I see it quite the opposite. It was the prosecution, in its zeal to place Det. Fuhrman, (now confirmed a racist) on the pedestal of infallibility by the early on exploration of the racist comments alleged to have been said by Fuhrman in the recruiter s office. In so doing, they (the prosecution) opened the flood gates of witness credibility and thus, gave the defense an open door relative to racism. Messrs. Bailey and Cochran took full professional advantage of the opportunity. Of course they would have had nowhere to go had Det. Fuhrman not given them plenty of cud to chew. Then comes Det. Van Adder who is, almost immediately, proven by an FBI agent s testimony to be a liar. How could anyone in their right mind believe anything these two had to say or represent? They made it utterly impossible to believe anything they had to say... Then comes Marsha Clark & company guided by Gil Garcetti the LA DA who insisted upon having the evidence gathered at Rockingham remain admissible. Had they conceded that that particular group of evidential items were tainted and allowed Judge Ito to rule them inadmissible, the defense would have lost a powerful wedge they eventually drove deep into the prosecution s case. Ultimately, the jury would have been able to concentrate on the true merits of the solid evidence gathered at the actual Crime Scene as opposed to the peripheral, associative evidence; an alleged planted glove, a pair of spiked and still wet socks, a convenient and extremely tiny smudge of blood found in the Bronco and the commentary about a missing overnight bag. All of which, played a powerful and decisive role in the derailment of the prosecution s case. The final damaging blows came from the extremely overconfident attitude the prosecution s Clark and Darden repeatedly exhibited. If they each told the jury and the "world" they had a sure conviction because of the mountain of evidence once, they said it at least a thousand times.. who were they trying to convince? Themselves, the public or the Jury? They, by their actions and constant objections to just about everything but the rise and setting of the sun blew this case for them. Of course, Hodge s medical emergency happening at such an opportune time during Cochran s initial statement that was tearing the prosecution apart was regarded as more strategic than medical by many including myself. After all, it quickly went from a heart attack to gastronomical pains to excessive flatulence in less than forty eight hours. Convenient at the time ..but not probable nor in the least, convincing. Finally, to see the LA DA gripe about emotion playing a part in the verdict is truly ridiculous. Just about everything decided upon in this case was placed into an emotional atmosphere prior to and including the presentation of evidence, the testimony of witnesses and the summation of both the prosecution s and defense s closing arguments. Emotion was truly the strongest single factor in this entire trial and I might add, never ever objected to by the prosecution. So why does the DA now try to cry foul because of the use of emotion?? It was Marsha Clark and Chris Darden who did first inject heavy doses of emotion into the trial especially during and subsequent to their joint opening statement. In this corner we have Opal and in the ever so blue corner ..we have Florida s Panhandle. This has certainly been a record year for Hurricanes with Florida enjoying their, not so welcome, attention all too frequently. Although none have compared to Andrew Florida s panhandle residents can certainly attest to Opal s fury. If somebody comes knocking on your door asking that you donate a few cans of goodies for the folks in the Pensacola area, don t hesitate. Lord knows they need the help. Also this Sunday, please remember to thank God for the eternal mercy shown to all Floridians during this unusually active and vicious hurricane season. AEO s editor, Travis Guy lives in that area, I pray all is well for him and his family. Ralph ... Ps; by the time you read this... Our Domain, STREPORT.COM should be working perfectly again. Would you believe Opal knocked out one of the T1's to cap this confusion? Of Special Note: WEB SITE: http://www.streport.com STReport is now ready to offer much more in the way of serving the Networks, Online Services and Internet's vast, fast growing site list and userbase. We now have our very own WEB/NewsGroup/FTP Site and although its in its early stages of construction, do stop by and have a look see. Since We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addressees, we were compelled to put together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wished to receive STReport on a regular basis, the file is ZIPPED, then UUENCODED. Unfortunately, we've also received a number of opinions that the UUENCODING was a real pain to deal with. So, as of October 01, 1995, you'll be able to download STReport directly from our very own WEB Site. While there, be sure to join our STR list. In any case, our mailing list will continue to be used for at least the next eight weeks. At that time, however, it will be discontinued. Each of our readers will have by then, received their information packet about how they may upgrade their personal STR News Services. STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Editor Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors PC SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION R.F.Mariano J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson PORTABLE COMPUTERS & ENTERTAINMENT Marty Mankins STReport Staff Editors: Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: Dominick J. 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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 Staff & Editors SYSOP NEWS & CYBERWORLD REPORT "The Leading Hard Copy News Source in the BBS & Online Telecommunications World" Your own personal copy mailed to your home every month; STReport's special offer! Annual Subscription Rate of $15.95!! (normally 20.95). Include the STR offer number (STR-21) for your discount. send your subscription now to: BBS Press Services, Inc. 8125 S.W. 21st Street Topeka, KS 66615 Or, to order by phone, Please Call: 1-913-478-3157.....(Voice) 1-913-478-9239......(Data) 1-913-478-1189.......(FAX) Checks, MasterCard & Visa ok, Please include Full Name, Address, home Number, Card type, number & expiration date when ordering. If by mail, please _sign_ your personal order. STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson -/- Clinton to Ease Computer Exports -/- Word is President Bill Clinton now is set to relax restrictions on exports of high-performance computers, handing what observers say is a long-sought victory to technology companies whose executives supported his 1992 election. However, the New York Times notes this morning that opponents of the move -- including some in Congress and within Clinton's own administration -- fear powerful U.S. computers will be diverted to military uses such as designing missiles or nuclear weapons. Notes the Reuter News Service, "Administration officials who supported the proposal before Clinton told the Times it recognized computer makers were making vastly more powerful machines each year. What the administration defined two years ago as a supercomputer requiring government approval for sale abroad was now a widely available desktop computer, they said." The Times this morning quoted administration officials as saying the proposal would help American manufacturers sell billions of dollars worth of powerful computers to civilian customers in China, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, and India. Exports to military customers in those countries would remain under tighter controls, they added. While Clinton has not yet formally approved the proposal, the Times says an administration official said Clinton had told Israeli officials last week he intended to liberalize the rules that have made if difficult for Israel and many other countries to buy Advanced U.S. computers. -/- Study Says U.S. Leads in Telecom -/- A United Nations agency reports the U.S. is ahead of the rest of the world in preparing for the next big leap in telecommunications. Studying the number of phone lines, TV sets, and PCs per inhabitant, the report ranks the United States first among 39 countries in ability to use multimedia services combining telecommunications, broadcasting, and computing. Meanwhile, industrial giants such as Germany and Japan barely made the Top 10. Reporting from Geneva, Associated Press writer Alexander G. Higgins says the 232-page study by the International Telecommunications Union also ranked Denmark second to the United States, followed by Canada and Sweden. Tied for fifth place were Australia, France, and Switzerland, with the Netherlands eighth, Germany ninth and Japan 10th. India was in last place among the 39 nations. The report was released in advance of the opening today of Telecom '95, the world's once-in-four-years chance to try out the latest technology and dream about the future. Notes Higgins, "The agency said no one really knows exactly how people will be using telecommunications to get information, entertain themselves and talk to each other in coming years. But it says one thing is sure: The countries with extensive phone and cable TV systems and with telephones, computers and television sets all in the same home or office are in the best position." Grouping all three types of technology under what it calls the "info-communications industry," a sector the report says has become practically recession-proof, with revenues last year of $1.43 trillion, or 6 percent of the world economy. Some other specifics: -:- The number of phone lines around the world surpassed 645 million last year, more than one for every 10 people. Growth has been especially fast in China and other parts of Asia. -:- The world now has 1.2 billion television sets and 180 million personal computers. -:- The biggest growth in telecommunications has been international telephone calls, which totaled 53 billion minutes in 1994, three times as much as a decade. -:- Almost 20 million people acquired mobile cell phones last year, bringing to more than 50 million the number of cellular subscribers. -:- Cable TV systems over the past decade increased 12 percent, satellite-to-home TV 42 percent and the number of Internet users 113 percent. The agency also commented that the Internet may be only a precursor of what will link computers. Says Higgins, "It could be a new network for computers or a system of intelligent television sets, offering video-on-demand and wide range of business, games and entertainment possibilities." AP released this list of ranking by the UN agency of the readiness of 39 major countries, based on the number of phone lines, television sets and personal computers per 100 people. 1. United States 29.7 2. Denmark 19.3 3. Canada 17.5 4. Sweden 17.2 5. Australia 21.7 5. France 14.0 5. Switzerland 28.8 8. Netherlands 15.6 9. Germany 14.4 10. Japan 12.0 11. Britain 15.1 12. Austria 10.7 12. Belgium 12.9 12. Singapore 15.3 15. Hong Kong 11.3 16. Italy 7.2 17. Spain 7.0 18. South Korea 11.2 19. Taiwan 8.1 20. Hungary 3.4 21. Czech Republic 3.6 22. Israel 9.0 23. Greece 2.9 24. Portugal 5.0 25. Argentina 1.7 26. Poland 2.2 27. Russia 1.0 28. Malaysia 3.3 29. Chile 3.1 30. Turkey 1.1 31. Mexico 2.2 32. Brazil 0.9 33. Venezuela 1.3 34. South Africa 2.2 35. Thailand 1.2 36. China 0.2 37. Philippines 0.6 38. Indonesia 0.3 39. India 0.1 -/- IBM to Sell PC's Birthplace -/- IBM Corp. will likely sell its historic Boca Raton, Florida, research facility, the birthplace of the IBM PC in 1981, reports the Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, the 550-acre property, which is divided into two sites encompassing two million square feet of office space, will probably go on the market later this year. But an IBM spokesman adds that the decision isn't yet final. IBM announced yesterday that it is moving 800 OS/2 software developers and marketing professionals from Boca Raton to Austin, Texas. The move is designed to consolidate IBM's software development operations and to improve efficiency, says the company. At its peak in the mid-1980s, when IBM was at the top of its PC game and developing OS/2 with Microsoft Corp., the Boca site employed some 9,600 people. Last year, the IBM PC division began consolidating in Raleigh, North Carolina, while software operations have headed to Austin. Over the past several months, one-third of the Boca work force has been either moved or laid off. The facility was purchased by IBM in 1968. -/- JVC Plans California CD-ROM Plant -/- Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. -- widely known in the United States as JVC -- plans to invest some $35 million to build a plant to make CD-ROM discs in Sacramento, California. Reporting from Tokyo, the Reuter News Service says the plant, scheduled to start operations a year from now, will have the capacity to produce three million CD-ROMs a month. JVC currently has a CD and CD-ROM plant in Alabama, but a company spokesman told the wire service the firm thinks it will need another plant to meet increasing demand for CD-ROMs. The spokesman added that JVC is considering an additional investment in the future to increase the monthly capacity of its new Sacramento plant to ten million CD-ROMs in five to six years, but declined to elaborate. -/- NEC to Nearly Double PC Output -/- In Tokyo, NEC Corp. says it has set a domestic personal computer shipment target for the year to March 1998 at 5 million units, up sharply from 2.8 million units forecast for the year to March 1996. The French Agence France-Press International News Service quotes NEC officials as saying the firm also will boost parts procurement division staff in Asia to about 150 from the current 50 in order to secure sources for low-priced parts such as cathode ray tubes. AFP notes that the company recently set up procurement divisions in Shanghai and Malaysia. -/- Net Provides Rare Medical Link -/- The Internet is being credited with providing important information for a young British boy with a very rare disease that causes excruciating head pain. The youth will undergo surgery today in the United States, thanks to the Net. From London, the Reuter News Service reports parents of 9-year-old Matthew Fell of Worlaby, northern England, appealed for help on the Internet after doctors in Britain were unable to help. Says Reuters, "With only 14 cases of the disease reported in Europe, little is know about the condition that struck Matthew in January and affects a nerve in the face and head, causing constant pain." Tim Fell, Matthew's father, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper, "We thought that by sending Matthew's medical history out on the Internet, we might get some help." It was through the network that the Fells were put in touch with the family of a young girl with the same disease and referred to specialist Dr. Peter Jannetta of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who agreed to treat him. Fell added, "We haven't been able to continue treatment over here because, although the surgeons have successfully treated old people, they have never had to treat a child. The surgeon in Pittsburgh was in the unique position of having treated a child before." -/- Matthew Fell in Stable Condition -/- Nine-year-old Matthew Fell was in critical but stable condition this morning at Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital after undergoing an operation for a nerve disorder that causes severe pain. As reported earlier the Worlaby, England, youth was brought to Pittsburgh for the operation after his problem became known on the Internet, which is being widely credited with providing the key connections in his case. According to United Press International, doctors operated Thursday to relieve pressure on Matthew's trigeminal nerve, one of the cranial nerves that serve the face and head. Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ian Pollack said the 2 1/2-hour operation went well, but added it might take a day or so to determine whether it was successful. Pollack said trigeminal neuralgia occurs when a blood vessel presses against the trigeminal nerve. It is more common in aging adults than in children. The wire service notes Matthew's parents, Lindsay and Tim Fell, initially took their son to various doctors and hospitals in England. When those efforts failed to find relief, they turned to the Internet. "Working with a friend in Belgium during the summer," UPI reports, "the Fells posted Matthew's medical information and an appeal for help on the international computer network. They found the home page on Internet's World Wide Web for the Barnegat Light, the New Jersey-based Trigeminal Neuralgia Association." Subsequently, they talked to Dr. Peter Jannetta, Pennsylvania's health secretary, a University of Pittsburgh neurosurgeon and one of the world's leading authorities on treating trigeminal neuralgia. -/- CD-ROM Magazine Links to CIS -/- Multimedia World and CompuServe Inc. are teaming up to produce the first monthly CD-ROM magazine with hyperlinks to the Internet and an online service. Beginning with its November issue, Multimedia World will distribute a special edition of its CD-ROM companion, Multimedia World LIVE!, with every newsstand copy for the cover price of $4.95. The customized version of LIVE! incorporates numerous hyperlinks to both the CompuServe Information Service and the World Wide Web, using CompuServe's interface software. By selecting one of these hyperlinks, LIVE! users will be able to launch directly to related sites either on the CompuServe Information Service or on the Web, such as Multimedia World's home page at HTTP://www.mmworld.com. "LIVE's seamless integration of online hyperlinks represents a new and dynamic way for our readers to access the information they want," says Russell Glitman, Multimedia World's editorial director. "If readers are interested in more background on a certain topic, a link can connect them immediately to additional editorial content that resides online." The November issue of "LIVE!" will contain "linked" articles on Multimedia World's cover story for that month and an interactive test report of video cards, CD-ROM drives and multimedia systems. It will also include a selection of games, utilities, clip media, and drivers, as well as links to popular online software libraries. "CompuServe is uniquely positioned to bring greatest value to the Multimedia World LIVE!'s customers," says William Hueter, CompuServe's senior marketing manager of advanced technologies. "Up to the minute online hardware and software product information, conferencing, messaging and electronic customer registration are all available through CompuServe on this outstanding CD-ROM." Multimedia World has reserved 200MB on LIVE! for interactive advertising, software demos, and hyperlinks to Web sites, allowing advertisers to display product demos and/or provide links to their online forums or web sites. Multimedia World is published by PC World Communications, a subsidiary of International Data Group. -/- CompuServe Debuts Net Service -/- CompuServe's Internet division has announced the first worldwide consumer Internet service. Priced at $4.95 per month, the service -- code-named SPRYTE -- is designed to make the Internet available to every household. "For the cost of a burger and fries, every family can now join the Internet community," says Tim Oren, vice president and general manager of CompuServe's Internet division. "We're making it easy for every person to communicate with his or her friends, relatives and colleagues online, around the world. Having an Internet address and Web page are becoming expectations, just like the fax and phone number before them. We're growing the worldwide Internet by filling these needs at an affordable consumer price point." SPRYTE is the first worldwide Internet service to include free Internet software, low-cost, local Internet access in nearly every city and value-added services, such as the ability to create personal home pages. Available by the end of the year, SPRYTE will include three free hours of Internet access for $4.95 a month. Additional hours will be charged at $1.95 per hour. Through CompuServe's global network, SPRYTE customers will be able to make local Internet access calls in more than 96 percent of the United States and overseas in numerous cities such as Brussels, Tokyo, Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin, Bogota and Moscow. -/- Survey Profiles Net Citizens -/- Some 3.7 percent of American adults now are on the Internet. Most are men, earning between $25,000 and $75,000 a year. Some 5.8 million Americans have direct access to the Net. Another 3.9 million reach the Internet through commercial online services. Those are the key findings of a new survey commissioned by publishers O'Reilly & Associates and Trish Information Services. Associated Press writer Elizabeth Weise says that based on those figures, O'Reilly estimated the online world in the United States will grow by another 6 million adults over the next 12 months. Notes Nick Collins of Trish Information Systems in Hayward, California, which conducted the survey, "That's a 60 percent growth rate. We'd like our business to be growing 60 percent, for sure." Other findings of the "Defining the Internet Opportunity" survey: -:- 67 percent of individuals with direct Internet access were male and more than half were between the ages of 18 and 34. A further 25 percent were in the 35 to 44 age bracket. -:- The median annual household income of Internet users in 1994 was between $50,000 and $75,000. -:- The most common job listed for those who had access to the online world was sales, 19 percent, followed by engineering, 15 percent. The next three job functions, 29 percent total, were information managers, administration and research and development. AP says the survey was based on phone and mail questionnaires. The first was a mail survey of 2,052 subscribers to the Global Network Navigator, an online magazine published by O'Reilly & Associates. In the second portion of the survey, 30,000 random screening interviews were done by phone to find 1,000 Internet users and 500 online service subscribers. The sampling error is plus or minus 1 percent. -/- Hilton to Test Computer Desk -/- Hilton Hotels Corp. will test an in-room personal business center, called the Hilton SmartDesk, at four of its U.S. hotels. Ten rooms in each hotel will be equipped with a full-size desk (measuring 54 inches by 30 inches), a Hewlett-Packard 50MHz '486 PC, a color monitor, a fax modem and an HP OfficeJet -- a combination fax machine, printer, and copier. Installed software will include DOS 6.22, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows, Lotus Ami Pro 3.1, Lotus Freelance Graphics 2.1 and Microsoft Powerpoint 4.0. The desk will be tested at the Atlanta Airport Hilton and Towers; The Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.; the Chicago Hilton and Towers; and the Millenium Hilton in New York City between Oct. 3 and Nov. 30. Rates for SmartDesk-equipped rooms will range from $25 to $35 above regular business rates and include unlimited use of the SmartDesk components and support services. "Striving for a desk setup that mirrors the average office, Hilton SmartDesks provide equipment, software and services that business people normally utilize on a day-to- day basis," says Robert E. Dirks, senior vice president of marketing for Hilton Hotels, which is based in Beverly Hills, California. -/- CompuServe to Accept Advertising -/- CompuServe has decided to begin accepting online advertising on its main system as well as on its site on the Internet's World Wide Web, beginning by the middle of this month. Reporting from the company's Columbus, Ohio, headquarters, United Press International notes, "CompuServe, one of the oldest and most respected providers of online information (decided) the ads will be designed as selectable icons on online menus in both areas, with users required to select the link to advertising if they want to see what sponsors have to say." The move is seen as an effort to generate new revenues so its pricing can remain competitive. Other information services have carried online advertising for years, UPI observes, notably Prodigy, where ads appear at the bottom of each screen. "The acceptance of the Internet as a medium of information exchange has also greatly expanded opportunities for advertisers to reach online users," the wire service adds. -/- Internet-Cable Link in the Works -/- Development of Internet services to the home using cable-TV systems is the goal of a new partnership between Netscape Communications Corp. and a start-up company backed by Tele-Communications Inc. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The startup, called simply Home, told the Wall Street Journal it will use Netscape's Internet software as part of a proposed nationwide service. "The venture hopes to develop a network that will link cable operators and allow high-speed, two-way communications for personal computers," the Journal added recently in a report from Palo Alto, California. Backed by TCI and the San Francisco venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the firm will use a modified version of Netscape's browser. Netscape President/CEO James Barksdale will join Home's board as part of the alliance. -/- Apple Consolidates Internet Effort -/- Apple Computer Inc. has consolidated its Internet and online content and services development into a single division. Acknowledging the strategic importance of the Internet to the company, Apple has changed the name of its online services division to Apple Internet Services and enlarged its responsibilities. In 1996, the unit will launch a series of new World Wide Web sites and services. It will also make eWorld, the company's online service, a more Internet-based service. Additionally, the division will assume control of Apple's existing World Wide Web sites, currently managed by the Worldwide Marketing and Services division. "By consolidating our Internet content and services work, and focusing our online service on the Internet, we aim to quickly create a powerful and influential Apple community on the Web," says Michael Spindler, Apple's CEO and president. "We believe the Apple brand can be as renown in Cyberspace as it is in publishing, education, and the home." -/- IBM Unveils New ThinkPads -/- IBM Corp. has introduced the latest versions of its ThinkPad notebook computer. The new ThinkPad 760 series features two models: the 760C and 760CD. Both systems feature a Pentium microprocessor, a 12.1-inch color display and a a tilt-up keyboard that automatically assumes a comfortable typing angle when opened. The PCs also include an LCD display tucked into the keyboard that gives users a constant read-out of battery life and other system functions. Additionally, an on-screen point-and-click control panel displays features and functions as photos and icons. The 760CD also provides a four-speed CD-ROM drive and an MPEG-2 video chip. "The new ThinkPad 760 notebooks are powerful alternatives to traditional desktop computers," says Joe Formichelli, the IBM PC Co.'s general manager of mobile computing. "Our customers will no longer have to buy and maintain two PCs for a single employee." Prices for the ThinkPad 760C and 760CD start at $5,349 and range up to $7,449. -/- Soaring Chip Market Seen -/- Driven by strong growth in the PC market, worldwide semiconductor revenues will climb to $149 billion this year and hit $331 billion by the 2000, according to Dataquest Inc. The market researcher, based in San Jose, California, notes that semiconductor demand will continue to outstrip supply in 1995 and 1996. Dataquest does not expect capacity to meet demand until the early part of 1997. Capacity constraints will limit semiconductor revenue growth for the second half of 1995, but 1995 revenue will still grow nearly 36 percent over last year, says Dataquest. "Our optimistic outlook for the chip industry is only clouded by the excessively long lead times for fab equipment and scarcity of skilled employees," says Gene Norrett, a Dataquest vice president. -/- Dispute Unravels Security Effort -/- Bickering is unravelling that alliance established earlier this year to develop a technical standard for protecting credit-card purchases on the Internet. As reported earlier, Microsoft Corp. and Netscape Communications Corp. have been working with such top players as credit-card rivals Visa International and MasterCard International Inc. "But this week," says reporter Jared Sandberg in this morning's Wall Street Journal, "the alliance split because of tensions between Visa and MasterCard and their respective technology partners, Microsoft and Netscape." Adds Sandberg, "Microsoft and Visa this week published a detailed description of a credit-card standard -- but with MasterCard conspicuously absent. MasterCard and Netscape now argue, in essence, that the Microsoft-Visa team is withholding the technical design to keep its approach 'proprietary' and charge software developers and financial institutions to use it." A MasterCard spokeswoman told the paper, "We're disappointed that Microsoft and Visa have opted unilaterally to take this approach," adding the Microsoft-Visa details were incomplete, thwarting banks and software firms developing new applications. MasterCard says it refused to take part in the Visa announcement because it is "contrary" to the plans for a "single open standard." The Journal says the disagreement threatens to break down into "an all-out standards battle" over how to prevent computer vandals and intruders on the Internet from filching credit-card numbers and other sensitive financial data. "The losers," says Sandberg, "could be legions of users and companies eager to do business on the Internet. Banks would be forced to accommodate multiple payment mechanisms, merchants would have to choose one or another standard or incur greater costs obtaining both systems -- passing the costs on to Internet consumers." Meanwhile, "ego also seems to be at work in the Microsoft and Netscape face-off," the paper comments, quoting Netscape Chairman James Clark as asserting that Microsoft had demanded a 20 percent stake and a seat on the board of Netscape earlier this year in return for giving Netscape important technical data on Microsoft's new operating system. Clark made that comment yesterday in what Sandberg characterized as "an otherwise low-key panel discussion" at the Seybold Conference yesterday in San Francisco. Says the paper, "An audience member asked why Netscape and Microsoft are backing different standards for commerce on the Internet, and Mr. Clark replied that Microsoft is hard to work with and detailed the equity demand as an example." -/- Apple Financial Chief Quits -/- Joseph A. Graziano is leaving as Apple Computer Inc.'s chief financial officer by the end of the year. He is stepping down, he says, "due to differences in opinion with the CEO." Reporting from Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters, United Press International says Apple's board of directors reaffirmed its full support for President/CEO Michael H. Spindler during a regularly scheduled meeting of the board yesterday. Apple Chairman A.C. (Mike) Markkula told the wire service, "The board will continue working with Spindler to address the challenges and exciting opportunities we face in the dynamic personal computer industry. The unprecedented demand for our new products demonstrates the growing appeal of the Macintosh platform. We are committed to actively working with the management team of Apple under Spindler's leadership to create value for our shareholders." Apple said in a statement that Graziano, executive vice president and chief financial officer, announced his intention to resign as a director effective immediately and leave the company by year end. "Graziano stressed that the parting is amicable," says UPI, "and that he will work with Spindler to effect a smooth transition." On the situation, the Associated Press comments, "Due to a number of missteps, Apple has been unable to keep up with surging demand for its new Power Macintosh line, which was supposed to boost its lagging market share for personal computers. A shortage of parts and chronic underestimation of demand raised speculation that the company's board would look at significant management changes at its regular meeting." The wire service also notes, "While Spindler has enjoyed Markkula's support and has been credited with engineering the transfer to the Power Macintosh line, some observers have noted that Apple's board ousted John Sculley two years ago at a time of weak profits and doubts about the company's future." AP quotes Dataquest Inc. figures as indicating Apple's share of the worldwide market -- which fell from 9.4 percent in 1993 to 8.5 percent last year -- has dropped to 7.4 percent in the current quarter. "Apple acknowledges it has misjudged demand," AP says. "The company forecast 15 percent sales growth this year, but it actually exceeded 20 percent." -/- Piracy Costing Jobs in Europe? -/- A new report suggests Western Europe could create 87,000 new jobs and generate $2.3 billion in new tax revenues by the year 2000 if it can reduce software piracy to U.S. levels. Commissioned by the U.S.-based Business Software Alliance, the report says that more than 50 percent of business software used in Europe is illegally copied, compared with 35 percent in the United States. In Brussels, BSA President Robert Holleyman told the Reuter News Service, "Software theft is the single biggest threat to the ongoing health of the computer software industry." The BSA's report, prepared by Price Waterhouse consultants, looks at the economic impact of the losses in software sales due to piracy in Western Europe -- estimated at $4.8 billion in 1994. "Such losses," it says, "are a serious constraint on the further growth of the industry, holding back further job creation, adversely affecting investment decisions, and limiting the development of software products." Holleyman told the wire service that companies and organizations that made illegal in-house copies accounted for most of the theft. Says Reuters, "By comparing hardware sales to software sales, BSA estimates that the piracy of packaged business software in Western Europe stands at 52 percent and in all of Europe at 58.6 percent. The former Soviet republics were the biggest offenders in 1994, with a rate of 97 percent, while Switzerland had the lowest rate of 35 percent." In BSA's view, European governments need to: -:- Strengthen enforcement of copyright laws, imposing harsher criminal penalties and higher damage awards. -:- Make greater use of court-ordered "surprise" seizures of illegal software. The report praises Italy for reducing its rate of illegal copying from 83 percent to 50 percent between 1992 and 1993 by cracking down on pirates. Meanwhile, Robin Burton, BSA's director of European public affairs, says the BSA is targeting Spain this year, trying to reduce its piracy rate of 73 percent, adding that the group has set up a hotline for informers and offered a reward for tips. Arcada Backup STR Infofile Arcada Backup for Windows 95 Backup Architected for Windows 95 Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system brings a wide variety of new and exciting capabilities for Windows users, including long file name support, a 32-bit architecture and extensive multi-media support. In addition, the WIN.INI file has been replaced with a more comprehensive and powerful repository called the Registry, which contains vital configuration and system security information. These new aspects of Windows 95 make Windows 3.1 backup software one of the few classes of applications that does not smoothly transition between the two operating systems. For that reason, Arcada has developed a brand new backup application for Windows 95. Arcada Backup for Windows 95 is tape backup software designed to protect the critical data stored on Windows 95 desktop computers. One of the most important aspects of the product is its comprehensive device support for all popular floppy, parallel and SCSI tape devices. This allows existing tape drive owners to maintain their investment in tape hardware, while upgrading to a new software package that is faster and easier to use. Arcada Backup for Windows 95 was developed from the ground up for Windows 95, rather than simply ported from our existing Windows 3.1 backup application. It takes advantage of new enhancements unique to Windows 95 applications, including 32-bit multi-threading. Arcada Backup for Windows 95 has been tested and approved by Microsoft to not only be compatible with Windows 95, but specifically designed for it. As users continue to increase their requirements for storage, reliable, consistent data protection becomes increasingly important. Arcada has a long history of protecting data on Microsoft operating systems, such as supplying the native backup applet in DOS 6.x, Windows 3.1 and Windows NT. NOTE: ----- Arcada Backup for Windows 95 is a "desktop" tape backup application, rather than a system designed to back up large network servers. Arcada has a variety of other products -- Backup Exec for Windows NT and Backup Exec for Netware, for example -- specifically designed for a system administrator's requirements to protect vast amounts of heterogeneous data on the enterprise. What's New And Improved ----------------------- Long File Names -- Users can create long file names to suit their needs using Arcada Backup for Windows 95. The products supports long file names and all new file attributes, such as Access Date, available under Windows 95. (Windows 3.1 backup software doesn't intuitively recognize the long file names, rather it truncates them back to the 8.3 length.) Windows 9S Registry.- Arcada Backup recognizes the importance of the registry, ensuring complete non-intrusive recovery of system configuration information, such as installed hardware and system resources, security information, and user preferences. Failure to handle the registry properly during backup (and particularly restore) may require reinstalling applications, reestablishing preferences, or in severe cases, prevent the computer from booting up. Plug-and-Play -- When used with compatible devices, Arcada Backup for Windows 95 automatically resolves any conflicts between tape devices and other hardware to automate its installation and configuration. New device installation can present conflicts with DMA or Interrupts, SCSI IDs, or matching a driver to a new device. With the support of Plug-and-Play, Windows 95 goes a long way to eliminate these problems. Wizards -- Arcada Backup's Wizards walks novice users through a backup or restore process one screen at a time. This mode ensures users hav6 a choice of selecting each available option, while the system provides recommended defaults. Even experienced users find the Wizards helpful, discovering features they never knew existed. Comprehensive Device Support -- Arcada has always provided support for a large number of tape devices. Backup for Windows 95 expands upon Arcada's already widespread tape drive support, which includes not only traditional floppy and parallel tape devices, but also all popular SCSI tape devices. Job-Based Backup Sets -- Arcada Backup conveniently lets users create backup job files that can be saved, scheduled or edited at any time. Users only need to select and back up files once. After that, users can schedule the job to run in the background at any time or day of the week. WinFax Pro & Win 95 STR Infofile WinFax PRO 4.0 and WIN95 Generally WinFax PRO 4.0 can run in WIN95. WinFax was made for Windows 3.x and has no forward compatibility, so there are some restrictions on using some modules of WinFax. If you had installed WinFax PRO 4.0 before upgrading to WIN95, then it is recommended to make a re-install. If you installed also MS Office 7.0, then do the re-install after installing MS Office. First Installation in WIN95 Insert the setup-disk in the floppy-drive and click on the START button. You can install from the RUN menu or from SETTINGS/CONTROL PANEL/ADD- REMOVE PROGRAMS. Bypass the first setup-window asking for progman.exe by clicking on CONTINUE. In the installation window select CUSTOM INSTALL. Do NOT install the macros. Deselect the Application-Macros when you are using WIN95-applications (ie. MS Office 7.0), because the macro language has changed in the new applications and all existing macros can NOT be used. Do NOT install in directories with long names! It is strongly recommended, that you install in the given locations. - Let the install do the test of the COM-port: WinFax can only install on COM-ports 1-4. - If your 28.8-modem is not listed in the modem list: Select the same model with 14.400 bps (faxing is done on max. 14.400 bps) or select the generic modem. - Bypass the window requesting for changes in system.ini by clicking on NO. Do NOT install wfxcomm.drv, WIN95 must have his own driver named comm.drv. - In User-Setup fill in at least your CSID: Use only numbers. It is unlawful to use a modem without CSID in some countries and some fax- machines interrupt connections without a CSID. - After the install edit your autoexec.bat and add the exact path to the existing path-statement. The path could show then as follows: PATH=C:\;C:\WINFAX; (assuming you have installed in C:\WINFAX) Edit only with an ASCII-editor, ie. Notepad, or use the system-editor. After setting the path, restart your computer, so the settings can take effect. - If you have a DCSETUP failure: See below in "Error-Handling". Re-Install of WinFax 4.0 in WIN95 Proceed as above (Install). Install to the same location as the existing WinFax-installation. Your existing phonebook, log-listing, attachments and cover-pages are NOT overwritten on re-install! If you have a DCSETUP failure: See below in "Error-Handling". Installing the system-editor from WIN95 If you want to look at the contents of your system-files or you want edit these files, then you can use the system-editor. Start EXPLORER (size down to half window) and search the file SYSEDIT.EXE in the system directory. Now click with the right mouse button on the Start button and click on OPEN. Click twice on the Program folder. Now drag the sysedit folder and let it drop on the Accessories folder. From now on you have a menu option (in Accessories) for the system editor. System-files: autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini, system.ini, protocol.ini and msmail.ini. Using WinFax PRO 4.0 in WIN95 - You must set WinFax to the path in autoexec.bat. - Disable the background spooling of your WinFax-printer: In Control Panel click twice on the printer applet, click with the right mouse-button on the WinFax printer and select PROPERTIES. In properties click on the DETAILS tab, then on the SPOOL SETTINGS button: Select then "Print directly to the printer" and click on OK. - If you want to print to WinFax out of any Windows-application, then start first WinFax (minimized) and use then the application. - Before printing to WinFax you have to set WinFax as the default printer. You can do this on clicking FILE (main bar) and PRINTER SETTING... If you are using an application without the menu-item PRINTER SETTING, then you have to set the printer in Control Panel. Do not forget to set the printer back to your local printer, if you want print anything on paper. - Never use long filenames to save attachments or cover-pages. Error-Handling DCSETUP failure on installing You have a Logitech mouse installed. Disable the Logitech-driver: - In Control Panel click twice on the mouse applet. - Select the GENERAL tab and click on the CHANGE.... button. - Mark SHOW ALL DEVICES and wait for the list. - Mark [Standard mouse types] and mark Standard PS/2 Port Mouse. - Click on OK and wait until you see the new driver, then click on close. - The computer must be restarted to take effect. - Now install WinFax as above. - After installing change WinFax back to the old Logitech settings. If you don t change back and you have a three-button mouse, then the middle button is not available for future use. Installation failure on testing the COM-port WIN95 can install PnP modems on any port above the last standard COM-port 4 and it does this, when other hardware (ie. Souncards, CD-ROMs) is using interrupts and/or addresses from COM 1-4. WinFax can only use COM 1-4. In this case disable (or pull out of the computer) all other hardware and re- install your PnP modem. Reinstall the other hardware in WIN95. If the Delrina Test fails on your modem on COM 1-4, then it is possible that your modem is not compatible with WinFax. Contact the modem-maker. Your modem is not listed in the modem list First check your modem manual to find an init-string for WinFax. If you find the same make and a model with 14.400 bps in the modem list, then use this init-string. If all fails ask in the forum for help. If you are requested to send the test-report (filename deltest.log in Windows directory), then send this report by e-mail or by fax (the file doesn t fit in a forum message). Failure when clicking on the ATTACH applet - Attachments can always made in the send-window on clicking the MAKE ATTACHMENT... - Clicking on the ATTACH applet in the normal log-view can not be handled from WinFax PRO 4.0 in WIN95. You can temporarily bypass on proceeding as follows: - Close WinFax and rename the file attach.db (in the data directory) to attach.old. - Restart WinFax and you can use for the current session the ATTACH applet. Existing attachments are not listed, so you have to add these attachments. - When you shut down WinFax and you want use the ATTACH applet in your next WinFax session, then you have to rename again attach.db. Failure while recognizing in the OCR-engine If you have problems on recognizing a long text, then split up the recognizing on selecting pages 1-10 (first run), page 11-20 (second run) etc. If you have a failure while recognizing, you can t shut down WinFax, so you have to restart WIN95. ATM fonts As per readme-file from Microsoft in WIN95, ATM fonts can not be used in most fax applications. Corrupted logs and/or re-installation on other locations If you re-installed your WinFax to another location (drive/directory) and/or you can t see your existing events, then the file log.db (data directory) is still pointing to the old location or the file is corrupt. Rename this file (out of WinFax) to log.old and restart WinFax. The file is rebuild and you should see the old events. The log-list itself is stored in the file status.ftm. If this file is corrupted (you can rename it too) then there is NO possibility to rebuild your existing log! The same is valid for your phonebook: phone.db is pointing to your phonebook. The phonebook itself is stored in default.dbf. The same is valid for your attachments: attach.db is pointing to the attachment-list, named attach.ftm. General When you had a failure and the program shuts down, then on restarting WinFax you often get messages like "can not open phonebook" or "the COM- port is in use by another application". In this case restart WIN95 and WinFax will work again. If you need help from Delrina, write in the forum to a person. You can see all names of the Delrina Tech Staff in the Sysop roster. The coming new WinFax for WIN95: WinFax PRO7.0 Delrina today (August 9th, 1995) made a press release on the Communications Suite 7.0 for Windows95 the following is an excerpt specific to WinFax, this a very slick package. If you have a voice modem the voice features, are really great : Integrated Messaging In previous versions of WinFax, the software was able to send, receive and manage e-mail messages, along with faxes. WinFax PRO 7.0 raises messaging to a new level, enabling users to manage not just e-mail but other messaging types. WinFax PRO 7.0 provides integrated messaging enabling users to manage all their fax, e-mail, voice and paging messages in an integrated messaging log (i.e. in box) and address book. The software is a also able to mix messaging types, and for example, initiate a paging message to notify the user that an urgent fax or voice message has arrived. WinFax PRO also completely merges with Microsoft Exchange, the e-mail client component in Windows 95, transparently sharing information. WinFax PRO 7.0 includes over 100 new features and functional improvements including the capability to transmit up to 1/3 faster. Also, people can now fax high quality gray scale images, such as photographs, when using devices such as the WinFax Scanner. Other enhancements include Post- it type cover pages, the ability to define recurring fax transmissions, automatic hard copy confirmations of transmissions, rule- based auto-forwarding/routing, and the award-winning Xerox TextBridge 3.0 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine. Compiled by Peter Koerber, 100517,1256 (not from Delrina) September 30, 1995 Reviewed by Michael Marriott Delrina NEWS NOTES STR Spotlight Delrina To Include Powerful Windows 95 Data Communications Software with Cyberjack Internet Product WinComm PRO 7.0 Includes All The Features Users Need to Access BBSs, On- Line Services and Host Computers TORONTO, ONT -- September 19, 1995 -- Delrina Corporation (NASDAQ:DENAF, TSE:DC), the leading supplier of PC communications software for Windows, today announced that it will include WinComm PRO 7.0 for Microsoft Windows 95 in the box with its Internet product Cyberjack 7.0. WinComm PRO is a general purpose communications package for connecting to BBSs (bulletin board services), on-line services like CompuServe, MCI Mail, and Genie, and host computers through terminal emulation. Unlike on-line packages that have evolved from text-based origins, WinComm PRO is graphically oriented, making on-line connections simpler and easier. It also includes all the essential utilities associated with general purpose communications, like anti-virus technology and a ZIP manager for managing compressed files, in a single integrated package so users do not have to piece together such components from other sources. The new version 7.0 builds upon its tradition as one of the leading data communications products and: * Improves performance and usability with 32-bit, multitasking, multithreaded code, enabling complete background communications, plus other enhancements under Windows 95. * Includes Image Manager, a built-in image file viewer that lets users view image files as they are downloaded, and also lets the user edit and manipulate them. * Includes an integrated ZIP manager that lets users visually manage files that are in a compressed ZIP format. * Includes built-in virus detection through Norton AntiVirus for compressed or uncompressed files, to protect users from inadvertent computer virus infection acquired from a file that was downloaded. * Includes Delrina Basic, a new Visual Basic-like scripting language making WinComm PRO more easily customizable and programmable. * Supports RIPscrip graphics terminal emulation (Remote Image Processing), so users can navigate RIP capable BBSs with their mouse and experience the new graphically-enhanced bulletin boards. According to Delrina president Mark Skapinker, "Despite the mass appeal of the Internet, there is still a huge population of users that subscribe to bulletin boards, that work remotely and need terminal connections to their company's host systems, or who need a solid general purpose data communications package that can connect them to an on-line service. WinComm PRO is designed to provide Windows 95 users with an integrated and comprehensive general purpose package that includes all of the little utilities that surround on-line activities. Rather than trying to piece-meal all these utilities and shoe-horn them on top of the basic communications you get in the operating system, we're including WinComm PRO in the box with Cyberjack. The combination of Cyberjack for the Internet and WinComm PRO for general data communications, gives users a full-featured package to handle all of their on-line needs." On-Line 95 WinComm PRO 7.0 is written to take advantage of all the new communications enhancements under Windows 95. The software is full 32-bit, multitasking, multithreaded code, which delivers faster, more reliable data communications, even while running other computer-intensive applications. WinComm PRO 7.0 also takes advantage of Plug 'n Play for easier installation and configuration of fax modems. The software has also been written for full OLE 2.0 (Object Linking & Embedding) compliance, which allows users to do things like drag an on-line session icon from the WinComm phonebook directly to one's desktop. For example, to connect to a particular session, a user would normally have to open the WinComm PRO program folder, launch the program, search for the session icon in the phonebook, and then click on the icon to launch the session. If a user frequently connects to a particular on-line service, such as a stock price quoting service, they can drag the session icon directly on their desktop. By clicking on the icon, WinComm PRO is automatically launched with the complete session settings, taking the user directly to the service. The user interface of WinComm PRO 7.0 has been further refined based on Microsoft Office conventions (product is MS Office logo'd), which provides consistency, ease-of-use, and reduces the learning curve between it and other Office compatible applications. WinComm PRO still maintains its advanced usability features like split-screen session windows, 5000 line backscroll buffer and context sensitive menus accessible from a right mouse click. Integrated On-Line Utilities In the past, users have had to source on-line utilities, such as an image viewer or compression software, from third parties, either as freeware, shareware or from more expensive commercial packages. Furthermore, none of the utilities could work together. WinComm PRO 7.0 includes a comprehensive set of integrated on-line utilities, including an image manager, a ZIP file manager and Norton AntiVirus. The image manager (Image Manager) displays most common image files (17 types) so users can immediately view images that they have downloaded. It also has the ability to display the image as it downloads, so a user can cancel their download if the file is not what they expect, saving them on- line connection charges. In addition, Image Manager also provides some basic image manipulation features normally found in more sophisticated packages like Adobe PhotoShop, such as rotating the image, changing the color palette or adding additional contrast. The built-in ZIP Manager and Norton AntiVirus technology in WinComm PRO 7.0 work in conjunction. For example, compressed files cannot be checked for computer viruses, unless they are first uncompressed. WinComm PRO, however, is able to automatically uncompress a downloaded file to check for viruses. The integration of the ZIP manager and AntiVirus technology provides an important safeguard against inadvertent infections due to lack of care or the accidental launching of an infected file or program that has been downloaded. Scripting WinComm PRO 7.0 now has a new scripting language, Delrina Basic, which is completely compatible with Microsoft Visual Basic. Scripts, which can either be written or recorded, provide users with the ability to automate tasks for on-line sessions. In past versions of WinComm PRO, the scripting capability was 'C' language based, which is robust, but more difficult to learn and use than Basic. The new scripting language uses the same conventions as MS Visual Basic, which is also the basis of the macro language used in all the Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel. The implementation of a Visual Basic compatible scripting capability enables a whole new set of users to automate their communications sessions. Accessing Graphical BBSs BBSs originated in a text-based communications world, but today BBSs are becoming graphical following an industry standard protocol -- RIPscrip. RIP is the BBSs equivalent of the rich graphical interface that has popularized the World Wide Web for Internet users. For example, users can now navigate RIP-based BBSs with their mouse, something not possible in the text-based world. WinComm PRO 7.0 supports RIP, enabling users to access and experience the new graphically-based BBSs. WinComm PRO 7.0 will be included in the box with Cyberjack 7.0 (a suite of Internet applications) when the two ship in Q4, 1995. The list price of the combination is $129 ($159 Cdn). Both WinComm and Cyberjack are also included as part of Delrina CommSuite 95, which includes WinFax PRO 7.0 for fax and messaging, also available in Q4, 1995. Delrina Corporation designs, develops, markets and supports innovative PC software products and services in the fax, data and voice communications, electronic forms and consumer software markets. Founded in 1988, the company is recognized as the world leader in PC fax and electronic forms software. Delrina recently announced a definitive agreement to merge with Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) of Cupertino, CA. Delrina can be contacted for more information at 1-800-268-6082 or through Delrina's Internet Web site at http://www.delrina.com. INTERPLAY SUES! STR FOCUS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 28, 1995 INTERPLAY FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST LASERSOFT FOR TRADEMARK AND TRADE DRESS INFRINGEMENT OF INTERPLAY'S DESCENT GAME Irvine, California: Interplay Productions announced today that it has commenced suit against Lasersoft, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. In its complaint, Interplay has alleged violations of federal and state trademark laws by Lasersoft in its distribution of software containing the label "DIMENSIONS FOR DESCENT" which has been sold for use with Interplay's highly popular Descent game. After reviewing submissions from both parties, the District Court issued a temporary restraining order enjoining Lasersoft from selling, advertising, distributing or otherwise marketing any computer game bearing the distinctive trade dress of Interplay's Descent computer game, and further ordered Lasersoft to immediately take whatever steps are necessary to recall all copies of its "DIMENSIONS FOR DESCENT" game that are in the possession or custody of distributors or retailers which are packaged in trade dress bearing the metallic bronze and black of Interplay's Descent game. Further proceedings have been scheduled for October 2. Founded in 1983, Interplay Productions is a company dedicated to manufacturing and distributing a wide range of award-winning Entertainment and Educational software designed by gamers, for gamers. Interplay, MacPlay (the company's Macintosh division), VR Sports (the company's sports division), and its affiliates release products for IBM and compatibles, CD-ROM and Macintosh as well as leading console game platforms. Interplay's OEM division represents over 200 titles from publishers including Davidson & Associates, Inc., Viacom New Media and Accolade to hardware manufacturers. Interplay -.titles include Descent , Dungeon Master II, The Legend Of Skulkeep, Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster, Boogerman, Virtual Pool, BattleChess and Clayfighter. More comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is available through the company's worldwide web site at http://www.interplay.com. Contact: Kirk Green Internet: kgreen@interplay.com Interplay Productions 17922 Fitch Avenue Irvine CA 92714 USA Phone: 714/553.6655 Fax: 714/262.2820 The Kids' Computing Corner STR Feature Sammy's Science House Hybrid CD-ROM for Win3.1, Win95 and Mac for ages 3 to 6 approximate retail $35 from Edmark Corporation P.O. Box 97021 Redmond, WA 98073-9721 206-556-8480 Program Requirements IBM Macintosh CPU: 386DX/33 CPU: Color Mac RAM: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs OS: Win 3.1 or later OS: System 7.0.1 HDISK: 2 megs free HDISK: n/a VIDEO: SVGA 640x480 with 256 colors VIDEO: 256 colors, 13" monitor CD-ROM: Double-speed recommended CD-ROM: Doublespeed recommended Misc.: mouse, sound card by Frank Sereno Sammy's Science House is a wonderful collection of activities which inspire children to learn about science. Sammy and his friends make science fun and entertaining. Children will not be bored with long lectures or forced to learn obscure facts. Instead, children have fun as they experiment in Sammy's house. Five activities are available. Each has its own learning objectives but each is fun to play. All activities have a "Question and Answer Mode" in which an on-screen character will query the child. Four activities have an "Explore and Discover Mode" which allows your child to play creatively within each activity. To go to an activity, simply click on its icon on the main screen. Within each activity, clicking on the picture frame will switch play between "Q & A" and "Explore" modes. The Workshop encourages creativity and builds logic and analytical thinking skills. This activity has three levels of difficulty. In "Explore" mode, children choose pieces from a pegboard. They can choose to match a blueprint or they can mix and match parts to make their own creations. They can then use the simple painting tools to color the finished work. In the "Q & A" mode, children are asked to assemble a particular object from the parts available. They must logically decide which parts are needed and where to place them. Higher difficulty levels have a larger assortment of parts and more parts are required to assemble the requested object. Children will learn about weather and proper dress in the Weather Machine. In this activity, weather has three variables in temperature, moisture and wind. Each is represented by icons and has three settings. In "Explore" mode, children change the variables and then watch an animation to see the effects of the selected conditions. The character in the animation will be wearing the proper clothing for that weather condition. The "Q & A" mode requires the child to select the requested conditions. Sorting Station teaches children about scientific classification, to discriminate attributes between items and practice sorting. This activity asks your child to sort items into classifications by placing them into the properly labeled bin. The level of difficulty can be increased by choosing to sort between two, three or four bins. Children can learn the scientific and common names of the objects by clicking on their pictures. When all the objects are correctly sorted, the bins will dance in celebration. "Lights! Camera! Action!" Your child becomes the director in Make-A- Movie. Children learn logic, order and progression as he assembles scenes into the proper order. Movies are made by clicking and dragging the scenes onto the proper frame of the film. Once the film is assembled, he can watch it be played forward or reverse in Sammy's Theater. The final activity is Acorn Pond. Children can learn about the environment, ecology and climate as they watch the effects of seasonal changes on the plants and animals at a small pond. The screen shows a cutaway view of Acorn Pond. Four icons on the bottom of the screen will change the seasons. Children can learn about the different plants and animals by clicking on them. The narrator will then describe the activities or characteristics of that object. Another icon opens the Field Notebook which contains more detailed information about the inhabitants of Acorn Pond. Clicking on the owl icon shifts the program into "Q & A" mode. The owl will ask questions about the animals of Acorn Pond based on the information provided in the Field Notebook and from the "Explore" mode of the activity. Once the question is posed, several possible answers will be placed on the screen and the child must click on the correct one. The graphics in Sammy's Science House are good. Bright and attractive colors are used throughout the program to maintain your child's interest. The animations are filled with humor to entertain him. The sound portion of the program is better. The voice characterizations are excellent. The program is filled with attention-grabbing sound effects. The music will never win a Grammy, but it is a catchy tune. The interface is excellent. It is very easy to navigate this program and the icons are very intuitive. Audible help is always available by clicking on the host of each activity. Negative feedback is always encouraging and gentle while positive feedback is very flattering and enthusiastic. Adult options allow for the customization of the program for your child and is also the way to access on-line help. The on-line help is very good and complements the user manual. The manual is very good and is filled with hints to enhance your child's learning experiences. It also contains a good troubleshooting guide. Sammy is KidDesk-aware so it works seamlessly with Edmark's desktop launching program. It also supports the autoplay feature of Windows 95. Play value is very good. Children will enjoy these fun activities. Most will probably find one activity they prefer to the others, but all these activities are very beneficial. Educational value is excellent. A myriad of fun learning experiences is provided in a very friendly and encouraging environment. This positive first experience with science will be very beneficial to children as they study science in school. One of the most important characteristics of a scientist is curiosity and Sammy's Science House helps children to develop their curiosity. Sammy sells for around $35. This excellent price is enhanced by Edmark's ninety-day guarantee. This award-winning program is highly recommended. Ratings Graphics 8.5 Sound 9.0 Interface 10.0 Play Value 9.5 Educational Value 9.5 Bang for the Buck 10.0 Average 9.42 For Immediate Release The Learning Company Launches Let's Start Learning! for Building Essential Preschool Skills New All-in-One Software is the Entry Point to the Reader Rabbit Series The Learning Company (NASDAQ:LRNG) today announced Let's Start Learning!, the one early learning program parents will want if they want it all in one. With this new CD-ROM software, which is available now for Macintosh and Windows personal computers, children build preschool skills with letters, numbers, shapes and patterns through interactive play. In addition, Let's Start Learning! encourages multisensory learning on and off the computer through five original songs and joyful audio, and with delightful graphics and animation. Designed for children ages two through five, Let's Start Learning! is now the entry point to the best-selling Reader Rabbit series of software programs. In this "all-in-one" program, Reader Rabbit and friends lead children through a wondrous, interactive playworld, Five engaging activities build essential preschool skills, providing a solid foundation for reading, math and thinking skills. Because of the importance of large-motor skills at this young age, Let's Start Learning! encourages multisensory learning with a "movement spot" that guides children to jump, stretch, dance and sing in addition to play at the computer. A song button brings to life and original song for each of the five activities. To continue the learning and fun, the songs can be played on any CD audio system. "The strong, multisubject educational content Let's Start Learning! combined with multisensory play fosters confidence and an early love of learning," said John Stacey, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for The Learning Company. "For parents wondering what software to buy for their preschoolers, Let's Start Learning! is both a great start to learning as well as a great start to The Learning Company's comprehensive system of learning products." In each of the Let's Start Learning! activities, children progress through four challenge levels - discover, build, apply and play - with each level focused on developing key learning concepts. Once children master the learning essentials in Let's Start Learning!, they are ready to move on to other programs in The Learning Company's Reader Rabbit series. As children begin the program, they are greeted by Mat the Mouse, who introduces them to Reader Rabbit and the carousel pony. Mat invites the children to take a pony ride to the Learning Kingdom, but first they must complete all four levels of each activity to earn special keys to unlock the pony. As children set out to collect the keys, engaging skill-building activities with progressively challenging levels provide hours of learning and fun: Counting Club: In this musical introduction to the world of numbers, Ali the Counting Cat guides children as they learn counting, number recognition and simple math. Friendly frogs, turtles, snakes and Wheel Bear wiggle, dance, jump and whirl together or one by one with the click of the mouse. ABC Diner: Reader Rabbit serves up essential skills as children progress from matching letters to recognizing letters and their sounds to identifying first-letter sounds. Ed the Dog rewards correct answers with his silly antics, while a creature hiding behind the counter enjoys eating the wrong answers. Shape Shack: By helping Mit the Monkey classify his toys, children solidify skills fundamental to reading, science and thinking, In this playful sorting activity, children learn to classify by color, shape, category and sound, progressing from single- to multiple-attribute sorting games and they advance through the activity levels. Pattern Parade: Ben the Ant and his ragtag band of colorful pigs, foxes and bears lead a parade of patterns. This rousing, rhythmic activity encourages children to identify and create patterns based on color, size and sound. The correct answer is rewarded with a musical blast, while a wrong answer causes the band member to float away on a colorful balloon, encouraging children to try again. Back at the carousel, children can click on the movement spot to join Mat the Mouse in the dancing, stretching, wiggling and giggling. The friendly Program Options Pad (POP) is accessible to parents at any time, providing them with further demonstrations of the key movements and information on the educational content, and allowing them to customize certain program features such as program levels. Pricing and Availability Let's Start Learning! is available now in CD-ROM format for Macintosh- and Windows-based personal computers at an estimated retail price of $45. Let's Start Learning! runs on Windows 3.1 and is Windows 95 compatible, including support of the autoplay feature. System Requirements The program requires an IBM or compatible or Macintosh computer with a double-speed CD-ROM drive. The Windows version requires a 386DX/33 Mhz processor or better; 4 MB of RAM; a hard disk; a 256-color SVGA monitor; a Windows-compatible sound card; DOS version 5.0 or higher and Windows version 3.1 or higher (including Windows 95). The Macintosh version requires a 68030 processor or better; 4 MB of RAM; a hard drive; a 256- color monitor and System 7.0.1 or higher. The Learning Company is a leading developer of quality educational personal computer software products for use at home and at school. The company's product strategy is to use the benefits of new technologies to offer both home and school markets a comprehensive line of engaging software products that help build life-long learning and communications skills. The Learning Company is located at 6493 Kaiser Drive, Fremont, CA 94555; telephone (800) 852-5255 (Customer Support), (510) 796-3030 (Technical Support), or (510) 792-2101 (Main). The Learning Company and Reader Rabbit are registered trademarks and Let's Start Learning! is a trademark of The Learning Company. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. I had planned to do more this week, but the flu season has already struck in the Midwest. It wasn't too serious but I hope that you avoid catching it. And as always, I thank you for reading! SOUND BLASTER PnP AWE 32 STR Spotlight SOUND BLASTER - AWE 32 PnP SB3960 CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES by R.F. Mariano Creative Technologies' new PnP Sound Blaster AWE 32 is a fully compatible sound card (Win95/NT)offering superb sound and powerful features. It comes with the SB 16 ASP thus, it supports all games and software designed for previous SB models. The Digital Audio is excellent. 16 bit goes to 44.1Khz. Also included is an outstanding Wavetable Synthesizer that employs the new E-mu 8000 chip. AWE 32 was among the first products to be released with this chip and its been reported E-mu themselves have a few synthesizers on the way. 1Mb of sample ROM provides a full set of general MIDI sounds. The overall Sound quality is quite a bit better than waveblaster and I might add just as good as many of the "pricey" cards. The AWE 32 is an excellent value. Additionally, if one installs the WaveBlaster II daughter card on the AWE32, the performance is at least ten times better than that of the original AWE32 and the SCD-15 from Roland. This was the desireable combo but no longer. The AWE32 & WaveBlaster II is a sizzling HOT combo that simply can't be beat! Not at any price. The ASP chip is used for Text Assist, Creative's superb Text to Speech application. Text Assist sounds very life-like. The ASP chip is also used for the Q-Sound function. Q-Sound is a software controlled sound effects generator used for implementing three dimensional sounds. Q-Sound makes the sounds appear to come from a range of areas relative to the L/R speakers. From the far left to the far right and all points in between. The FM Synthesizer uses the SB interface (like previous models). The Wavetable Synthesizer uses an MPU UART interface. As a result, it will work with any MPU-401 software and General MIDI or GS in game software. There are two DSP chips. One of which is used to perform real-time tasks creating Reverb and Chorus effects. There are 8 categories and variations of each. The end results are excellent. The card ships with 512k of onboard ram. This enables one to add their own Samples, Patches and Voices. Two sample banks are supplied with the AWE 32. These banks emulate an MT-32 and a GS synth. The AWE 32 supports Full GS, with extra instrument banks, Reverberation and Chorus level controllers. Two standard RAM SIMM slots are on the card, permitting the addition of up to 28 Mb (2 x 16MB simms). AFAIK, the AWE 32 is the first card that achieves the type of quality many professionals seek. I am confident they will find the AWE 32 totally acceptable. The AWE 32 PnP offers full IDE support. It handles any IDE CDRom. The software supplied is plentiful and quite nice. Except for a few DOS programs (utils) the good stuff is for Windows 95. (so what else is new?) The Sound Blaster Mixer, (with functional LED's) Q-Sound and the superb configuration software, a multimedia suite with MIDI file player, Cd Audio player and WAV player. Of course, as an added "bonus" Voice assist (Voice Recognition), and Text Assist (Text to Speech) are also included along with all sorts of supportive goodies. Creative's Pro Wave Studio V.2 is an excellent wave editor. HSC Interactive, also included, is an authoring program for Multimedia and I might add, seems to offer the best features of most available. Finally... there's Voyetra s Orchestra Plus, an excellent edition of a great sequencing program that's guaranteed to entice you to learn the program fully. Creative Labs PnP AWE-32 sound card Specifications Compatibility Sound Blaster Sound Blaster 16 128 instrument General MIDI MPU-401 UART Roland Sound Canvas Roland MT32 Q-Sound E-MU-SoundFont MPC-level-2 Specification (As standard) 8 & 16 bit playback & record 5KHz-44.1KHz (mono or stereo) Mixer -dig audio/MIDI/CD/line-in/mic/PC speaker output control -volume/bass/treble E-MU8000 sample wave synth 32 voice Advanced WaveEffects (AWE) synthesis 1MB GM samples 512KB user loadable samples Reverb, chorus, Q-sound, flange, delay, etc. 32 channel, 24 bit audio DSP Real-Time hardware compression & decompression of snd files Advanced signal processor (voice recognition, etc) Specification (max spec) as above but with 28MB for user loadable samples additional 32 note polyphonic wave sample GM synth I/O Configurations CDROM interface Sony/Mitsumi/Panasonic/Creative Joystick port MIDI in and out line in mic in audio out synth connector (direct to board) SPDIF for output from e-mu 8000 Pin connectors for external digital volume control Word 7.0 Overview STR Infofile MICROSOFT WORD FOR WINDOWS 95 Product Enhancements Guide Overview This guide organizes major feature enhancements of Word 95 into four main sections. The first section highlights those tools that focus on the tasks most users do every single day things like typing, spell checking, and formatting. The next section covers new features that help users communicate in a connected world, such as WordMail, Internet Assistant for Word, and tools for document sharing. The third section focuses on those features in Word 95 which make it the best word processor for Windows 95, and the final section summarizes enhancements in Microsoft Office application integration and consistency. Introduction Apart from the features seen in a brief demonstration of Microsoft Word for Windows 95, there are literally hundreds of major and minor enhancements to the product that would take hours to demonstrate. Word 95 has incorporated a tremendous amount of feedback from a number of different sources via our User Driven Design process, including: 14,000 hours of usability testing on virtually every aspect of the this round of desktop applications. Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) from its base of experience in answering over 8,641 Word 6.0 related calls influenced hundreds of changes in an effort to simplify tasks for users. Nearly 5,000 suggestions from our Word Wish telephone hotline were logged. Over 750,000 keystrokes and mouse clicks from 500 users were recorded by our Instrumented Version of Word to understand exactly how users take advantage of the product. Over 148 corporate accounts were visited for in depth interviews as part of our ABP (Activities Based Planning) process. All of this research, planning, and feedback ensured that Word 95 would be totally focused on making improvements in areas that impact users every time they use Word. Focus on Core User Tasks Spell It Microsoft Word for Windows 95 redefines spell checking by automatically completing this task as users type. Spell It eliminates the need for the time consuming process of spell-checking a document once it is complete. Word 95 takes advantage of the idle time available while users work to automatically check the document s spelling, mark misspelled words, and provide instant access to suggested correct spellings. Even if a user chooses to refrain from adjusting corrections/misspellings as they work, Spell It will have already spell-checked the document. This means that by the time the user does run the spell-checker, Word already knows which words are misspelled and can just jump from misspelled word to misspelled word. Word displays possible errors with wavy red underlines. Clicking the right mouse button on flagged words provides a context sensitive shortcut menu (shown above) with suggestions directly from the 125,000-word spelling dictionary that ships with Word 95. You can also correct errors by just editing the misspellings in your document the red underline disappears when the word is spelled correctly. Those who prefer to only view their spelling errors after they ve finished writing can easily adjust this feature to hide red underlined words while they work. Animated status bar icons show the current spelling status. To navigate to your next misspelling and raise a menu of suggestions you can double click on the status bar icon or type Alt+F7. The spelling status is stored with each document, yielding improved performance when the standard spelling dialog is used. Also, ignored words stay ignored, saving time for the user. AutoCorrect AutoCorrect, one of the most innovative features in Word 6.0, is even smarter in Word 95. It fixes a variety of new errors, and it more intelligently handles some things that Word 6.0 mistakenly corrected. Accidental usage of the cAPS LOCK key is automatically corrected. For example, when typing tHIS with the Caps Lock key depressed, Word will automatically change the typing to This and turn off the Caps Lock key. The TWo INitial CAps rule is much smarter in Word 95. It no longer mistakenly corrects CDs, PCs, MHz, or any other TWo initial capitals pattern which does not contain vowels. This dramatically reduces the number of false corrections. AutoCorrect supports an exception list for the Correct TWo INitial CApitals rule. Words in the list are not changed by AutoCorrect when they are typed, and Word even watches as you type and automatically adds words to the list if you change an AutoCorrect action. AutoCorrect supports an exception list for the Capitalize First Letter of Sentence rule. Word doesn t capitalize words that follow abbreviations from the exception list, and Word even watches as you type and automatically adds words to the list if you change an AutoCorrect action. The default AutoCorrect list has grown from 12 entries to approximately 350 based on research of the most common typographic errors and misspellings. Word 95 automatically expands many symbols into real symbol characters. Word 95 is much more flexible with regard to AutoCorrect expansion. In addition to the spacebar (which is all that Word 6.0 recognized), punctuation, apostrophes, and other delimiter characters now automatically trigger AutoCorrect expansion. This allows the symbol expansion described above as well as possessive expansions. For example (with MS_Microsoft in your list), it is possible to type MS and MS s to achieve Microsoft and Microsoft s. Likewise, typing MS(r) will yield Microsoft AutoFormat Word automatically formats your documents as you type, making it fast and easy to create beautifully formatted documents without ever taking your hands from the keyboard. Numbered lists with hanging indent are automatically created when the user manually types a number followed by white space and text. The list can be turned off by simply hitting return twice at the end of the list or backspacing over the last automatic number. Bulleted lists with hanging indents are automatically created when the user starts a paragraph with *, o, >, -, or any symbol character. As with numbered lists these can be easily turned off. Horizontal borders are automatically created when more than three of the following characters are used alone on a single line: =====, -----, or _____. Symbols, fractions and ordinals are automatically created: For example symbols like the Em Dash are created when typing -- . Fractions like «, ¬ and are created when typing 1/2, 1/4, and 3/4. Ordinals like 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are automatically formatted with superscript. Smart or typographic quotes are automatically created, and Word 95 is smart enough to properly handle these quotes as used in the 95. (HINT: 95 is incorrect). Headings are created when typing a short line without punctuation followed by two carriage returns. Address Book The new Address Book tool makes it easy to access name and address information by just clicking a button and selecting the desired name from a list. The picture below shows the most recently used (MRU) address list. Picking a name from the list automatically inserts the person s name and address into the document at the insertion point. The address book integrates tightly with the Microsoft Exchange personal address book (PAB) and the Schedule+ 2.0 contact list. Also, many of the leading industry PIM vendors are creating MAPI Address Book Providers which will allow them to work directly with this tool. Addresses can be inserted into a document by using the button above. Likewise, the same button is provided in the Envelopes and Labels feature for easy address insertion when creating envelopes and labels. In addition to the MRU shown earlier, Word maintains a separate MRU just for envelope return addresses. This make it easy for an administrative assistant to send correspondence for several different people without having to retype their return addresses. This address book tool is also integrated with the Letter, Memo, and Fax Wizards to make it easy to insert the appropriate information into each of those documents. The second step of a Mail Merge in Word now includes the option (shown below on the left) to Use Address Book. Choosing this option then prompts the user to choose between Schedule+ and PAB as shown on the right. WordBasic includes high level commands to access the MAPI PAB, making it easy for developers to include PAB functionality in their custom applications. File Open with Find Fast Word 95 makes finding, opening, and managing files much easier and more powerful than in Word 6.0. Pictured below is the dialog showing long filenames and a thumbnail preview. Word 95 merges what were formerly separate File Open and File Find utilities into one dialog box. This dialog box was modeled after the Windows 95 common dialog for File Open, but it has been extended to encompass the most common uses of the former File Find utility. For example, 98.81% of the searches created in FileFind in Word 6.0 are possible to create in the Word 95 open dialog box. In addition to file name and file type fields, File Open lets the user easily search for files based on when they were last modified. Likewise, a user can search within the actual text or property stream of any file by typing text in the Text or property field. If available, Word uses a Find Fast (discussed below) index to greatly speed the search. Otherwise, Word conducts a physical scan of the files. Since Windows 95 allows users to create much longer and more detailed file names, File Open now supports substring matching for the file name field. So, typing coffee finds files that use the string coffee anywhere within the file name and not just at the start of the name. Word 95 includes the Find Fast utility which enables File Open to search large quantities of documents extremely quickly. Find Fast enables this by creating a very small (~3.5% of the original document size) index of the target documents. Local hard drives are automatically indexed when the user installs Microsoft Word, and more advanced users can also build and maintain indexes to other drives and subtrees by using the Find Fast utility in their control panel. Find Fast can index documents created by all current Microsoft Office applications, older versions of Microsoft Word, and WordPerfect 5.x and 6.x. File Open makes it easy to quickly jump to your favorite folders or documents by just clicking on the Look in Favorites toolbar icon. Likewise, it s easy to add new files or folders to the Favorites list by clicking on the Add to Favorites icon. The user is then given a choice of adding the current Look In folder or adding the currently selected file. Choosing either automatically adds a shortcut to the Favorites folder (C:\Windows\Favorites). Of course, all of the Favorites are just as accessible from the Windows 95 shell, and new shortcuts can be added by using the Shell as well. File Open shares a consistent look and feel with the Windows 95 Open common dialog, but it also offers rich views of your documents. In addition to standard List and Details views, it can also show Properties and Preview views to let the user easily learn more about the file before opening it. File Open still offers an Advanced Find (akin to File Find of the past) dialog box which allows users to build and save much more complex searches. Of course, the results of these searches are displayed in the File Open dialog so that users don t have to negotiate two separate interfaces. ile Open and Find Fast are actually implemented once and shared by all of the Office 95 applications. This saves hard disk space for users and ensures perfect consistency across applications. File Open makes it easy to rename and delete files. To rename you just click on the name and edit it in-place as shown below. Right mouse button click to rename files Users can also perform common file management tasks like copy and delete right from within File Open. Simply right click on a file name and choose from a variety of functions listed on the context sensitive shortcut menu pictured below. File Starter Word 95 presents a simple, tabbed interface to organize its templates. Also, thumbnail previews and long file names make it easy to choose a template. The File Starter dialog box is shared by all Microsoft Office applications. When called from within each application, only the relevant files and tabs are shown for that application. The structure and names of the files and tabs shown above can be easily customized using the Windows 95 shell. To create a new tab, the user simply creates a new folder in their Microsoft Office templates folder. The contents of the folder are then displayed on a tab with the name of the folder. The folder below corresponds to the dialog shown above. Any templates at the root are displayed in the General tab. Users can even drag shortcuts (to folders or templates) into their template folder. This makes it easy for businesses and individuals alike to organize collections of templates they use most. File Save Word 95 has a new File Save dialog box. It is now easy to create new folders as you save documents by just clicking on File Save Create New Folder button shown below. The File Save dialog box is very consistent with File Open, and is also shared across all Microsoft Office applications. Just like File Open, it s easy to jump to the Favorites folder with the click of a button. Word 95 now optionally saves first page thumbnails with files, enabling other applications to display a preview for a Word file easily. Templates & Wizards To get users up and running quickly Word 95 includes document wizards and templates. Word makes it easy to create great looking documents using any of its twenty-six professionally designed templates. Word includes templates for letters, memos, fax cover sheets, reports, newsletters, press releases, resumes, and many other common documents. Word includes ten automated Wizards for creating letters, memos, fax cover sheets, newsletters, resumes, calendars, tables, meeting agendas, award certificates and legal pleading documents. TipWizard The TipWizard provides real-time suggestions to help users learn how to get their tasks done faster and easier in Word 95. The primary goal of the TipWizard is to help users complete their tasks, not to educate users with many tips about keyboard shortcuts. For example, the tip below helps users get the most out of Word s new Spell-It feature. The TipWizard works interactively with the AutoFormat (as you type) feature to provide feedback and present choices to users. For example, clicking the Change button (the left hand button below) toggles the current AutoFormat action. Clicking the Show Me button (the right hand button below) will demonstrate to the user how to turn this AutoFormat behavior on or off . It does this by visually leading the mouse pointer to the appropriate setting in Tools/Options/AutoFormat. Answer Wizard Word 95 includes totally redesigned user assistance tools. Our research indicates that about 90% of users only access 25% of Word on a daily basis. To help users to explore and learn and more about Word 95 we included the Answer Wizard. The Answer Wizard uses an emerging technology called Natural Language Processing, or NLP, to enable users to ask questions about Word 95 in their own words. It allows users to get help by typing a question using their own words rather than having to search based on the application s terminology. Based on the question, the Answer Wizard returns a list of appropriate topics. These topics are implemented as Visual Examples, Step by Step procedures or Interactive Answers whatever is appropriate for the information at hand. ScreenTips Word provides ScreenTips for a many different elements of the interface. ToolTips, first introduced in Word 6.0, ToolTips provide a brief description of Toolbar buttons. Word 95 now has the option to show shortcut keys if they exist for a particular button. QuickTips now users can get a more detailed tip on every aspect of the product, whether a menu item, a toolbar button or a dialog box control. ScrollTips the scrollbar thumb now provides a tip to show the current page when navigating your document. New Print Dialog Word 95 features a redesigned print dialog. The new dialog is consistent with other Microsoft Office 95 applications, and it is modeled after the Windows 95 common dialog. This includes more printer status information, a more logical dialog layout, and animated graphics to depict what the collate checkbox does. Switching printers can now be done by just choosing a printer from the Name drop-down list. This used to require the user to tunnel into a separate dialog. Best of all, Word 95 users can now change printers without changing the default printer for all Windows applications. Many Word 6 users requested this feature improvement. Word users can take advantage of powerful new options available in Windows printer drivers by simply clicking the Properties button. For example, shown below are the 2 up and 4 up printing options provided by the Windows 95 PostScript printer driver. Usability Improvements Word 95 includes a number of subtle but important improvements as a direct result of extensive usability testing and product support feedback. The AutoSelect feature now dynamically adapts to the user s mouse actions. By default it selects text a word at a time once the user s selection has crossed the first word boundary. However, if the user wiggles their mouse pointer to try and select just the first letter of a word, then AutoSelect lets the user select characters within that word. However, if the user continues selecting into the next word, then the automatic word selection turns back on. This allows users to enjoy the convenience of word selection without the inflexibility. The checkbox in the Insert Date and Time dialog box formerly labeled Insert as Field has been changed to Update Automatically (Insert as Field). Likewise, the formats list in the Insert Index and Tables dialog box now includes From Template. This option was formerly labeled as Custom which confused many people. Many users are not familiar with the indenting features of modern word processors. Rather, they are more comfortable with the typewriter metaphor of using the tab key to signify indent. Word 95 adapts to this by automatically treating tab as indent when appropriate. For example, if a user has a series of paragraphs selected and types tab, it is much more likely that they wanted to indent those paragraphs than to delete them and insert a tab character. Likewise, if a user types a tab at the beginning of the second line in a multi-line paragraph, they usually don t want a tab character in the stream. Advanced users can use this to easily indent and unindent without ever taking their hands from the keyboard. Word supports the use of shift + tab or backspace as unindent. To insert a tab character where it doesn t necessarily make sense, a user can always type ctrl + tab. Using the backspace key is much more intuitive for most users in Word 95. In Word 6.0, if users backspaced over a paragraph mark, it would cause that paragraph to inherit the properties of the following paragraph. Now Word 95 let s you backspace over paragraph marks without disrupting the formatting of the first paragraph. Find & Replace All Word Forms Word features linguistic technology to understand the meaning of words and their different forms. For example, if a user wants to replace the word purchase with the word buy throughout a document, Word intelligently changes not only purchase to buy but also purchasing to buying, and purchased to bought. WordPerfect Compatibility Word continues to make conversion to and from WordPerfect easy. Word includes a brand new WordPerfect 6.x file converter. The already unsurpassed WordPerfect 5.x file converter has also been improved to support better conversion of paragraph numbering. Word now includes TrueType fonts to emulate the WordPerfect Compose characters sets. Both the WordPerfect 5.x and 6.x converters use these fonts automatically on conversion. (NOTE: these fonts are only available via Word s supplemental offer coupon and in the Microsoft Office CD.) Word also offers new Compatibility Options to further mirror WordPerfect layout behavior. This allows documents to paginate more similarly to their original pagination in WordPerfect. Helping Users Communicate in a Connected World In recent years the combination of rapidly-expanding technologies, like the Internet, and proliferation of information have precipitated a fundamental change in the way we communicate and view document-based information. As we move into the future, the movement from paper-based to electronic documents will continue at an increasingly rapid pace. However, just because the world grows increasingly connected should not mean that users need to learn and understand new tools to navigate through the electronic landscape. We know users want online editing tools, the ability to communicate via electronic mail, tools to create documents for the Internet, and be able to post information to advanced workgroup information databases. We believe this should all be as easy and familiar as creating a document today. WordMail Windows 95 includes a powerful messaging client, the Microsoft Exchange universal inbox. Through the use of installable MAPI service providers, this email client can speak to a variety of servers. For more information on Microsoft Exchange see the Windows 95 Resource Kit. As shown below, Microsoft Word can optionally replace the standard Microsoft Exchange electronic mail editor. This gives users all the power and ease of use provided by Word while still being tightly integrated with the Microsoft Exchange inbox. WordMail is just Microsoft Word working in the context of mail, so virtually everything available in Word is available when using WordMail. This includes automation features such as Spell-It, AutoCorrect, AutoFormat, and AutoText, as well as rich formatting features like tables, bulleted & numbered lists, and even drawing layer callouts. WordMail messages share the exact same file format as messages sent by Microsoft Exchange, including message attachment storage. This allows WordMail users to co-exist peacefully with Exchange users while still enjoying the added richness of Word. This is because Exchange and WordMail use RTF (Rich Text Format) to store the text and formatting of a message, and RTF is a gracefully degradable format which provides a mechanism for a reader to ignore formatting that it doesn t understand. For example, a message composed in WordMail might contain a table. This same table would appear as tab-delimited text in Exchange, because Exchange doesn t support tables. Although WordMail is Microsoft Word, its interface has been customized to provide functions necessary for composing email messages. Shown below is the toolbar from the WordMail Compose note. It includes buttons to send a message, select and check names, and change message properties. WordMail even includes an button to toggle the mail header on and off, a useful way of reclaiming screen real estate when composing a longer message. In addition, the other features which appear on the toolbar are those deemed to be most useful when composing an email message. WordMail also includes a customized toolbar for use with its Read note. This includes buttons to reply, reply to all, forward, move and delete messages, and jump to the next or previous message. The toolbar also includes buttons for several Word features which are particularly useful when reading messages. This includes AutoFormat, Highlighter, and Insert Callout. To allow for peaceful coexistence with text-only email clients, messages sent from WordMail or Exchange contain a flat textual representation of the message in addition to the RTF (which is stored in a compressed form as an attachment). Thus, any email user can receive messages from WordMail or Exchange. WordMail ensures that the textual representation accurately represents formatting such as bulleted and numbered lists, and WordMail even reverse-textizes the default symbols which AutoCorrect normally cleans up. For example, AutoCorrect converts :) to and ==> to _ as you type, and WordMail ensures these symbols are readable by a text-only client. o automate a repetitive task, WordMail includes an AutoSignature feature to automatically insert a standard closing to an email message. It does this by looking in the default email template (EMAIL.DOT) for an AutoText entry named Signature and inserting this AutoText in the appropriate place when a user composes a new message, replies to a message or forwards a message. When replying to messages Word automatically styles the previous message header in a very distinctive way. This makes it easy to discern the message flow in longer reply streams. When replying to a message, WordMail has an AutoRevision feature to automatically track when a user has typed into the prior message body. Inserted text is tracked and displayed on a per author basis by automatically using Word s standard revision marking tools. Document Posting As more and more people working in organizations begin to share their documents on-line, these groups need a central place to post documents and organize large amounts of information. Microsoft Exchange is an application that allows you to post, organize, and quickly retrieve the information you need. Microsoft Word includes features for posting documents in Microsoft Exchange public folders, making it easy to share information with friends and co-workers. This means that it s easy for members of your organization to quickly find what they need saving you time, effort and ultimatelymoney. Highlighter Tool Word lets you highlight parts of your document to call them out for other users. Clicking on the highlight button changes the cursor and clicking or selecting text adds color highlighting to the document. Clicking the dropdown button lets the user select different highlight colors. (HINT: to see a broader selection of highlight colors, drag the dropdown down and to the right.) Highlighted text prints in color on a color printer, otherwise they appear in shades of gray. Display and printing of highlights can be suppressed by deselecting the highlight checkbox in Tools\Options\View. You can search for highlighted text using the Find and Replace feature in Word 95. Just select highlight on the Format dropdown. Extensible Document Properties In addition to its standard summary and statistics properties, Word 95 allows you to create custom document properties. This allows users to organize and quickly sort their documents by custom properties like case number, region, or quarter. Custom properties support several data types including Text, Date, Number and Boolean (Yes or No). Document properties are stored as part of the file and travel with it in the file system, enabling more robust document management solutions. For example, currently third party document management systems maintain a separate database of profile information for each document, but if the document leaves the repository this profile does not travel with it. Using custom document properties these vendors can now store this profile information with the actual document, thereby maintaining the profile information wherever the document travels. All properties are stored in a standard, defined way using OLE structured storage. This allows third party applications to easily access and change the property streams without opening the file in Microsoft Word. Properties can be linked to text which has been tagged with the Bookmark feature in Word. These properties can be updated bi-directionally. For example, as bookmarked text changes within a document, the property changes dynamically. Likewise, if another application changes a linked property then Word updates the bookmarked content when opening the file. The next to a property in the dialog above symbolizes that it is linked to a Bookmark. Word includes a docproperty field to allow users to incorporate properties into the actual document content. This field includes arguments to access any property, including custom properties. The property dialog shown above is shared by all Microsoft Office applications. OLE Property Exchange As mentioned above, Word 95 and other Office 95 based applications can exchange document properties with any application through the use of OLE to store the property streams. Shown below is an example of this integration as used by the Microsoft Exchange client. When a document is dragged and dropped to a Microsoft Exchange folder, it automatically extracts all of the document properties, including custom properties. Any of these properties can then be exposed and used to build folder views as shown above. Exchange supports three level of grouping (the view above is grouped by Author) as well as the creation of column headings for any property. Notes/FX Support Just like Word 6.0c for Windows, Word 95 can exchange document properties with Lotus Notes via Notes/FX. Word 95 now supports version 1.1 of Notes/FX. Coupled with support for extensible document properties, Office 95 based applications actually make it easier to integrate with Lotus Notes than the current generation of Lotus SmartSuite applications. Microsoft Online Services Support If you have a modem, Word 95 makes it easy to register electronically using The Microsoft Network (MSN). Likewise, the Word forums on MSN are just a mouse click away just select The Microsoft Network on Word s help menu to see a list of shortcuts to MSN. Word Viewer To help distribute Word documents online, Microsoft has developed the Word Viewer for Windows, a no-charge, stand-alone, application that enables anyone to view Word documents on a machine running Windows. The Word Viewer enables users: Full viewing and printing options users can choose from a wide selection of options for viewing Word documents ranging from page layout and outline view to annotations as well as headers and footers. View all of Word formatting capabilities anyone using the Word Viewer can view any formatting feature possible in Word ranging from multiple columns and Drop Caps to richly formatted tables. Distribute documents with rich data the Word Viewer enables users to view and manipulate data contained in OLE Objects such as Microsoft Excel Charts and multimedia sounds. Enables anyone to View Word documents online The Word Viewer can serve as a helper application to Web Viewing tools like Mosaic or Netscape, thereby allowing Word users to post richly formatted Word documents on the Internet and share them with users who don t own Word. No charge, freely distributable Anyone can download the Word Viewer for free and distribute it to friends and co-workers free of charge. With this product, sharing Word documents on-line and off is easier than ever before. Internet Assistant for Word Internet Assistant for Microsoft Word for Windows is a free add-on that makes Word an easy and powerful tool for creating, sharing, and exploring information on the Internet. Here are the features that make Internet Assistant the most powerful and unique Internet authoring solution available: Integrated solution Internet Assistant is the only application that enables users to author, view, and browse through documents on the Internet from within a single interface, eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications while users create documents for the Web. The Web tool for anyonesince Internet Assistant removes the complexities of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the standard document format for the World Wide Web, anyone who knows Word can create documents for the Internet. Internet Assistant eliminates the need to learn HTML because it automatically converts Word documents to HTML for you. Extensive formatting capabilitiesusers that want to distribute richly formatted online documents with multiple fonts, variable width columns and tables can save their documents to the Web in Word file format. In addition, users can distribute Word documents that contain OLE 2.0 embedded objects such as Microsoft Excel charts and PivotTable dynamic views. Great Application for Windows 95 Optimized for Windows 95 Word 95 has been optimized to take advantage of the improved architecture of Windows95. Word is fully 32-bit and optimized for improved performance. This allows it to multitask more effectively under Windows 95. It s important to note that Word 95 is the second 32-bit version of Word, building on top of the work done for the earlier release of Word 6.0 for the Windows NT operating system. The multithreading capabilities in Windows 95 allow Word to provide improved system responsiveness when background printing. Likewise, multi- threading is used in the FileOpen dialog box to ensure responsiveness when performing searches. Word takes advantage of the improved file system in Windows 95 to raised the capacity of its Master Document feature. Whereas Word 6.0 running under Windows 3.x could only manage 30 sub-documents, Word 95 can handle approximately 512 sub-documents. Long filename support At long last, Windows 95 allows users to use more descriptive names for their documents instead of the cryptic 8.3 names that have formerly been required. Word 95 takes full advantage of this capability. Word also honors the system setting to hide extensions for registered files when it displays file names on the title bar, in the Window menu, on the MRU files list, and anywhere else it displays file names. Updated Visuals Word 6.0 and other Office 4.x applications pioneered ToolTips, tabbed dialogs, and a 3-D look as standard interface elements. Now that Windows 95 takes advantage of these user interface conventions and introduces others, Word has been updated to support the look and feel of Windows 95. Office 95 based applications also include several other enhancements which are designed to provide a more polished and professional feeling. The Word toolbars, dialog boxes, and other interface elements are all consistent with the look and feel of Windows 95. Word takes advantage of the proportional scrollbar thumbs provided by Windows 95 to make document navigation easier. Several of the Word 95 dialog boxes have been redesigned to emulate the look and feel of the Windows 95 common dialogs. The includes the Open, Save, New, and Print dialogs. To provide a more polished feel, Word 95 now has smooth scrolling. When a line wraps while typing, Word smoothly slides the rest of the document text down the screen. For performance reasons this scrolling only occurs when typing within a paragraph or using soft returns. Word and the other Office 95 based applications have a distinctive title bar which features a gradient wash. Multi-Language Support Windows 95 provides very rich international support, and Word takes advantage of this to smoothly support the creation and spell checking of multilingual documents as shown below. Multiple Keyboards Windows 95 lets users install keyboard layouts and font sets for multiple languages as shown below. Language Switching When multiple languages are installed, an indicator (below on the left) is optionally included on the taskbar. Clicking on this indicator yields a context sensitive menu (below on the right) to choose a language and keyboard setting. Language switching can also be done from the keyboard as shown in the dialog above. Multilingual Proofing Word has supported multilingual proofing for several versions, but Word 95 takes advantage of Windows 95 to make this much easier than ever before. When a user switches the keyboard in Windows 95, Word automatically changes the language setting (shown below) at the insertion point. Likewise, Word automatically switches to use the appropriate font and keyboard layout for the selected language. Font Smoothing If it is installed on the system, Word takes advantage of Windows 95 font smoothing to provide improved on-screen readability of text. Font smoothing is a system provided service that can improve the perceived readability of text at low resolutions and improve the look of text at higher point sizes. It involves the addition of gray pixels in between a font s black pixels, in effect trying to "fill in" and make a letter less jagged. Plug and Play Word 95 offers basic plug & play support. For example, it gracefully handles screen resolution changes. Likewise, it dynamically scales interface elements when they are changed from the Appearance tab of the Display control panel. Registry Support Word stores its settings in the Windows registry. This makes it possible for multiple users to share a single machine and still maintain their own Word settings. Likewise, this makes it possible for user to log into a machine anywhere on the network and run Word with their default settings. Finally, this enables systems administrators to set up and edit user profiles remotely across the network. Shell Support Drag & Drop Word 95 has rich support for drag & drop, including dragging document information to the desktop. Doing so automatically creates a Scrap (below left) which can be dragged into any application which supports drag and drop. Dragging to the desktop by using the right mouse button yields a context sensitive shortcut menu (below right) to give the user several drop choices. These choices include copying or moving the selection to a Scrap file or creating a Document Shortcut, a link to the selected text in the original document. Shell Icons-To better support the Windows 95 desktop, Word registers separate file types for documents, templates, wizards, backup files, and WLL s (Word linked libraries). Word even includes distinct shell icons (shown below) and context menus for each file type. For example, double- clicking a template or a wizard in the shell creates a new, unnamed document based on that template or wizard. In contrast, double clicking a Word 6.0 template in the Windows 3.1 file manager would open the actual template for editing. Document MRU File List Opening and editing files in Word automatically adds them to the Documents MRU list (shown below), a system wide MRU files list. Properties Word document properties can be browsed in the Windows shell without having to launch Word and open the file. This is because Word stores its properties using OLE storage. Ininstall Word automatically registers itself so that it can be removed with the click of a button. Microsoft Exchange integration Word 95 provides exceptional integration with Microsoft Exchange, the mail client in Windows 95. WordMail As described on page , Word can replace the standard Exchange message editor. TAB integration As described on page , Word features very tight integration with the Exchange Personal Address Book. Shown below are the business properties for a PAB entry. Posting As described one page , Word makes it easy to post a document in an Exchange public folder. SendMail and Routing It s easy to send a document while working within Word. Users can even route a document to a group, either all at once or one after another.Great Member of the Microsoft Office family Great Member of the Microsoft Office Family Consistency & Technology Sharing Word 6.0 and Office 4.x broke ground by introducing a suite of extremely consistent applications. In most cases though, dialog boxes were implemented separately in each application. Office 95 goes one step further by implementing several key tools once and sharing these across all of the applications. For example, the following tools and technologies are shared across Office applications: AutoCorrect list storage File Open Find Fast File Save File New File Properties Answer Wizard MSN Integration Notes/FX thunking layer Print dialog (Consistent, not shared) Spell checking OLE Servers (Graph, WordArt, Equation Editor, Data Map, Clipart Gallery, Imager) Text Converters Graphic Filters MSInfo Data Sharing Word 6.0 and Office 4.x broke ground by introducing a suite of very tightly integrated applications including strong support for OLE 2.0. Office 95 continues to make progress and further hone the level of integration between the applications. OLE IntegrationOLE technology enables a great deal of data sharing between Office applications. For example, Word has a Microsoft Excel toolbar button to easily insert a spreadsheet into a document. Likewise, PowerPoint has toolbar buttons to insert Microsoft Excel or Word tables at the click of a button. Drag and drop across Office applications allows users to share data. Finally, WordMail is an example of next generation OLE integration. Mail Merge Wherever your data lives, Word allows you to easily access it. Mail Merge integrates with the following data stores: Exchange PAB, Schedule+ Contact List, Microsoft Access tables and queries, FoxPro tables, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, any ODBC compliant data store (using Microsoft Query for multi-tier databases), Word document, CSV text, and WordPerfect Secondary Merge format. Schedule+ Integration Schedule+ 2.0 is the newest member of the Microsoft Office. As mentioned on page , Word integrates very tightly with the contact manager in Schedule+, making it easy to leverage contact information directly within Word. Office Binders Microsoft Office 95 includes a new tool for assembling and distributing documents, the Microsoft Office Binder. The binder is an electronic paper clip which allows users to store documents from Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other Office Compatible applications in one file. This file can be printed in one step with consecutive page numbering, and the enclosed documents can be reordered and renamed for easy identification. This is all enabled through the use of OLE technology. Microsoft, Windows, TipWizard, PivotTable, Windows NT, PowerPoint, and FoxPro are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Novell Inc. PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. TrueType is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. Lotus Notes and Lotus SmartSuite are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corp. Part Number 098-61000 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 FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) 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 ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____ /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ ________________________________________ /_______________________________________/ MAC/APPLE SECTION John Deegan, Editor (Temp) ISDN Terms STR Focus ISTEC 1008 Shortform description of the technical features General The ISTEC 1008 is a 'low priced' and 'easy to use' ISDN PABX developed for use by small companies, teleworkers, cooperative work groups, etc. The great advantage of this PABX are the possibilities of direct dialling, and the ability to use standard analogue terminal equipment, including cordless telephones, answering machines, faxes and modems. In addition the ISTEC 1008 allows the use of a door entry station with intercom facilities. For convenient programming and access to call charging information the ISTEC 1008 has an integrated serial port. You can connect a personal computer to the RS232 (V24) connector (cable supplied) and use the ISTEC configuration software supplied to access all the ISTEC 1008's features. Connection to other equipment The ISTEC 1008 offers one basic rate connection using point to point or point to multi point protocol (PABX or bus connection). This connection meets CCITT (I.430). A 3m cable is provided for connection to the S bus. The cable is supplied terminated with ISDN standard RJ45 plugs ready for connection. The ISTEC 1008 offers eight a/b ports for connecting standard analogue equipment such as telephones G3 fax and modems. The maximum cable run from the ISTEC 1008 to the equipment is approx. 1,200m (2x75 Ohms).The ISTEC 1008 provides automatic detection of DTMF tone / pulse dialling from the analogue terminals. With the RS232 (V24) connection you can program the PABX using a personal computer. Additionally you can view and manage the charging information for each extension. The ISTEC configuration software provided gives easy access to all the exchange features. You may connect the ISTEC 1008 to the standard Emmerich door entry system. This door entry system is connected via two wires and contains a two way hands free intercom and door bell. Pressing the door bell rings the designated extension. After answering the call, the door is released by dialling a number on the telephone keypad. A separate power supply is required for the door opener. The PABX provides a N.O. contact for operating the door opener. The ISTEC has an approved power supply for connection to the mains supply. Connections to external equipment are made as follows:- Power supply: power adapter module S bus: cable fitted with Western Electric RJ45 plugs Telephone lines a/b: screw terminal blocks Door opener/intercom: screw terminal blocks Serial interface to PC: serial cable fitted with 9 way 'D' type and Western Electric plug General technical features The ISTEC 1008 uses the EURO-ISDN protocol according to the ETSI standard, or the German 1TR6 protocol, on the S bus connection. It works in the point to multi-point (bus connection) or point to point (PABX connection) configuration. It is possible to direct dial in to each extension with MSN (multiple subscriber number) or DDI (direct dialling in). Using these EURO ISDN features you can use a two digit dialling in number (i.e. 5711XY), where XY is a direct dialling in number between 21 and 28. In 'MSN' configuration it is possible to use additional equipment connected to the S bus (i.e. a PC with an ISDN card). Unrestricted internal conversations between all extensions are possible. You only have to dial the two digit internal number to get the desired extension. The ISTEC 1008 has a testing and diagnostic program available. This program is useful for checking the functionality of the PABX in the laboratory and service centre. The very great advantage of the ISTEC 1008 is the ability to use standard analogue telephone equipment. This gives immediate savings on new telephony equipment and protects your current investment in analogue equipment. Internal call connection features The ISTEC 1008 offers the possibility of connecting eight standard analogue extensions. These extensions can be G3 fax, telephones, modems, etc. To connect to an internal extension simply dial the two digit extension number (21 to 28). The ISTEC 1008 automatically detects pulse / tone dialling. Internal conference between all the analogue extensions is possible. If you are using a pulse dial telephone and wish to connect to a third extension, simply dial the desired extension number. If you are using a tone dialling telephone, you must press the recall/flash key followed by the extension number. The ISTEC 1008 generates different ringing signals for internal and external calls, to distinguish the calls' source. It is possible to program call forwarding for each analogue extension. The call forwarding may be to an internal or an external number. This feature may be programmed directly from the extension or by using the ISTEC configuration software. It is possible to answer an internal call that is not directed to your extension by the use of the call pick up facility. This allows the answering of a colleague's extension when it is unattended. Call hold and call transfer operate in a similar way and provide the possibility of transferring a call to another extension. Simply dial the extension number (recall/flash is required if tone dialling) and replace the handset on hook. Calls are transferred unconditionally, by replacing the handset immediately after dialling the extension, or announcing the caller. The call will be transferred when you replace your handset on hook. When the music on hold feature is enabled, it is activated automatically during a call transfer. The ISTEC 1008 offers a door entry facility. The door entry connection uses an Emmerich door station. When the door bell push button is pressed the ISTEC 1008 rings a designated telephone extension. When you lift the handset, you are connected with the door station. You may then speak with the person at the door through the hands-free speaker and microphone contained in the door station. You may then speak with the person at the door through the hands-free speaker and microphone contained in the door station. If you wish to let in the caller, you may release the electric door opener by dialling the number 7 on your telephone. The door opener operates for three seconds. If you do not wish to let the caller in, simply replace the telephone handset and the door speaker is disconnected. The Emmerich door station requires a two wire connection. Additionally, it is necessary to provide two wires for connecting to the door opener. The electric door opener requires a separate power supply, which is connected through the ISTEC 1008's normally open contacts. External call connection features (External connections are connections from outside caller to the PABX extensions). The ISTEC 1008 offers the ISDN feature 'charging advice'. This feature is available by connecting a PC/printer to the RS232 port of the ISTEC 1008. Information is available on an extension by extension basis. The PABX offers the 'direct dialling in' ISDN feature (DDI). DDI works with a two digit dial in number. DDI is an ISDN feature for connecting directly from the PSTN to the PABX extensions. Alternatively the PABX offers direct dialling in with MSN (multiple subscriber number). In this configuration it is possible to use other ISDN equipment on the same S bus. Every extension can be programmed to the desired MSN. Combinations and mixing of numbers and extensions is possible. Call pick up for external calls ensures that you can pick up incoming calls from another extension. For example: Extension 21 is ringing, you hear this and wish to answer the call. Simply dial 4 on your extension to pick up the call. The ISTEC 1008 has an answering machine facility. When a telephone is not answered, the telephone answering machine is activated regardless of the incoming dialled number. It is of course possible to place an answering machine on a specific extension to only answer calls for that extension. The ISTEC 1008 offers 'call forwarding' (call routing) for each extension. An incoming call will be transferred automatically to the programmed outside number by using the second B channel. The features 'call hold' and 'call transfer' to another extension are standard PABX features. From the analogue extension you can transfer the call to another extension with or without announcing the caller. The ISTEC 1008 has extensive call barring features. It is possible on an extension basis to limit calls to internal only, local, national or international. The PABX also offers the possibility of restricting a user programmed number (0898 for example). The ISTEC 1008 offers 'music on hold' for outside waiting calls. It is possible to switch off the music on hold facility in the programming mode. ISTEC 1008 is available to order from: TMPL Consultants, 3 Banbury Street, Kineton, Warwick UK CV35 0JS Tel: 44 (0) 1926 642140 Fax: 44 (0) 1926 642142 Email: 100012.2436@compuserve.com TMPL Online! 44(0) 1926 642145 (Hayes V34) URL http://www.tmpl-online.co.uk ATARI/JAG SECTION Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" O.J., Opal (the hurricane), and the Pope all in one week! Plenty of excitement for you? Wouldn't it be nice if we could generate that much interest for the Atari computing community? One can't help but talk about the OJ trial these days, no matter what the venue - we're a computing magazine yet this trial makes the editorial pages. It's something that will debated for many years to come. This case will probably become a sample case for law school students. This case will force police departments to take a long look at themselves. It will be a banner case for changes in a lot of facets in today's world. I'd like to believe that justice was served; I agree with the verdict. If this case is to have any real meaning, I hope that it results in positive changes within our society. It's ironic that a major hurricane hits the southeast at about the same time that the Pope arrives in the U.S. Nature at its height of destruction - Religion's highest living leader tries to bring hope. Simply amazing. Until next time... >Dallas Show! STReport Show Update! - Atari Dallas Show Getting Close! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, we are only six days away from the Atari show in Dallas (DEUCE)! Who out there is planning to attend? We are very excited about this show, the first ever put together by the Atari Users of North Texas (AUNT). For those with families who are less than enthusiastic about computer shows, I recommend taking them to either Six Flags amusement park or the Texas State Fair. If you opt for the fair (much cheaper, and free concerts!) stop by at an area McDonalds restaurant for a coupon to save a few bucks on admission. On the 6th, the night before the show, the free concert is Kansas. On the 7th, it will be the Beach Boys. The show itself starts pretty early, at 8 AM. And, unfortunately, it ends pretty early too. The show is being held in conjunction with a monthly PC flea market, and they usually wrap up business before 2 PM. We won't be kicked out of the Infomart at that time, we can stay until 4 PM. But things will certainly be winding down by the afternoon, so the action will slowly shift upstairs where we will have a few informal seminars and demonstrations. Also upstairs will be the club's PD disk library open for business, as well as Jaguar games to goof around with and Atarians to sit and talk with. Be sure to pick up a copy of our show handout for the schedule. Dan >In This Week's Jaguar Section - JAGWIRE! Atari On CompuServe! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" Ted Hoff Speaks! Games? And More! "Plug in the JAGWIRE(tm) online network!" Atari Corporation and CompuServe Information Service proudly present the JAGWIRE(tm) network with online support on Atari's official online forum on CompuServe (GO JAGUAR), Atari's official Jaguar 64 news reported by STReport worldwide and Atari Explorer Online and Atari's official new Web Site (http://www.atari.com). >From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, the guessing is now over. Atari's World Wide Web page is officially open, the JAGWIRE online network is now intertwined between this Web page and the announcement (see below) that CompuServe is now the official online support site for Atari. And, for us personally, STReport and Atari Explorer Online magazines are the official online representatives for these new ventures. For STReport, this recognition has been a long-time coming. We've worked long and hard to prove to Atari, and the Atari community, that regardless of differences in opinion in the past, present, and likely the future - that our publication is a viable asset to the computing and gaming community. We're going to continue to grow and improve. We had planned to make this a spectacular issue with plenty of articles, reviews, and even the debut of the online CATfights. However, reviewers are still fine-tuning and/or reviewing 6-8 games at the moment; Hurricane Opal wiped out electricity in parts of Florida, so AEO's Travis Guy was unable to get online to continue our ongoing debate which was to be completed and ready for this issue; and other inopportune happenings have caused delays in other articles that we had planned. So, in what we had hoped for a busy section this week turns out to be a fairly quiet, but very informative one. I got the developer CD up and running, finally. I've played around with the VLM, but since I'm not CD-phile, I don't have much to select from other than the Tempest 2000 audio-CD to test it out. But, I may borrow or pick up a few sample CDs to see what VLM can really do. I have been, however, been playing the Highlander CD. It's interesting, but still too early to write a review. I'm also waiting on a few other CD games to test out and review, but more on those at a later time. As I mentioned earlier, there are at least 6-8 reviews waiting in the wings. And, Rayman and Ultra Vortek just reached reviewers hands, so expect those real soon also. We are surprised, still, that there are no CD games, other than the pack-in games, available yet. There are some in production, but it's too bad that, actually quite disappointing, that the users are still in a waiting frenzy. Actually, I probably shouldn't say that I'm truly surprised at this. The holiday season is almost upon us and there is still no forward momentum building to carry Atari into a successful season. I've seen no television advertising yet although I know there's at least one ad currently running. It's got to start soon, folks, or a poor outlook will continue brew and boil over. Well, let's get to the good news, especially for the online community. We'll have a lot more for you next week! Until next time... > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's """"""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $29.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $29.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp. Cannon Fodder $49.99 Virgin/C-West Syndicate $69.99 Ocean Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams Theme Park $69.99 Ocean Sensible Soccer Telegames Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp. J0144E Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West J9052E Super Burnout $59.99 Atari J9070 White Men Can't Jump $69.99 Atari Flashback $59.99 U.S. Gold VidGrid (CD) Atari Corp Blue Lightning (CD) $59.99 Atari Corp J9040 Flip-Out $49.99 Atari Corp J9082 Ultra Vortek $69.99 Atari Corp C3669T Rayman $69.99 Ubi Soft Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9101 Pitfall $59.99 Atari Power Drive Rally TBD TWI Dragon's Lair TBD Readysoft Hover Strike CD $59.99 Atari Demolition Man $59.99 Atari J9061 Ruiner Pinball $59.99 Atari J9031 Highlander I (CD) $59.99 Atari J9069 Myst (CD) $59.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $149.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 CatBox $69.95 ICD J8800 Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp. J8908 JagLink Interface 29.95 Atari Corp. J8910 Team Tap (4-Player Adapter) 29.95 Atari Corp. J8907 Jaguar ProController29.95 Atari Corp. J8911 Memory Track 29.95 Atari Corp. J8909 Tempest 2000: The Soundtrack 12.99 Atari Corp. >Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" CONTACT: Patricia Kerr or Jennifer Hansen Shandwick USA 310/479-4997 or 800/444-6663 For Immediate Release Atari(R) Corporation Unveils New World Wide Web Site, Names CompuServe(R) as Official Commercial Support Site Type http://www.atari.com on the World Wide Web or GO JAGUAR on CompuServe SUNNYVALE (October 6) -- Atari Corporation unveiled this morning their new JAGWIRE(tm) World Wide Web Domain. JAGWIRE features the creative integration of eye-popping graphics, animation, audio and descriptive text for web browsers to enjoy in the leisure of their homes or office. The site was created by ATOMIX, Inc.; an Emmy Award-winning new media house in Hollywood, California. The JAGWIRE Web Site URL is http://www.atari.com. The installation of the JAGWIRE Web Domain is an anchor for a network of official support offered to gamers throughout the world. In concert with the explosive trends of the Internet and the World Wide Web, Atari has named CompuServe as their official Jaguar 64 commercial on-line support site. CompuServe access is as little as $9.95 a month and offers full access to the Internet and the World Wide Web as well as exclusive features not available on any other system; such as the Atari Jaguar forum. Type GO JAGUAR to access 24-hour on-line support on CompuServe or call toll free (800) 848-8990. Two independent online publications have also pledged a bond to the JAGWIRE network by offering exclusive news, reviews and previews of Jaguar 64 products in each of their issues. Atari Explorer Online offers in-depth coverage of Atari products from cover to cover. Silicon Times Report is distributed worldwide each week and features computer and video game coverage of interest to everyone. Both publications are downloadable from CompuServe or can be found through direct links with Atari's JAGWIRE Web Site. Atari has made the commitment to make shopping and obtaining support for the Jaguar 64 as simple for modem users as possible, states Donald A. Thomas, Jr., Director of Atari Customer Service Marketing. "To do that, we have installed the best domain created by the best creative people, accessible through the best access lines (T3) and supplemented by the best commercial on-line services of CompuServe, and the best on-line publishing support. Users can sample game images, hear game sounds, find out where to buy them and make buying decisions based on reliable and accurate resources." Jim Pascua, Marketing Manager of CompuServe, adds that his company has also made serious commitments to the evolution of global access at economic rates and with maximum access. "New updates to our on-line software will revolutionize how users can access the Internet and the finest commercial on-line service in the world simultaneously. We are proud of Atari's designation and we feel it is in step with the direction this industry is taking." Atari's new JAGWIRE Web Site is installed NOW. Web Browsers may be set to the URL of http://www.atari.com. The site features easy access icons to a great deal of product information including game descriptions, screen shots, release schedules, ordering information and real time registration in Atari's mailing list. CompuServe's Jaguar forum features downloadable magazines, screen shots, reviews, software, conferences, contests and a very active message base to host non-stop interaction between Jaguar enthusiasts and Atari personnel. For more than twenty years, Atari Corporation has provided consumers with high quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari Corporation markets Jaguar, the only American-made advanced 64-bit entertainment system and is located in Sunnyvale, California. CompuServe is an H&R Block company. Founded in 1955, H&R Block, a diversified services company, is the worlds leading tax preparation and on-line information services company. CompuServe operates the most comprehensive network in the world, providing on-line services to more than 3.5 million members in more than 140 countries and network services to more than 800 corporate customers worldwide. H&R Block Tax Services provided tax-related services for almost one in every seven returns filed with the IRS in 1995, and served 17.1 million taxpayers in more than 9,500 offices worldwide. # # # # Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. CompuServe is a trademark of CompuServe Information Service. ATOMIX is a trademark of ATOMIX, Inc. All other tradenames are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owning companies. -/- Games Can Bring Us Together? -/- Confounding conventional wisdom that computer gamesters tend to evolve into anti-social loners, a new study from Australia finds computer games actually may bring families closer together. Reporting from Canberra, Australia, the Reuter News Service says the national government study found some evidence that computer games encouraged joint family activities. In a statement today, Attorney General Michael Lavarch said, "Computer games have become an important part of family life in the 1990s and it is reassuring to know that there does not appear to be any scientific basis for the fears held by many parents about the impact of games on young people." He added, "No link has been found between aggressive behavior and game play in the home and there is no indication whether a limited correlation between game play in arcades and aggression is due to the games or to the arcade environment. Playing computer games also appears to encourage young people to confront challenges and improve skills, with some studies indicating improvements in cognitive, perceptual and social development." Reuters reports the study, prepared for the government's Film and Literature Classification Board to help classify computer games, also said images of games-addicted teenagers glued to their computer screens were off target, with most children spending more time reading or watching TV. Lavarch commented that "genuinely addictive game-play is rare," but also warned against regarding the study as conclusive, saying it was difficult to draw firm conclusions from the limited research available. "The main finding," he added, "is that a lot more work needs to be done before there is an adequate understanding of their effects." >Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Cars TBA Racing/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent. Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari Alien vs Predator CD 2/96 Role Play/Adventure TBD Atari Arena Football 11/95 Sports $69.99 V Reel Assault 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent. Atari Kart 11/95 Driving TBD Atari Att. of Mut. Penguins 12/95 Arcade $59.99 Atari Baldies (CD) 11/95 Action/Simulation $59.99 Atari Batman Forever (CD) 4/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari Battlemorph (CD) 11/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battlesphere 12/95 Space/Combat TBD 4-Play Battlestar 11/95 Space/Combat TBD ? Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Black ICE/White Noise 12/95 Action/Adventure $69.99 Atari Blue Lightning (CD) NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Braindead 13 (CD) 10/95 Action/Adventure TBD ReadySoft Breakout 2000 12/95 Puzzle $49.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey 11/95 Sports TBD Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 1Q/96 Sports $69.99 Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Virgin Chas Barkley Basketball10/95 Sports $59.99 Atari Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Commando (CD) 11/95 Action (3D) TBD Atari Commander Blood (CD) 11/95 RPG $69.99 Atari Creature Shock (CD) 10/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi $59.99 Atari/Virgin Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust 11/95 Action TBD Atari Dante (CD) 6/96 Action TBD Atari Deathwatch 11/95 Arcade TBD Atari Defender 2000 11/95 Arcade $59.99 Atari Demolition Man (CD) 10/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari Dragon's Lair (CD) 10/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft Dragon's Lair 2 (CD) TBA Adventure TBD ReadySoft Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Dune Racer (CD) 1/96 Racing TBD Atari Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 MidNite Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari Fever Pitch 11/95 Sports TBD Atari Fight For Life TBA Combat TBD Atari Flashback NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 US Gold Flip-Out NOW Puzzle $49.99 Atari Formula 1 Racing (CD) 11/95 Racing TBD Atari Frank Thomas Baseball 4/96 Sports TBD Atari Gotcha! 1/95 ? TBD --- Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Highlander I (CD) 10/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Highlander II (CD) 2/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari Highlander III (CD) 4/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Hover Strike CD 10/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Hyper Force TBA ? TBD Comp. West Ironman/XO-Manowar 4/96 Action TBD Atari Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier II (CD) 11/95 Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari Magic Carpet (CD) 12/95 Action/RPG TBD Atari Max Force (CD) 12/95 Action $59.99 Atari Mindripper (CD) 2/96 Adventure TBD Atari Missile Command 12/95 Action/Arcade TBD Atari Mortal Kombat 3 4/96 Fighting TBD Atari Myst (CD) 10/95 Interactive Novel $59.99 Atari NBA Jam T.E. 12/95 Sports $69.99 Atari Netwar (aka Redemption)11/95 Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Phase Zero 10/95 Action/Arcade $59.99 Atari Pinball Fantasies NOW Arcade $59.95 Comp. West Pitfall - Mayan Adv. 10/95 Arcade $59.99 Activision Power Drive Rally 10/95 Driving TBD TWI Primal Rage (CD) 11/95 Fighting TBD TWI Rage Rally 2Q/95 Racing TBD Atari Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Rayman NOW Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft Return Fire (CD) 1Q/96 Combat TBD Atari Rise of the Robots (CD)11/95 Action/Arcade TBD TWI Robinson's Requiem (CD)11/95 Adventure $59.99 Atari Rocky Horror Inter.(CD) 4/96 Adventure TBD Atari Ruiner Pinball 10/95 Arcade $59.99 Atari Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames Sky Hammer (CD) 12/95 Flying/Action TBD Atari Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Soul Star (CD) TBA Action/Sci-Fi TBD Atari Space Ace (CD) TBA Space/Combat TBD ReadySoft Space War TBA Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Starlight BowlaRama CD 10/95 Simulation/Sports TBD Atari Star Raiders 2Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari Sudden Impact 12/95 Action TBD Atari Super Burnout NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Supercross 3D 11/95 Sports $59.99 Atari Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Thea Realm Fighters(CD)1Q/96 Action/Fighting TBD Atari Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Troy Aikman NFL Ftball NOW Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortek NOW Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing... NOW Sports $59.99 Atari Varuna's Forces (CD) 12/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari VidGrid (CD) NOW Puzzle/Music Video --- Atari Wayne Gretzky NHL (CD) 12/95 Sports TBD TWI White Men Can't Jump NOW Sports (w/Team Tap) $69.99 TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari Zero 5 1/96 Space/Combat TBD Atari Zone Hunter 12/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari Zool2 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Zoop 12/95 Puzzle TBD Viacom [Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari - all subject to change] [Editor's note: In last week's issue, in our review of FlipOut!, there was an error. From Steve Watkins, here's the correction.] "Old habits die hard, folks. While writing the Flipout review, I inadvertently typed the word BATTERY after the Save Feature line at the start of the review. I had corrected it at the last minute, but sent the wrong, uncorrected file to Dana. It should read "Yes - Five positions." Sorry for any confusion this might have caused. I guess I've spent far too much time reviewing Genesis and SNES games. " >Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" -- JAGWIRE Exclusive Interview -- Atari's Ted Hoff introduces JAGWIRE and shares what's on the horizon for Jaguar. (This interview is distributed officially by the JAGWIRE network) Visit http://www.atari.com on the World Wide Web. Within days of Atari's new Web Domain launch, Ted Hoff took a few minutes out for an exclusive interview. Mr. Hoff is Atari's new President of North American Operations. Within just a few brief months, Ted has become known as a top producer; someone who expects results and someone who provides results. He has been instrumental in getting Atari's software development focus within aggressive and realistic guidelines. He has promised a CD-ROM that gamers will embrace and has done just that. He has faced the competition with bold statements of value and quality and has fulfilled those commitments without dispute. The $149 US Jaguar is becoming more visible and is positioned well for the Holidays...including it's premiere in almost 400 nationwide Wal*Mart locations PLUS in Radio Shack, Spiegel and Sears catalogs. JW- Here it is in October, Mr. Hoff. "Ultra Vortek", "Rayman", "FlipOut!", "White Men Can't Jump", the Team Tap, the CD-ROM, "Blue Lightning", the Memory Track, "Vid Grid" and "Power Drive Rally" have all recently hit store shelves. You must be feeling good. TH- You bet. Not only have we released all these things, but the feedback from gamers has been excellent. I have been bombarded with messages from the Internet, over the phone and through the mail from people virtually around the world just to say thanks! JW- And there's still more to come... TH- "Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands", "Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure" and "Primal Rage" are just a few of the outstanding titles we have on the way. Yes, there's a lot more to come. JW- There has been a lot of teasing that somethingbig is going to happen with something calledJAGWIRE. Can you tell us a little about that? TH- I can give you a little sneak preview. JAGWIRE will refer to two things actually. One is a phenomenal new World Wide Web site that will be on-line on October 6. World Wide Web Browsers should set the URL to http://www.atari.com. We have a communications master, Don Thomas, who is coordinating the efforts of an Emmy Award winning new media house in Hollywood, California to put the entire domain together. The JAGWIRE also refers to the announcement of CompuServe being named as an official commercial on-line site for Jaguar gamers. JW- CompuServe? What was the criteria for selecting them? TH- There are a number of reasons that CompuServe makes a lot of sense for us and Jaguar gamers. Foremost is the simple fact that CompuServe's subscriber base is among the highest with more than 3.5 million members. That makes CompuServe readily accessible for great numbers of people. Secondly, CompuServe offers a structure of message exchanges and access to downloadable files that is fast and easy which is one reason they serve more than 800 corporate customers. With their new low monthly rate of only $9.95 and the fact that getting Jaguar support is as easy as typingGO JAGUAR, CompuServe is the right choice for our customers to obtain support. Their number is (800) 848-8990. JW- Can Jaguar forum members on CompuServe interact directly with Atari employees? TH- Absolutely. I know that Don Thomas, Laury Scott, Dan McNamee and others are on there regularly. In addition, there are other popular people from Atari Explorer Online, Silicon Times Report and Jaguar Journal. There are representatives from Developers, Distributors and Retailers too. JW- Moving on to the Holidays. How is the Jaguar positioned for the months ahead? TH- I think we are in an excellent position. Jaguar is still the best value video gaming system value and we now also offer a library of games which has been important to develop. "Tempest 2000", "Doom", "Alien Vs. Predator", "Val d'Isere Skiing" and "Snowboarding and Iron Soldier" are some of my favorites that continue to sell through for us. Now that the CD-ROM is out, people are raving about "VLM" and how they are impressed with their samples of Myst. They also agree that "Blue Lightning" and "Vid Grid" were excellent pack-in choices and many people are seemingly wearing out their "Tempest 2000" Soundtracks. JW- Well, you certainly make it sound like Jaguar offers an excellent value and premium support channels to their customers. It is clear that the 64-bit Jaguar is the system to own this Christmas. TH- We know there are choices out there. That's good because gamers benefit from having choices. The most impressive benefit this Holiday Season is the affordably-priced 64-bit Jaguar system, and the Jaguar CD. Happy Holidays! > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Before we get into the usual stuff this week, I'd like to mention my latest endeavor to you... Two weeks from now, we'll be introducing yet another new column here in STReport. It will focus on topics that most of us have heard about, but aren't really sure of. The column will be bi-monthly to start off and we'll see how it goes from there. "What's the first installment going to be about" you ask? Well, have you ever talked with your friends about the Internet and, in the middle of a sentence, thought to yourself "but what exactly _is_ the Internet anyway"? [No, no, no, no, no.......yes (in my best Monty Python voice)] Well, if you are one of those folks, don't worry! There are many more of us than you might think. So watch for the new column because the Internet will be the first topic I tackle. I haven't decided on a title for it yet, but it'll be something witty like "People Are Talking". In the meantime, we'll just have content ourselves with this column, which will remain my favorite for one reason: It deals with (and will continue to) the questions asked and answered by regular folks just like you and me. So let's take a look at some folks just like us. From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== On the subject of Chimera, the Unix-like Internet system, Denis Postle posts: "How irritating! both conenct and the browser working but not both together. I have been using Chimera reliably since July on both Demon in the Uk and CIS. I can post the MINT.CNF file I use. Do you have any idea how to get chimera to view html files? I assumed that _file://localhost/DIRECTORY/FILENAME_ should work but it doesn't." Chris Roth tells Denis: "Thanks a lot for your help and information. At the moment however I hesitate to work on the TAF setup. I guess the combination Stik / HTML browser could be a nice, easier to configure solution. Plus, I suffer from the same 'disease' as Michel: I'd like to use my German keyboard layout but am unable to do so with X11. X11 at all is a great myth for me, still." Denis switches subjects to NOS: "...the several versions of NOS that I have are all unreliable/unusable at the moment and I last used them months ago so I've also forgotten what the issues were. Did you ever get to use chimera? I haven't been able to get the ftp side of that to work either. I guess I don't have any idea what its local command set is. I connect ok but the the usual 'ftp
' doesn't seem to work. If you have been using chimera or if anyone reading this has, do you know what the link address needs to be from a home page to other local/subsidiary pages? I have copied across the pages I'm constructing on the Mac in Netscape and there they all link from a root directory but chimera needs something else and I can't see what. Help would be appreciated here." Michel Vanhamme tells Denis: "I actually downloaded the file from demon, but I didn't want to upload it to the libraries here if it doesn't work with CIS (or does someone knows if SLIP works with CIS? I don't think so). I could send it to you in your mail box, if you want." Denis tells Michel: "Re Stik, if that is the right name. Yes I'd appreciate you sending me STik to my CIS mailbox. I have a Demon account that does SLIP and I'll be using it on a TT with 4megTTram. It's a real drag, but i still cannot get any of the FTP packages to download anything at the moment. I'm fed up with NOS, and DuFTP loads ok and looks good but doesn't even want to communicate with the modem yet. I suppose it needs hsmodem drivers like chimera? I currently have hsmod4 installed. I can't figure out the details for the HSMOD6 package. It reads like metaphysics. no, metaphysics is easier. Pity you didn't get on further with chimera. Would the files I use for log on with CIS be of use? (I have no problems with access to CIS at 19200bd in London and 2400bd in Brussels) That would leave very little typing. I guess you could _adapt_ for http's, there are few of them to type once you've got on Yahoo. And, from French, it could all be too much of a hassle, I guess. I find chimera, very steady. After I have moved between a lot of sites and thus filled up the buffer with stored pages, I delete the programm and re-load, it then rarely crashes. I've rewritten the home page." After downloading Stik, Denis tells Michel: "I dowloaded it and installed it according to the docs. I get an error message 'Stik KRmalloc free()corrupted' and a dialogue box saying 'STick not initialised, can't initialise DNS' and no other program will run when Stick is active. I tried a second download but with the same result. It looks like a corrupt file somewhere. The docs give a support address in the uk so unless you have any other ideas I'll mail for a disc copy. It certainly seems promising. In one of the other threads 'www for atari ST' there is mention of www101.zip Is this StiK do you suppose? and (more atarian metaphysics) that it needs a 'cookie jar'. Do you know anything about this? There is no mention of it in the docs. I'll add the question to that thread." Michel tells Denis: "I'll install it on my system to see if it's a corrupted file... I will also keep an eye on the Atari newsgroups to see if there are reports of the problem. As you may imagine, there's a lot of talk about that package already on the net..." Michel replies: "The '101' stands for the docs, apparently, the version of Stik in that package is still 1.00. Re: cookie jar The cookie jar is a structure in memory that contains...'cookies'. These are put there by the OS or TSR programs, so that other programs can test their presence in the system and behave accordingly. If you use a TT, this should not be a problem, the cookie jar is fully supported since TOS 1.06. The OS, f.i., places cookies describing the CPU type, video system, sound system etc." Denis gives us this latest update: "I had a support message from Denesh Bhabuta (dbhabuta@ cix.compulink.co.uk) who is going to be looking after StiK support. He says that contrary to the docs, which seem to be only adjacent to the facts about Stik in other directions too, 1.01 doesn't run on a TT. There is now a 1.04 which does run on a TT. He's sending me a copy. I'll let you know how it goes but very useful is my current sense. the browser can handle speedo fonts + GIFs on screen, and colour too. All that is good news for me." Neil Newman tells us: "I've installed TAF on my Falcon computer and have changed the options-ppp144-resolve.conf-chatfile files as the TAF thread here has suggested and when I tried to make a connection it dialed up and appeared to log on to CIS PPP connection. I then tried to activate Chimera but came on screen and nothing happened it just eventually droped out. I found this in the syslog file: --------------------------- Sep 29 15:16:06 homer pppd[47]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/modem2 Sep 29 15:16:36 homer pppd[47]: LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests <149>Sep 29 15:16:36 pppd[47]: Connection terminated. ---------------------------- When I log on with NOS a ppp pp0 command has to be entered before NOS locks in. Do I have to enter a similar command from X windows?" Denis tells Neil: "You can reliably tell whether you have a ppp connection up on chimera by the appearance of a pair of ip addresses. wihtout them you are not connected to ppp." Carl Barron tells Denis: "There is a file in UNIXFORM containing ppp and chat files for CIS and PC-LINUX. Should be useful ppp.tgz is the file its about 15k I think. it will decompress on your minux partition into a directory ppp. Read the enclosed files for details. It provides chat files for CIS-PPP connection. Not tried yet. Too many intermitent problems with CIS and its nodes to try something on, on my end." Neil checks out his setup and tells Denis: "I see what you mean, it seems that my computer is timing out before it picks up the IP address, its definitely connecting. I think there is a away of ajusting the timeout with the 'options' file in the 'etc/ppp/' folder, at least I hope so. BTW did you get Duftp to log on via Compuserve? I can't get it to dial my modem, have set it to modem2 (falcon). I tried placing my Slip.dip file on the dip.tos with the mouse, it starts but then says ' DIP. problem locking in modem2'." Well folks, I know that the column is short this week, and I know that it all deals with the Internet and that some of you could care less about surfing it but, let's face it: the Internet is the wave of the future (pun intended). As of now, you can either pay an Internet provider or dial up your favorite online service (like CompuServe) and use it to access the net. I'm still a newbie myself so I'm not sure if all services offer all facets of the 'net such as SLIP, PPP, WWW, FTP, and all of the other initials you can think of, but we'll find out together. So tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" A "Quotable Quote" A true, "Sign of the Times" About the O.J. Simpson Trial Verdict of.... NOT GUILTY It s not these two words that are the key.... Its these two words... REASONABLE DOUBT It demonstrates and proves the U.S. Justice System under the U.S. Constitution works and is still the Cherished System the Founding Fathers of this Great Nation intended it to be. Thank God the System, with all its warts, still works as designed. Ralph F. Mariano, Editor STReport International Online Magazine STReport International OnLine Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- HTTP://STREPORT.COM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 100,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" October 29, 1995 Since 1987 Copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No. 1139 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.