The August 21 meeting will be one of CUCUG's split SIG meetings. The Amiga SIG is having a "Bring your favorite game" night, while Jim Huls will enlighten the Macintosh SIG with "Things on the Internet... other than Netscape and email." Intrigue and entertainment... what more could you ask for?
We welcome any kind of input or feedback any member would like to engage in. You have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. You have a comment? Email is a beautiful thing. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to the best.
Apple Computer (AAPL) says sales for the recently released Mac OS 8 have exceeded expectations by fourfold.
Since the product's July 26 release, over 1.2 million copies have been sold, giving the operating system the most successful sales performance ever for an Apple software product, the company says.
Ironically, this buying frenzy is taking place without any participation from the most vigorous players in the Macintosh market right now, the clone vendors. Given the popularity of the product, Macintosh clone manufacturers Motorola, Umax Computer Group, and Power Computing are eager to ship systems with Mac OS 8.
The clone makers have been wrangling with Apple over how much they should pay to license the new operating system and have not yet signed formal contracts. The companies might soon start shipping the OS based on prior licensing agreements, however.
Nevertheless, copies are leaping off of the shelves. "We sold 2,000 copies in the first four days. It's probably the fastest-selling product we've ever had...Between that, the Microsoft announcement, and the board realignment, it's the best week Apple's had from a public relations perspective in a long while," says Darryl Peck, president and CEO of Cyberian Outpost, one of the largest Internet retailers of computer-related products.
Mac OS 8's success comes at a critical point for Apple, as the company attempts to reshape itself and rebuild consumer confidence in its product lines.
In the meantime, retail stores are also benefiting from increased sales.
"It's the best-selling new product we've ever had. We sold 3,500 copies since it was first released. In the first four days, we were selling a copy a minute," said Jeff Walker, vice president of retail sales at ComputerWare, the nation's largest independent Mac dealer.
The new software has had the positive side-effect of raising customers' interest in Mac and Mac-compatible systems while they are in the store.
"It has boosted traffic in stores. Over the first weekend of its release, we had triple the normal traffic, and we are still experiencing heavier-than-normal summer traffic," Walker said. As an added benefit, ComputerWare experienced increased memory sales along with sales of the new OS.
Among the most noticeable features, the new system's user interface reduces screen clutter when many applications and files are being displayed at once.
The new OS also has a multi-threaded finder that allows users to copy chunks of data while performing other tasks. Previously, users had to wait for file functions to finish before doing other tasks. Apple says it has also worked to increase the stability of the system software -- a program suddenly quitting won't force a restart -- and the speed of functions such as copying files.
At the Macworld Expo in Boston, consumer demand for the new operating system has been equally high, according to the two computer retailers selling it there. On the first two days of the convention, ComputerTown sold over 800 copies at its booth, and "could have sold more" if they hadn't run out of stock, according to Tim Reinold, director of retail sales for the Boston-based computer store chain. "It's helped make the show a success for ComputerTown."
Sales from ComputerTown's retail stores have also been phenomenal. "When we first got copies, we had lines out the door," recalled Reinold. "I think it's going to be successful for the next three to four months, until the next version of the Mac OS comes out." Today, on the last day of the show, ComputerTown was bringing in 1,800 extra copies to help fulfill demand.
MicroCenter, the other major retail vendor selling Mac OS 8 at the expo, has completely sold out its stock. The new software is selling "much, much faster" than Mac OS 7.6.1, the previous major release, according to Andrew Parker, acting general manager of MicroCenter. The show is also fueling sales of Mac-related products at the company's local stores, noted Parker.
Motorola (MOT) and IBM (IBM) today introduced two completely redesigned PowerPC processors and a super-fast version of an existing design.
The two companies introduced a new series of 740 and 750 PowerPC processors that offer major improvements over the 603e and 604e -- the current PowerPC generation -- including enhancements to the way data flows inside the processor and the chip's on-board high-speed "cache" memory.
The newly designed 750 and 740 chips, which will initially be sold at clock speeds as high as 266 MHz, have a larger primary cache than the 603e predecessors (32Kb vs. 16Kb) and can have up to 1MB of "backside" secondary cache that can operate at the same speed as the processor. Cache is very high-speed memory that keeps the processor "fed" with data. Otherwise the processor would "starve" as it waited for data from the rest of the system, which is relatively slow.
Motorola and IBM also said that advancements in manufacturing processes have resulted in a PowerPC 604e chip running at clock speeds as high as 350 MHz. The PowerPC 604e is currently the processor of choice in high-end systems used for applications such as graphics and video production.
The 750 and 740 models will find use in everything from high-end desktop computers to high-volume mainstream systems, as well as notebooks, according to Motorola product manager Will Swearingen.
"They will address a wide breadth of applications," he said. "[They include] a mobile configuration that will mean not only higher performance than anything available in the Mac OS environment, but we think it will be higher than anything available in the Wintel world as well."
"Wintel" refers to the alliance between Microsoft with its Windows operating system software and Intel with its processors. (Intel is an investor in CNET: The Computer Network.)
Swearingen says that the new chips offer advantages to programmers and developers that will persuade them to make products that run on PowerPC processors.
"When you combine the fact that [developers] will have access to the latest and greatest stuff from the infrastructure with a processor that is becoming significantly faster [than Wintel chips], we are going to start to see some things that compel users to adopt the PowerPC environment," he said.
Some PC users may be compelled to switch to Macs, but not in droves, according to industry analysts.
"If you think about the combination of having a newer, better operating system and faster processors -- it helps but it does not fundamentally address the key reasons why people buy Macs. It may make people who do buy Macs happier with their systems purchase... but it's not the key thing that will turn Apple around," said Peter Glaskowsky, senior analyst with MicroDesign Resources.
Vendors are expected to show their support for the new products this week at the Macworld Boston trade show.
Motorola announced last week the StarMax Pro 6000 series, which will use both the 233- and 266-MHz versions of the PowerPC 750 processor. Power Computing will be showing the PowerTower Pro systems with 275-MHz or 250-MHz versions of the PowerPC 750 processor, which is also known by the code-name Arthur. Neither the 275- nor the 250-MHz version of the PowerPC 750 has been officially made available yet, though.
Apple won't be left out at Macworld, either. The company will roll out new Power Macintosh 9600s with 300- and 350-MHz PowerPC 604e processors, as reported July 15 by CNET'S NEWS.COM.
IBM said the fastest 604e chip is priced at $995 when purchased in quantities of 1,000. The fastest 750 and 740 will sell for about $568 and $549, respectively, in similar quantities, Motorola said.
[Reuters contributed to this report.]
Power Computing unveiled systems today with speedy new PowerPC processors, catapulting their performance past current Macintosh systems and pointing the way toward a new generation of Macintosh computers.
The company introduced new PowerTower Pro systems with 275-MHz or 250-MHz versions of the PowerPC 750 processor, also known by the code-name Arthur.
The new systems won't use the long-awaited CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform) technology, which increases overall system performance. At least not yet. CHRP-compliant hardware and Mac OS 8 are key technologies that will allow Mac clone vendors to enhance system performance and introduce innovative products more rapidly.
But in spite of the older design, Power Computing claims the processor is still capable of outperforming current PowerPC systems by 70 percent and will even outperform new 350-MHz PowerPC 604e systems in many tasks. The PowerPC 604e is currently the processor of choice in high-end systems used for applications such as graphics and video production.
The PowerTower Pro G3 275 and G3 250 will come with 64MB of memory, a high-performance 2GB hard drive, a 24X CD-ROM drive, and built-in Ethernet networking capability. Prices for the PowerTower Pro G3 250 will start at $3,695 and extend to $4,295 with added features. Prices for the G3 275 will start at $4,795 depending on configuration.
In the new systems, Power Computing is overcoming the limitations of the older design by incorporating a large "backside" (1MB) secondary cache that operates at the same speed as the processor. Cache is very high-speed memory that keeps the processor "fed" with data. Otherwise the processor would "starve" as it waited for data from the rest of the system, which is relatively slow.
But Power Computing does plan to eventually bring out CHRP systems, according to company documents. In its IPO filing, the company says "Unrestricted CHRP availability would allow the company to decrease its reliance on Apple for key components and no longer pay Apple royalties on hardware."
One of the critical enhancements for future CHRP systems is better overall performance based on fast "system bus" designs. A faster system bus means that not only processor performance is increased but also the performance of other components, such as memory.
Increasing this speed is important since speedy new PowerPC 750 processors have to slow down to talk to the older Macintosh system bus.
Also for Power Computing, which has outlined plans to make Wintel machines, CHRP would be a way to use identical industry-standard components in both Mac and Windows clones. The company would be more competitive in the Mac market because by reducing overall system cost it would be purchasing a larger volume of parts at a better price.
But by all appearances, Power Computing, which is known for pushing forward with technologies before Apple has officially endorsed them, is tired of waiting for all the components of CHRP to become available. A small ROM chip is still needed from Apple before the company can build CHRP systems and no firm dates on its release have been given.
Power Computing's frustration with Apple is showing in other areas as well. The company will begin shipping Mac OS 8 preinstalled on all systems starting next week, even without a definitive licensing agreement in place. The company will rely on a previous agreement for OS licensing, as outlined in the company's stock-offering documents filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, to ship OS 8. In doing so, the company may beat Apple, which expects to ship OS 8 preinstalled on systems by the end of August.
In related news, Power Computing is now selling 24-inch and 21-inch monitors based on Sony's Trinitron CRT technology. The new monitors will give the company an edge in selling to content producers who need large viewing areas for designing things such as Web pages. The 24-inch monitor will be priced at $3,495, while an equivalent Sony monitor is priced at more than $4,000. The 21-inch monitor will be priced at $1,395.
"The Power Macintosh 9600/350 is my dream machine," said Harry Marks, noted designer of content for broadcast media. "This computer is so fast that it dramatically changes the entire user experience compared to my year-old high-performance Power Mac."
The Apple Power Macintosh 9600/350 is part of a new line of powerful desktop computers from Apple that are used by professionals in fields such as publishing, multimedia/Internet authoring, science, and engineering. The new line includes the Power Macintosh 9600/350, 9600/300, and 8600/300. An additional model, the 8600/250, is available in many countries outside the United States.
Based on an accelerated next-generation PowerPC 604e processor running at 350 MHz, the new Power Macintosh 9600 and 8600 computers feature several design improvements that contribute to outstanding system performance. Specifically, Apple's new Inline Cache, a 1 MB level-2 cache residing on the processor card. A 100-MHz bus located between the Apple Inline Cache and the system's processor creates a wider path with faster processor-to-cache communication, doubling the rate at which the cache is accessed, facilitating the rapid transfer of data, and dramatically increasing the PowerPC processor's performance.
The Power Macintosh 9600/350, 9600/300, and 8600/300 are available immediately worldwide. The Power Macintosh 9600/350, 9600/300, and 8600/300 are expected to be available at the end of August 1997. For estimated U.S. pricing, see the full Apple press release:
http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q4/970805.pr.rel.pm9600.html
BOSTON -- Apple's (AAPL) strategy to rein in Macintosh clone manufacturers extends to entire product markets that Apple would prefer to keep to itself -- most vitally, notebook computers.
Power Computing, Motorola, and Umax, the three major Macintosh-compatible vendors, all are apparently ready and willing to produce laptops for the Mac operating system (OS) market. But unless Apple allows this market to happen, Macintosh-compatible laptops will remain worthless, unmarketable prototypes.
Apple, in fact, has yet to negotiate a licensing agreement with any of its clone vendors. At issue, among other things, is a sliding fee scale, according to sources close to Apple. The sliding scale would mean that Apple would receive more in royalties for some clone designs than others. The problem, say sources, is that the currently proposed scale remains under Apple's control, giving the company the opportunity to determine what markets clone vendors compete in.
Power Computing, for its part, not only wants to produce a laptop, but has hired the expertise needed for laptop design, according to its vice president John Ellett. Members of Apple's original PowerBook design team are now employed at Power Computing, and the company is "very confident" they have the ability to produce a quality clone laptop, according to Ellett.
President Joel Kocher has at several points waved what he said was a prototype CHRP laptop in front of audiences here, as he publicly pressured Apple to give the go-ahead on laptop clones. The only thing holding Power Computing back is a lack of authorization from Apple, said Ellett.
"We're firm believers that choice is critical to the platform," said Ellett. Power Computing so far has been the most vocal of the clone manufacturers in demanding laptop licensing. The company risks irritating Apple to the point of damaging relations seriously, according to some observers at Macworld Expo.
Power Computing has also considered building laptops for the Intel market as a way of building experience while waiting for Apple to permit it to build a laptop for the Mac OS. But with the way things are going, the Intel market could become Power Computing's primary strategy.
Umax, another major clone manufacturer, is also prepared to develop a laptop if given the go-ahead by Apple, according to Phil Pompa, Umax vice president of marketing and strategic planning. "We've got the technology to do it," said Pompa. "Licensing is the main issue holding us back." Umax would like to "fill in the gaps" in the Mac OS laptop market, according to Pompa, rather than competing head-to-head.
Motorola officials declined to discuss laptop development but were reportedly showing off a PowerPC 750-based CHRP prototype laptop in private meetings.
According to Power Computing's Ellett, the notebook licensing debate is one of three issues that the overall licensing controversy revolves around. CHRP, Rhapsody (the next-generation Macintosh OS), and portables are all areas where Apple needs to clarify its stance.
The sliding scale appears to be looming behind all three. Under this proposal, Apple clone vendors would pay a flat fee for each copy of the Macintosh operating system and an additional fee related to hardware designs that will be necessary even if CHRP is released, said sources.
Clone vendors want the scale to relate to an objective factors, such as megahertz (chip speed), or the estimated cost of a machine. Apple, on the other hand, wants more flexible control over the hardware fees, raising concerns that the company really wants to use the scale to force clone vendors out of markets where Apple believes it should succeed. Apple has claimed that the clone vendors have primarily cannibalized their own markets, rather than opened up new ones.
Eugene Glazer, technology analyst for Fortis Adivsers, said that Apple is in a near-intractable dilemma. Overall, cloning has impacted the company's revenue and earnings negatively. At the same time, the company needs the clone manufacturers.
Sliding scale fees are common, he added, but usually related to objective factors, such as cost or gross percentage of volume sold.
Kimball Brown, an analyst at Dataquest, said that it makes sense for Apple to move to a sliding scale. Lower fees on lower-megahertz processors would prompt the clone makers to move to the low-end market. Until now, Apple has charged flat fees, which has encouraged clone vendors to mostly aim for pricier machines.
At the same time, however, such a scale would mean ceding the education market. "They don't want to enable the low end of the market because it would kill the education market," he said.
In the end, Apple may not even release the specifications for CHRP, as a way to retain licensing fees.
"It's myopia and this is Apple," Brown said. "This needs to get resolved ASAP."
Despite continued haggling with Apple (AAPL), clone vendors will ship the latest operating system from Apple because they maintain they already have the right to do so.
Umax Computer Corporation, Power Computing, and Motorola (MOT) say they have agreements in place that give them access to Mac OS 8 as well as earlier versions of the OS.
Apple may be ready to agree with the clone vendors' interpretation, according to industry observers, although a final agreement over financial terms of the Mac OS 8 license is not yet in place. Terms for the licensing of the next-generation operating system, code-named Rhapsody, are also up in the air.
"I think Apple has come to a realization that they are giving them [clone vendors] Mac OS 8. It's just a reinterpretation of the original agreement [the companies had]," said Keith Bossey, a financial analyst with Robert M. Cohen & Co.
Apple has, however unintentionally, done much to sow discord and distrust between it and the clone manufacturers.
"Here's Macworld, and we should be ready for unity...[but] Apple sounds like a headless chicken...I look at their shipment numbers, and Apple and the clones have upward movements, so I say let's not screw this up," said Chris LeTocq, an analyst with market research firm Dataquest.
Motorola declined to comment on the status of negotiations, and officials at Umax and Power Computing could not be reached for comment. But Dr. Frank Huang, chairman and CEO of the Umax-Elite Group, thought the issue critical enough to make a visit to Apple last week.
Clone vendors have been outraged at Apple's foot-dragging over licensing Power Computing, the first Mac OS licensee. "If Apple Computer is entertaining reversing its policy on licensing the Mac OS, it would be disastrous," said Mike Rosenfelt, director of marketing for Power Computing.
But Apple says it has not changed its stance. "We are continuing to honor existing licensing agreements and are currently in negotiations to license the Mac OS," said an Apple spokesperson.
The Mac OS 8 is an important release for clone vendors. The Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP), supported in Mac OS 8, is a key technology that will allow Mac clone vendors to independently enhance system performance and therefore compete more effectively with Apple.
The shift in Apple's thinking is related to the company's financial position. After losing $884 million in fiscal 1997 alone, the company is under pressure from stock holders. The perception inside Apple, according to various industry observers, is that the company blames the clone vendors for lost sales and revenues.
A source at Motorola said that the company changed its position with regard to licensing after Steve Jobs became more active. "With Steve, it may be more of a philosophy against clones," he said.
BOSTON--Microsoft (MSFT) is lending Apple Computer (AAPL) an unexpected and somewhat controversial helping hand.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said today that the software giant will invest $150 million in Apple and will develop and ship future versions of its Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and development tools for the Macintosh.
Gates, who appeared via satellite link, and Apple director Steve Jobs made the announcement here today at the Macworld Expo trade show.
Both Apple and Microsoft executives denied that the Microsoft investment represents a path to converging the companies' operating systems. However, they said they had agreed to work out a settlement to a long-standing dispute over whether Microsoft's Windows operating system infringes on any of Apple's patents.
More important, Microsoft said it has pledged to offer the Office business productivity software suite for the Macintosh platform for the next five years. Mac Office 98 is expected to debut by the end of the year.
"This deal strengthens Apple's viability. It's a new era in terms of Apple and Microsoft working together," said Apple chief financial officer Fred Anderson, who has been assigned to run the company's daily operations until a successor to outgoing CEO Gilbert Amelio is found.
Observers say the deal, while a shot in the arm for Apple, also may help Microsoft by keeping antitrust charges at bay. Apple represents one of the only alternatives to Microsoft's Windows and the Microsoft-Intel hegemony.
Microsoft chief financial officer Greg Maffei discounted such talk. "Frankly, we weren't driven as much by those kind of considerations as looking at it as a platform for our applications," he said.
Dwight Davis, editor of the Windows Watcher newsletter, said the real benefit for Microsoft is that it gains an ally against Sun Microsystems' Java programming language. "Apple has not been the bogeyman to Microsoft in a long time. They are more than happy to have a legitimate threat to their business, and it's called Java."
For Apple's part, Anderson said, "Microsoft Office is very important to our Mac customer base, and this deal provides for continued availability of the outstanding Microsoft Office product on the Mac platform."
More than 8 million customers use Microsoft Office for the Macintosh, making it "the single largest revenue Mac application," Maffei said. "It's a very important application for Apple and its customers, and it's a very important application for Microsoft and its customers. It's a several-hundred-million-dollar item."
Analysts said that Microsoft's assurance of providing its latest applications on the Macintosh may be more important to the company's long-term viability than the $150 million investment.
"The decision to produce Office on the Mac will be a big boost for Apple. It has been a year-to-year waiting game in the past as to whether Microsoft would support the Mac with new versions," Davis said.
"Gates even suggested that Microsoft might produce the next version of Office first for the Mac. That's a notable commitment from Microsoft. If they withdrew Office support, that would have been the straw to break Apple's back."
Davis also said that given the size of Microsoft, a $150 million commitment amounts to little more than good public relations. "Remember, they spent $450 million on WebTV. The investment still doesn't give Apple a coherent strategy for turning things around."
The companies also agreed to collaborate on the Java programming language and other programming languages to ensure they run consistently on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. In addition, Apple agreed to make Microsoft's Internet Explorer the default browser for the Macintosh platform.
The news, coupled with Steve Jobs's announcements of new Apple board members, pushed the company's stock up more than 40 percent in morning trading. Apple gained more than 8 points in early trading over its closing price yesterday of 19-3/4. (See related story)
"It's very exciting to renew our commitment to Apple," Gates told attendees via satellite.
Jobs, who took the stage to a standing ovation, said that the Microsoft investment cannot be sold for three years and covers non-voting shares in the company. "We have to let go of a few things here. We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose," Jobs told the crowd soon after it reacted negatively to Gates's satellite appearance.
Davis said the investment means that Apple will now toe Microsoft's line on Java. "If Java is a threat to Windows, and all operating systems, then it's a threat to Apple and the Mac OS."
The agreement includes no commitments for Apple to use Windows NT, Microsoft's corporate operating system, although previous discussions on the topic have been held, Anderson said.
"NT was not part of this agreement and there are no current plans on this, but this doesn't forego something in the future," Anderson said. He noted there have been no discussions with Microsoft to license Windows CE, the operating system designed for handheld devices, settop boxes, and other non-PC products.
Anderson said that while Internet Explorer will become the default browser on the Mac OS, Apple has a browser distribution agreement with both Netscape (NSCP) and Microsoft.
"Although the default browser will be Internet Explorer, it doesn't preclude the use of [Netscape's browser]...The Netscape deal will continue," Anderson said.
Apple, which ended its third quarter with $1.2 billion in cash, will use the additional $150 million to invest in its core markets of education and creative content, Anderson said. He added that the company expects to gain a higher percentage of its revenues from software and services in these core markets in the future.
Microsoft paid a share price slightly below the market but an average of the recent trading, Maffei said. He confirmed that the software giant has agreed to hold onto its shares for at least three years.
Apple expects to close the investment deal in the next few days.
Resigning from the Apple Board are Mike Markkula, Katherine Hudson, and Bernard Goldstein. This follows the recent resignations of Delano Lewis and Gilbert Amelio.
"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mr. Markkula, Ms. Hudson, and Mr. Goldstein for their contributions to Apple during a very difficult time in its history" said Woolard.
This press statement immediately interjected a great deal of confusion into the Amiga community as it describes the sale of Amiga intellectual properties from Rightiming Electronics Corp. to Lotus Pacific, two New Jersey-based companies with strong Far East business ties, with no mention made of Gateway 2000 or Amiga International, the commonly believed owners of those properties. A pre-existing contract between Escom AG and Rightiming did assign rights to Rightiming for the Far East market in 1995 prior to Escom's bankruptcy (a short blurb about this appeared in Amiga Report #408). Now, some Amiga users are asking just what exactly do Amiga International and Gateway 2000 control as it relates to Amiga intellectual properties and how far does its exclusivity extends geographically, or otherwise.
In a telephone interview on July 23rd with Colin Thompson of The Almost Daily Fishwrap, Gateway 2000's Jim Taylor explained what happened. He confirmed that Rightiming holds a license to manufacture Amigas. He went on to say that Rightiming sold this license to Lotus Pacific, who made the announcement a few days ago. Righttiming acquired the license to manufacture Amigas from ESCOM last year. Amiga Reports ran a story on it. It appears the Lotus Pacific announcement has been misunderstood and caused many to question who owns the patents and who has the right to license the Amiga. Dr. Taylor said Gateway 2000 owns the Commodore-Amiga patents. These patents have not been sold. Lotus Pacific now joins the ranks of other licensees, like Index Information and MicroniK as sellers of licensed Amigas. According to their letter to stockholders, Lotus Pacific plans to use the license to develop the Wonder TV A-6000, Wonder TV A-6030 and Work Station A-5800.
However, in a subsequent press release a day later (July 24, 1997), Gateway 2000 Inc. felt compelled to "dispute Rightiming Electronics Corp's license to manufacture Amigas, their right to sell their license and any claims they have made with respect to this license and their apparent sale of all Amiga patents to Lotus Pacific Inc's subsidiary, Regent Electronics Corp." Gateway reiterated it "owns all Amiga patents, copyrights and trademarks worldwide and it will continue to license Amiga technology to qualified companies."
A Regent spokesperson, who declined to be identified, said if Gateway's claim to the technology rights was good, then both Regent and Gateway have equal claims to those technology rights.
Gateway said it had no comment on any future actions it plans to take or on the Regent spokesperson's comments about both companies having equal claims to the technology rights.
In another assumption of a fighting stance, on July 25th AMIGA International placed a notice of its ownership of Amiga OS 3.1 on its web site, stating: "The AMIGA OS 3.1 is owned by AMIGA International, Inc. / Gateway 2000 and protected by copyright laws, international treaty provision and all other applicable national laws. The distribution of the AMIGA OS 3.1 is only approved by authorized dealers and distributors. The following security sticker indicates that this product is genuine AMIGA International, Inc. software. Reproduction of this certificate of Authenticity is illegal and strictly prohibited by law."
It is assumed that this conflict will find its way to a court of law in due course.
batmobiling - putting up emotional shields from the retracting armor that covers the batmobile as in "she started talking marriage and he started batmobiling"
beepilepsy - afflicts those with vibrating pagers characterized by sudden spasms, goofy facial expressions and loss of speech
betamaxed - when a technology is overtaken in the market by inferior but better marketed competition as in "Microsoft betamaxed Apple right out of the market"
blowing your buffer - losing your train of thought
cobweb - a WWW site that never changes
Elvis year - the peak year of popularity as in "1993 was Barney the dinosaur's Elvis year"
generica - fast food joints, strip malls, sub-divisions as in "we were so lost in generica that I couldn't remember what city it was"
going postal - totally stressed out and losing it like postal employees who went on shooting rampages
high dome - egghead, scientist, Ph.D.
irritainment - annoying but you can't stop watching i.e.; the O.J. trial
meatspace - the physical world (as opposed to the virtual) also "carbon community" "facetime" "F2F" "RL"
percussive maintenance - the fine art of whacking a device to get it working
prairie dogging - in companies where everyone has a cubicle something happens and everyone pops up to look
ribs 'n' dick - a budget with no fat as in "we've got ribs 'n' dick and we're supposed to find 20K for memory upgrades"
salmon day - swimming upstream all day to get screwed in the end
siliwood - the coming convergence of movies, interactive TV and computers also "hollywired"
square headed girlfriend (boyfriend) - computer
treeware - manuals and documentation
umfriend - sexual relationship "this is Dale, my...um...friend"
world wide wait - WWW
yuppie food coupons - twenty dollar bills from an ATM
Here are some other things he could do:
10. Bill Gates found spare change in his trousers
9. First and last month's rent on empty office space in Cupertino
8. Fee: Steve Jobs to give charisma lessons to Microsoft CEO
7. Two words: Rhapsody 98
6. Small price to pay for world domination
5. Bill to Larry: I own you now, too
4. Jobs and Woz threw in a signed Apple I as part of the deal
3. Best way to assure Gates a starring role in next Pixar animated feature
2. Easier than bribing entire Justice Department
1. Strategic move: Apple users now hate Jobs more than Gates
and the Number 1 Sign That Microsoft Owns Part of Apple...
1. Bill Gates still burned in effigy, but upper management no longer attends.
[Source: http://www4.zdnet.com/wsources/topfive/t5081197.html ]
1. Microsoft invested $150 million for non-voting stock into the company to show support for the Mac OS. When that time is up, they can convert it over to common stock where they can then sell it off or have a say in the company.
2. Microsoft promised to develop MS Office for the next five years.
3. Apple must bundle Internet Explorer as the default browser for the next five years.
4. Apple and MS will attempt to make their Java environments compatible. This can either be looked at as MS taking over the Mac OS interface like Explorer will on the Windows platform or Apple may be able to keep MS in check.
5. Microsoft will be making further payments to Apple over the next few years for patent violations. The amount has not been released as of yet.
6. Apple and MS are cross licensing patents for the next five years. This relates to the violations mentioned above.
There might be some things I missed above or items different. I've read tons of articles on this and like I said everyone has a slightly different take on things so the details are a little vague. I think Jobs pulled a rabbit out of the hat and this expo could go down as where things really got turned around in the eye of the public. Many folks are paranoid over the deal with MS and using Apple's patents. It's this simple...they were already violating these patents so they were using them anyway. Make it friendly, show the world that MS believes in Apple, and move on and worry about them later. Apple basically had a gun to their head and Jobs got for Apple what they needed most now... not later. Fighting those patents could have taken years. Also keep in mind that this all applies to the Mac OS. Rhapsody was never mentioned anywhere.
There's much more to cover like clone licensing, CEO searches and such but to sum it up it seems that Apple is making some good, positive moves that are really grabbing people's attention in a good way. Amelio did alot of good things for the company that needed to be done but they were all viewed as negative since most folks don't understand business. How long have folks been predicting Apple's and the Mac OS's demise now? They're not number one but is number two so bad?
If anyone considers ordering it, do not use the web to order it. I started to and found the price for shipping to be a bit more than I was hoping. I called them up by voice and verified the price and then discovered that the price on the web form includes overnight shipping and doesn't give you the option to change it. I went for the 2nd day deal which is 1/4 the cost for shipping. There is a sales tax as they claim they have a building here in Illinois. My final cost with tax and shipping came to about $148. I have seen nothing that can beat this so if looking for a flatbed scanner, you might want to consider this one.
Lastly their web page claims that Adobe PhotoDeLuxe and Page Manager (w/OCR) is included. I'm not familiar with Page Manager but I know that PhotoDeluxe is considered to be quite nice. It uses Photoshop's engine with a simpler interface.... at least that's what the reviews have claimed. Here's the page for those interested:
http://www.warehouse.com/oasis/bin/catproduct.dll?product_id=6475
At a Kay-Bee toys, I picked up the last thing the now-dead Atari ever made, the semi-64-bit Atari Jaguar (purchased for $35) and I've been having a ball ever since. I have taken to collecting `antique' game machines and games, and the Jaguar lives happily beside its older brother, the Atari 7800 (a nifty machine with C64ish capability, and compatibility with its own games and the old Atari 2600 VCS games). I will admit, I've gone a little nuts over the Jag and spent more money than I originally intended on games, and I intend to get the CD-ROM attachment and a few CD games. Because nobody asked for it, I will be putting some Jaguar-Amiga comparisons in the newsletter.
Since these two machines were at their height at about the same time, they were in direct competition, at least in some markets. Anyway, I thought it'd be worth it to compare these two ill-fated game consoles (although the readers may disagree).
Amiga CD32: "The first 32-bit CD console" - Commodore's second attempt at a CD console is basically an Amiga 1200 internally, with the main hardware addition being Akiko, a chip that controls the 2x CD drive and provides hardware assistance for `Chunky Pixel' modes (useful for PC porting and 3D games). It has enjoyed a rather minor success, mostly among Amiga owners, but lost popularity mainly due to the downfall of Commodore, and the fact that none of the subsequent owners continued the machine.
Atari Jaguar: "The first 64-bit game system" - This is partially to mostly true, as this cartridge based machine is a 64-bit bus with 32-bit chips with 64-bit segments, and a 16-bit 68000 coordinating things. Atari really tried their butt off with this one, and there were a few killer titles like Tempest 2000 and Doom, but lost it since they didn't have enough of them and were caught in a generation of machines that didn't succeed: 3DO, CDi, and CD32. A CD-ROM drive was made for it, but failed to save it.
The Boxes: This section is concerned with the practical bits and not the flashy capabilities. The CD32 comes in a boxy grey case with a flip-up lid and a group of ports out the back. The Jaguar certainly looks futuristic, in a sleek black case like a flying saucer. The CD drive spoils the lines a bit by looking like a toilet sitting on top of the thing. One booger of the Jaguar is that it only has RF out, and anything else, like composite or S-video, is an extra cost. CD32 has RF, composite, S-video, and stereo jacks built in (no Amiga RGB though, awww), so you can hook it up to almost anything for best quality. Both machines have an expansion slot in back. The Jaguar's seems limited to video convertors and network link cables. The CD32 has most video options built in, and the keyboard/serial port can handle networking. The 32's expansion was designed mainly for its very rare FMV MPEG Video CD player board, but it's also well known for expanders to add full Amiga computer capability to the machine, including floppy and hard drives, and even processor accelerators, making it slightly more future-proof than the Jag. (Kind of a moot point though.) Both machines have a non-volatile RAM system to hold saved games, high scores, settings, or whatever. The Jag's save RAM is in each game cartridge, and I have had a couple lose memory, so I don't know how reliable the system is. Jag CD games can't work that way, so you need a special memory cartridge to hold save info. The CD32. being a CD console, needs to keep its NV RAM in the machine itself. The save RAM is kind of small, so you may have problems if you have a lot of games that use it. I haven't had any problems or failures with it, and I like that you can do maintenance on the saved info without needing each game.
The Controllers: The CD32 uses a surprising well designed (though some may disagree) control pad with a directional pad, four buttons in a diamond arrangement, and two index finger buttons at the top edge of the controller. It's very similar to a Super Nintendo controller, and there exists one third party controller if you don't like the native one. This six-button (seven with pause) controller is quite capable for all but the games requiring the most complex control. The Jaguar has a controller that looks like the illegitimate child of a Sega Genesis controller and one from the old Atari 5200 (or Intellivision, or Colecovision). The three-button thumbpad controller part (five including pause and option) is supplemented by a 12-button keypad stuck to the bottom of the controller, which can accept overlays specific to each game. There is also a "Pro Controller" that adds another three buttons to the main group and two index finger buttons at the top. Maybe it's just me, but I find the Jaguar controller more awkward to hold and use, and it's harder to hit two buttons at once, to sidestep and shoot at the same time in a Doom-style game, for example. It's hard to find a game that's too complex for the Jag controller, and hitting the * and # together lets you reset the machine without getting up. There are no third party Jaguar controllers that I know of.
The Sound: The Jag supposedly has 16-bit sound capability, with ?? number of channels in stereo. Add a CD drive, and you get CD audio as well. The CD32 has the standard Amiga four channels of 8-bit sound in stereo, but adding the CD audio makes it pretty balanced, and down mostly to quality of sound in the games themselves. The sound may not be truly equal, but if it's done well, you probably won't tell the difference between the two.
The Graphics: This is where the Jag pulls ahead, I'm afraid. THe Jaguar can put out 24-bit graphics, and shift 16-bit color stuff around well for games. The CD32 can come close for stills and animations with HAM-8, but is usually limited to 256 or fewer colors for in-game graphics. The Jag has specialist hardware for scaling and shifting around sprites and bitmaps, as well as 3D solid and texture-mapped polygons. It can't do this stuff as well as, say, a Sony Playstation or Nintendo 64, but the performance is still very respectable. The AGA/020 combo of the 32 does a very good job, but is hampered by the fact that this is general-purpose hardware used to make a specific-purpose machine. I have seen quite a few games on the Jag that would likely give the 32 some trouble. For example, the Jaguar version of Doom moves rather zippily, with a minimal reduction of resolution, compared to the original PC version (and the color depth appears better and more subtle than the PC), while a similar Amiga/CD32 game, Gloom, runs at good speed full screen, but with a vastly reduced resolution. The more Doom-like Alien Breed 3D (1) has low resolution and a small view window, and is dog slow on a CD32 (but quite good on an '030 Amiga with Fast RAM - the 32 only has CHIP).
If you go by pure numbers, the CD32 beats the Jag hands down, with well over 100 games (I have no idea exactly how many - it could be over 20, especially when you consider most CDTV titles worked on the 32) compared to under 60 for the Jaguar (that's both cartridge and CD games combined). The reason for this CD32 game glut is the vast library of past and present Amiga games to draw from. With some minor tweaking, just about any Amiga game could become a CD32 game, and many did. Between the CD32 and its predecessor, the CDTV, Commodore just about invented the term "shovelware". Most CD32 games came direct from the Amiga, with a CD-soundtrack and a big intro animation to fill up space on the CD-ROM. Many didn't even bother to go that far. So, almost none of the CD32 games really made use of the special features the hardware has or the storage space that the CD-ROM media provides (Microcosm from Psygnosis being the most standout exception - shame the gameplay was weak). There are many outstanding Amiga games that made their way to the CD32, but it's rare to find one that really stretches the machine's limits, or show the technical flash of many a Jag game. They're just good, fun games. Because there's no direct course for making a Jaguar game, "shovelware" doesn't hit much, although there are a few games from the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, PC, or Amiga that shows little or no enhancement over the original version. Jaguar cartridge games are often as strong or stronger than many CD-based games. I don't have much experience with Jag CD games, but except for FMV-based games like Dragon's Lair, they don't appear much different than cartridge games except for the enhancements mentioned in the CD32 versions of Amiga games. I would say the ratio of strong games to duds is roughly the same on both machines, giving the CD32 a slight edge due to greater volume. Strong Jag games tend to be more graphically impressive than most CD32 games, but even the 32 has standouts, like Microcosm, Super Stardust, Guardian, and Gloom that compare well next to Jag toppers like Tempest 2000 and Rayman. The CD32 excels in 2D platform and shooting games, though games like GLoom and Guardian prove it's capable of a good bit of 3D polygon or texture-mapped fun as well. The Jag is a good 2D performer, but games like Tempest 2000 and Missile Command 3D show it really shines, like many of the most recent systems, in 3D. The unfortunate irony about the CD32 is that a few modifications make it a much better 3D polygon/texture gamer. An SX32 Pro 68030 and RAM expansion will cause a very noticeable speed and smoothness improvement in games like Alien Breed 3D and Guardian. (Ups the cost though.)
If you wanna be analytical about it, there's not much point in comparing two machines that are both no longer in production. They are both fairly easy and inexpensive to get, if you know where to look. If you have any interest at all in either, you've probably already made a decision, and if you have enough desire (and money), you can get both and a fair library of games for the price of a Nintendo 64 and a couple of games or 1/3 of a PC. You can expand your CD32 and stand toe-to-toe with the most decked out Amiga 1200 (and use your machine to paint, desktop publish, and play games a stock 32 can't handle). And, your Jag can impress those Nintendo borgs, if you show 'em the right game.
Eric W. Schwartz (Don't ask me why I wrote this thing.)
erics@coax.net
Top Five Jaguar Games: (in no particular order)
[Source: The Dayton Area Amiga Users Groups' "Amiga Gazette", June, 1997. The Amiga Gazette's address is P.O. Box 292684, Kettering, OH 45429-0684.]
As many of you have noticed, especially if you read last month's issue, I am still enough of a kid at heart to enjoy video games quite a bit. My A4000 and 1200 both do serious business and graphics work, but I still enjoy a bout of Alien Breed 3D or Worms: The Director's Cut on the 4000 (both happily living on the hard drive), or Defender, Frantic Freddie, and Star Wars (from the old vector display arcade game) on the 1200. I also have a CD32 with a good library of games and an A1000, A500, and a C64 that will eventually be playing a lot of my older games the newer machines don't like. In addition, I have a (little used currently) Atari 2600, Nintendo NES, Atari 7800, and (heavily used) Atari Jaguar with CD attachment. As you can probably deduce, I really like my games.
Now it's PC bashing time. I remember a critic in a PC publication (you know, the types who whine about how bad Windows is, then buys Microsoft Windows, Word, Works, and Windows (again)) who made the statement that games drove the PC market. I never thought about it before, but there's a lot of truth in that. While most of all current PC software packages demand a lot from the machine they run on, it's games that really lead the pack. If it wasn't for games and games players, people might be able to get by with their measly 80486 DX4 100 Mhz PC, but NOOOO. People want to play Duke Nukem 3D or Quake or something that first appeared on a Sega Saturn, and those games, in their efforts for faster and more impressive graphic effects and sound to beat the best of last month's games, turn a 100 Mhz Pentium into the LOW end. To get by as a PC game player today, you're gonna need at least a 166 Mhz Pentium, a super-whizzy sound card with CD-ROM drive, a hard drive big enough to hold at least five full CDs, and a 64 or 128 bit video card with 3D acceleration. Then, and only then, will you be a state of the art player - for at least two or three months, until a game comes out asking for a 366 Mhz Pentium 3 and DVD drive (and it comes on three DVD disks).
The point is, people are spending between $1200 and $3000 on a heavy-duty PC system, finding a new release that does "not so well" on their system - and the primary reason is GAMES! I really like to play games, and I've been known to spend a bit of money on them, but that is nuts! Of course, most people will deny they got a new PC or upgrade solely for gaming, but more of them are fooling themselves than we'd like to believe. The problem is, these people want to get a specific game title so badly that they'll buy the hardware just so they can get the software. Lots of people bought Atari 2600s when Space Invaders and Pac-Man came out, bought Nintendos for Super Mario, and PCs for Doom. The fullest extension of this concept results in people with a high-powered PC and several game consoles, because there's always one good game for one machine that the others don't have, or don't play as well on another machine. People need to exercise some self control in that respect, and realize when they're dumping too much just to play the newest first-person Doom-clone shooter. I have a lot of computers and game machines, but you'll notice my list at the beginning of the article did not include any PCs or recent game machines like Nintendo 64 or Playstation. I probably would not have gotten the Atari Jaguar if I didn't stumble across one for 35 bucks. I'll admit to being quite impressed with the power shown by recent PC and console games, but never so much that I felt I had to buy more hardware to play it.
An interesting note is how this situation is hitting the Amiga. While new games development has been understandably quiet of late, a number of new games are shaping up to be released., and they'll be demanding more of your Amiga. Originally, games (for PC as well as Amiga) were designed to the `least common denominator' spec, meaning what most people currently had, often a stock machine. Games were geared toward a 256K A1000, then a 512K A500, then a 1MB A500 (preferably 1 meg CHIP RAM), and then a 2MB A1200. Quite a few newer games will work with a stock A1200, but really need a good '030 and a few megs of RAM to work well, 3D sims and Doom clones being good examples. Alien Breed 3D 2 is probably the current king - a pretty game that runs rather pokey on even my 25 Mhz '040 4000 with 18 megs. An AGA machine with an '030 is about to become the low end, as new games being publicized in magazines and on the Net are talking about supporting upcoming PowerPC accelerators, Cybergraphx video cards, and retargetable audio. This would seem to imply the Amiga game platform of the future is the A4000, which can support these things. The A1200 owners are left out in the cold unless they buy a 4000 or bump their 1200 into a tower case expansion with slots. I am gratified to see game developers be a little daring, and try to push the market forward by making more Amigans upgrade so they can play the killer games. I just hope they don't fly too far too fast, and fall into the same consumer-ripping vicious cycle the PC market is currently in.
A (very) few games I have gone out of my way to get:
Super Stardust - CD32 (probably the best CD32 game I own, if not the best one there is.)
Alien Breed 3D 2 - (I want to get a '060/PowerPC, but not for this bad boy. I'd like to see it running smooth tho')
Atari Karts - Jaguar (I wouldn't want this if I didn't already have a Jag, but I still drove across the state of Kentucky at nearly 80 MPH for the possibility.)
Worms: The Director's Cut - (I looked around for months to get this one, even though I already had the original Worms. Its configurability makes this the single coolest game I own.)
[Source: The Dayton Area Amiga Users Groups' "Amiga Gazette", July, 1997. The Amiga Gazette's address is P.O. Box 292684, Kettering, OH 45429-0684.]
John Lynn's Amiga 4000 was at the front of the room and as he was working on getting the modem connection worked out he talked about a few things. First he noted that the A4000 was working with the "other" TIMM (the one we purchased for the Mac SIG). The first TIMM is being repaired. A defective part was found to be the culprit for its sorrows. It will be coming back soon. To show how the TIMM worked with his A4000, he ran through its three different resolutions. John then thanked Mike Latinovich and Dave Witt for their help in getting his '060 accelerator working. He also noted that the Picasso IV graphics card was installed in his A4000 for this evening's demonstration.
President Rollins the opened the floor to the membership for a general Question and Answer Session, but the audience was a little quiet this evening.
John Lynn began the SIG meeting by talking a little about the hardware improvements that had been performed on his A4000. First he talked about the Picasso video card, stating that both the Toaster and the Picasso IV need to be in a video slot, but luckily the A4000T has two of them. He noted that we had received a 16-bit audio board along with the Picasso. Mike Latinovich added that it had an ESS audio driver chip on it, which makes it a very good one.
John then point out his new CyberStorm '060 board, wedged in behind the drive bay. He said it was a pain to install, but he is ecstatic about its impact on the performance of his machine.
To finish up the installation of the Picasso board, John turned to his machine and installed the Picasso software drivers. He chose a 24-bit 800 x 600 display. Mike noted that with the Workbench emulation, you are unable to drag screens, like you can on a stock Amiga. He said that is a function of the blitter.
Mike then began his Internet demonstration with Miami by Holger Kruse. Miami is a TCP/IP stack for your Amiga which is extremely easy to configure and get yourself up and running, connected to the net. It is generally used for dial-up connections, but as an aside, Mike noted that Miami supports Ethernet cards. All you need to know to configure Miami is your dial up number, your login name, your password, and domain server. Mike said all this information should be provided to you by your service provider.
Mike then installed Miami on John's machine. As he went through the process he made occasional comments, noting such things like most connections are dynamic and the protocol is generally PPP. He then showed some of all the special things you can tweak inside Miami.
Mike talked, in general, about the other requirements of getting on the Internet, other than Miami. He spoke about the Magic User Interface software which most Amiga browsers require. He said you will absolutely need to have OS3 or better, and to take full advantage of the web's graphics you will most likely want a video card, such as the Picasso or the Cybergraphs cards.
As for browser software, Mike recommended AWeb-II 2.0 or IBrowse. However, several members spoke up for Voyager NG, so Mike decided to go out on the net and download a copy and take a look at it right then and there. So, he went to the Vaporware site which said Voyager NG 2.9 was available, but that was a little premature. It wasn't available, so he downloaded and installed Voyager NG 2.70, installed it, and began playing around with it while other members tossed out information and encouragement.
Kevin Hisel became very interested when he found out that the Amiga Web Directory was one of Voyager NG's default buttons. He grabbed the mouse and cruised over to the SASG web site. He then checked out Deja News.
As Kevin was visiting some graphically intense web sites, Mike noted that the Picasso software is very tweakable. It supports all Cybergraphics calls.
When Kevin tired of testing frames and the like, Bill Zwicky to over the mouse. He went to wuarchive.wustl.edu and grabbed some JPEGs to look at. He also visited his "Bill's Little Home Page."
To give Voyager NG another test, Mike went to his own home page to test it on a animation he had running there. Voyager NG did not show the animation of a man doing something foul to the Explorer logo, but to be fair, none of the other Amiga browsers did either. So, we've still got a way to go to catch the pack.
We were going to do an internet session. But the Amiga Sig guys grabbing the phone connection first. A vicious pillow fight ensued after which everyone spit feathers for the rest of the meeting. Those Amiga guys swing mean pillows.
Next month WE get the phone for a "Things you can do on the web, besides browsing and e-mail" demonstration.
The installer requires 95MB of free space. The install takes a long time and installs Netscape, MS Internet Explorer & other "Extras". Jim Huls said he either hid or threw away the Claris E-mail Lite. The Finder is faster and does multiple copying. This slows down the machine a bit, though. The Finder is a cooperative multitasking Finder. There are two Finders - a "Simple Finder' and the regular "Finder". The Simple Finder is a stripped down version of the main Finder. The folders are all 3D now, as are the frames, and they are "spring loaded". This means that when you double click and hold down the button on the second click, you can take a file and put it in a folder three or four or more folders deep. All you do is drag the file over the first folder (it will spring open) and then over the next folder (it will spring open), etc. You do this until you are over the desired folder, then you release the mouse button and they all close up tight.
There is an "Appearance Manager" that allows you to select color combinations, your default text browser, etc. SimpleText now has a find feature. (It is still limited to 60k documents, though.) The old grey background is now called "Platinum" and the default System fonts are "Charcoal" or "Chicago". A new "improved" Extension Manager has more info, more features, more, more, more!!! (Excuse me - I got carried away there.) (Rich made his traditional plug for Conflict Catcher - general murmurs of agreement from the "knowing" members - Version 4.03 is for System 8) (Also, the Informant website will tell you all about the various control panels and extensions.)
More changes come when you start looking in the pull-down menus in the Finder menus.
Under - File: You have all File & Folder modification commands. They have combined portions of the old View, Label & Special menus into one new menu. They have added "Move to Trash", "Label" and dropped "Find Again" for "Show Original"
Under - Edit: They've rearranged things and added "Preferences" which kind of replaces the old "Views" control panel.
Under - View: This where the biggest differences are. You can view the contents of a folder as Icons (double click), Buttons (single click) or as a List. Then, you can view the folders as Windows, like the traditional Mac interface, or as pop-up tabs that are activated by clicking on a "title tab" that appears a the bottom left of your monitor screen. I have been experimenting with this at work and it will take some doing to get used to the feature. But, I predict, before long I will be using it and wondering how I got along without it. The last part of the View menus is Clean Up (the old Clean Window), Arrange (arrange contents by name, date, kind, size, etc.) and View Options... (the rest of the old Views control panel - icon size, snap to grid, staggered grid, etc.)
You have to make individual changes on individual folders. A grey background highlights the portion of the folder that is being used to organize the folder (name, size, etc.). If you drag an open folder to the bottom of the desktop it turns into a tab at the bottom of the screen, a single click will open or close it. The cursor has mutated as well, with 3 versions of the arrow cursor (copy, alias and contextual menu) and a magnifier version.
There are many other features that we were not able to explore. A late start and the pillow fight over the phone connection cut into the SIG time. You can get an overview in several of the Mac magazines, but I have been hanging out with the August issue of MacAddict with it's 16 page guide (pictures with circles and arrows). System 8 can be obtained for anywhere from just over $100 to as low as $80 (incl. S&H). Claris is bundling Conflict Catcher w/System 8. University of Illinois students, faculty & staff can get it for the $10 S&H charge (approx.). It does not work on 68k machines, which leaves me out in the cold. At work we have an 8500/120 that died and was reformatted with System 8. I like the new system, but I have noticed that our Epson scanning twain software does not work with System 8. Epson is working on a fix and suggests using Scantastic (list $99), which is System 8 friendly. So, some software may be buggy with the new system and should be updated. In particular RamDoubler, SpeedDoubler, Conflict Catcher and maybe Norton Disk Doctor need to be updated. Over all though, I think it is a noticeable improvement: quick and flexible.
Discussion also went around about needing more people to make presentations for the monthly meetings. So, those who have a particular interest, 3D or sound production, etc. or maybe an application that might be of interest to the rest of the group are asked to contact Rich Rollins or Jim Huls. I said I'd do something with Freehand (5.5 or 7) for a future SIG.
The July meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, July 22, 1997, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were Richard Rollins, Mark Landman, John Lynn, Jim Huls, Kevin Hopkins, Kevin Hisel, Jim Lewis, and Emil Cobb.
Richard Rollins: "Excellent Mac SIG," Richard said. "We had great participation. Everyone seemed to have a question or comment." Richard thanked Jim Huls for conducting the "last minute" Question and Answer presentation and OS8 preview.
Next month Jim Huls will be doing "Things on the Internet... other than Netscape and email."
The phone line in the Bresnan used for the Amiga SIG's Internet demo this month worked out OK finally. "We literally smoked Mike Latinovich's Courier modem a little bit before we got the right one (beware of digital lines with standard modems)." The Courier HST gets high marks for durability considering the abuse it took. A lesser modem would have been toast. Supposedly, a Road Warrior adapter can deal with these kinds of mixed line situations (like hotel rooms when you're on the road). "We eventually hooked up to the line to their credit card reader. We also found we had to dial 9, (nine comma) just to get a dial tone - the lack of a dial tone threw us for a while."
The Amiga SIG will be doing a "Bring your favorite game" night at next month's meeting. John Lynn would like to buy any kind of CDROM drive for the club's A3000 to facilitate this program. Jim Lewis said he would deal with acquiring a drive for our machine.
Richard closed his initial portion by saying he is currently learning Java and if there is anyone in the club that knows anything about Java, he'd like them to email him so he could discuss topics with them. Richard Rollin's email address is rrollins@cucug.org.
Mark Landman: Mark said he still hasn't looked into moving our bank account, due to the exorbitant charges or current bank has been levying on cashing our foreign checks. Jim Lewis said he would investigate the matter for Mark.
Mark concluded by giving his Treasurer's report.
John Lynn: John noted that the Amiga SIG meeting, "Worked out real well. Mike did a wonderful job with the Internet."
"The Picasso video board worked really, really well. Looks like a wonderful card. However, the literature that came with it is terrible. The writer clearly isn't comfortable with the English language. There's nothing in the manual at all about the sound module that came with our board." John closed on that subject by saying he is interested in the Pablo II video encoder that works with the Picasso.
John reported that our TIMM monitor is being repaired at McCann Electronics, 100 Division Street, Metairie, Louisiana.
For the Amiga SIG in October, Bill Zwicky will do a scenery animator.
John said he'd like to conduct an animation contest among CUCUG members. He requested anyone that's interested to send in an animation or video tape of their animation by November of this year. He said he'd review them and award a prize to the best one. Discussing this with Kevin Hisel, it was decided the prize would be a copy of Cloanto's Personal Suite which contains Personal Paint, SBase, Personal Write, and Personal Fonts. John said if entrants would like their materials returned, they will need to include enough postage for the return trip, otherwise the media cannot be returned.
Jim Huls: "The last meeting went well," Jim said. He feels that a Question and Answer Session is a necessity at least once or twice a year as a SIG meeting program. They are extremely helpful. Richard Rollins noted, with a smile, that even Harold Ravlin stayed to the end.
Jim brought up the need to update the Mac SIG flyer. Jim Lewis volunteered to help him with that project.
Jim brought up the possibility of preparing a ZIP disk full of material to coincide with his Internet presentation next month. He will talk with Emil about coordinating its release with the club's Macintosh Library.
There was a discussion of getting MacOS 8 for the club machine.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin distributed the mail, exchange newsletters, and membership money to the interested and/or appropriate parties. Kevin also provided some newsletters to Jim Huls to take care of one of his vendors needs. The usual winners sheets we not included in the newsletter this year due to a logistic problem.
Kevin tossed out the suggestion for a Mac SIG meeting on the topic of "How to buy a Macintosh." With the plethora of makes and models, it might be helpful to go over the types of features a user should look for when purchasing a new machine. If the Amiga situation continues as it has recently, this might be an idea for an Amiga SIG meeting of the future, as well.
In the absence of Mike Latinovich, Kevin broached the topic Mike had been discussing on the board list of upgrading the club's Amiga 3000. In the general discussion that followed, it appears the board is reticent to upgrade the A3000 piece-meal, since it is primarily a demo machine. However, if improvements can be made economically, they will be done, by all means. Upgrading on the chip level will be done as the need requires.
Putting on his Keeper of the Membership List hat, Kevin reported that CUCUG's membership now stands at 341 worldwide.
Discussing the applications being made on our web site, Kevin floated the idea of emailing a complimentary newsletter to each applicant, similar to the way we offer one free newsletter mailing to a visitor who physically attends one of our monthly meetings. The board thought it was a good idea, but the work involved may ultimately be prohibitive.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin raised the question of how feasible it would be for CUCUG to get credit card processing ability. Not having this is a barrier for some people joining our group. Jim Lewis and Richard Rollins felt that this wouldn't be that difficult. This option may well be explored.
Kevin mentioned the Ziff Davis award given the Amiga Web Directory (as reported in the last newsletter).
Kevin showed a Cybervision 64/3D with 4MB of RAM we received from Greg Scott at National Amiga in Canada. Greg is a CUCUG members and a great guy on top of that. This card will go into the club's A3000. There was discussion about the need for an '060 card for this machine.
Jim Lewis: Jim began by offering the possibility of burning a CDROM of club's Amiga Library. The was a discussion on how viable this would be as a revenue generating item.
There was talk about acquiring a CDROM drive for club Amiga.
Kevin Hopkins asked about the WB3.1 package we had discussed purchasing from Jim, had that ever been done. Due to Jim's recent move, the item is still buried in the packing boxes somewhere.
Jim concluded his segment by saying, "If you have and HP ink jet printer, and you haven't, you should try the HP glossy paper in your color printer. You'll need to choose the HP photo paper option in the driver. The output is not a laser quality, but it's real close. The paper is 65 cents per sheet, but it's worth it." Jim has tried this with his HP680C and is very happy with the results.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported that 28 members attended the last meeting.
As Badge Master, Emil said he is thinking of changing the look of our name badges and he had samples for the board to look at.
Richard Rollins: Pursuant to a discussion he had with Kevin Hopkins, Richard lead a discussion on doing one of our periodic reviews of the bylaws, now that the Internet has impacted our organization.
There was another round of discussion on upgrading the club's 3000. Do we really need more RAM, a graphics card, a processor board? In a related area, the board decided to pursue the Hayes modem trade in deal. Richard will take care of handling that upgrade.
Richard concluded the meeting by saying we will discuss upgrading the club's Mac next month.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters (398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis. The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of Centennial High School.
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year ($25US outside the U.S. and Canada; prorated to $15 at mid year).
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by the postal service or email at the member's choice. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.
This newsletter was prepared with PageStream 2.22 on an Amiga 3000 25/100 and output to an HP Laserjet IIP plus. Pagestream was donated to CUCUG by Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President: Richard Rollins 469-2616 rrollins@cucug.org Vice-President: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu Treasurer: Mark Landman 398-2910 mlandman@earthlink.net Corporate Agent: Jim Lewis 359-1342 jlewis@cucug.org Board Advisor: Jim Huls 892-8730 jhuls@pdnt.com Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 352-1002 khisel@cucug.org Amiga SIG: John Lynn 586-3555
Email us at cucug@cucug.org or surf our home page:
To get on the net free, call Prairienet at (217) 255-9000. Login as "visitor". Once you're on, just type "go cucug" for a good place to start.