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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. September 15, 1995 No. 1137 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! BBS v4.11 * Fully Networked within the following Nets: ITCNet 85:881/250 JAX HUB FIDO Net 1:112/35 ~ Prowl ~ USPOLNet ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:301/3 Delivered via Subscriber List through Internet 904-786-4176 MULTI-NODE 24hrs-7 days 2400-115.2 bps V.32-34 v.42 bis 28.8 USRobotics D/S Data/Fax 28.8 V.34 Everything FAX: 904-783-3319 24hrs The Bounty STReport Support Central .... 1-904-786-4176 FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734 FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493 FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642 09/15/95 STR 1137 "The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!" - CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - SONY PSX REVIEW! - Adobe Certify - ATI UPDATES - Frankie's Corner - McAfee UP - OUI SPECIAL OFFER - Q'Deck buys Prospero - DOMAIN FEES - Mr T's CATnips - People Talking - Jaguar NewsBITS -* Compuserve AD SNUBBED! *- -* AOL HACKED!! *- -* IBM SOFTWARE SHAKEUP! *- STReport International OnLine Magazine The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC, Fido, Internet, PROWL, USENET, USPOLNet, NEST, F-Net, Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1- 904-786-4176. 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: 09/02/95: 2 matches in 10 plays From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" Every so often something happens in the computing community that degrades its overall professionalism and respect. This past week, we received a rather nasty post from some supposedly "well educated" computerists who claimed this magazine is biased against Apple and Macs. This came about because of a few comments in this editorial column about the shabby management practices at Apple Corp. Having migrated from a computer platform that is dying a slow agonizing death.. mainly due to the gross mis-management of that platform by the company's principals I felt I was able, through first hand experience to point out certain dangerous similarities. I did so and lo and behold these "twits" (for the want of a better word) send us all kinds of threatening letters of impending flaming and deletions to blockage from an internet site they apparently manage or, represent themselves as managing. To their blantant and disgusting attempts at censorship our reply is do what you have to do. You will then give is the direction to do what we must. Nobody but nobody will ever excerise any type of control over what does or does not appear in STReport except of course the staff and myself. Many have tried.. All failed. Comdex is not very far away... coming on the heels of Windows 95 entry into the marketplace, this year's Comdex in Vegas should be a veritable feeding frenzy of delightful new packages in both the hardware and sofware areas. We are looking forward to bringing you every delicious moment of each debut. Stay tuned... Ralph.... 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 May 12,1995, 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 LAPTOP & ENTERTAINMENT MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION R.F.Mariano Marty Mankins J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson 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. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Leonard Worzala Tom Sherwin Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe...................... 70007,4454 Prodigy............................ CZGJ44A Delphi............................ RMARIANO GEnie............................ ST.REPORT BIX............................... RMARIANO FIDONET........................... 1:112/35 ITC NET......................... 85:881/253 AOL: ............................. STReport Internet ............ rmariano@streport.com Internet: ..............CZGJ44A@prodigy.com Internet: ..............RMARIANO@delphi.com Internet: ........70007.4454.compuserve.com Internet: .................STReport@AOL.Com WORLD WIDE WEB: ....http://www.streport.com IMPORTANT NOTICE STReport, with its policy of not accepting any PAID advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The 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 Issue #37 Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson -/- Paper Rejects CompuServe Ad -/- CompuServe is wondering why its ad criticizing the new Microsoft Network -- an ad that appeared this week in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today and other papers -- was rejected by the major newspaper nearest Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters. The ad -- which also has appeared in the Kansas City Star, the Columbus, Ohio, Dispatch and the San Jose, Calif., Mercury News -- suggested Microsoft Network was incomplete and rough around the edges. Showing a yellow road construction sign, the ad featured a tag line that read, "So, this is the Microsoft information superhighway? If you really want to get somewhere today, get CompuServe." CompuServe officials say that when they tried to run the $13,000 ad in Microsoft's backyard, neither The Seattle Times nor the Seattle Post-Intelligencer would accept it. "Our ad was refused," CompuServe spokesman Pierce Reid told reporter Paul J. Lim of The Seattle Times. Reid said The Times, which handles advertising for both papers under a joint-operating agreement, told CompuServe that, "They have a policy not to accept any online advertising because online services compete with newspaper content and revenue." On this, Marji Ruiz, vice president of advertising for The Times, told the reporter the company "does not accept advertising from paid-subscription online services" and hasn't since the launch of Prodigy in the late 1980s. Added Ruiz, "A great parallel is you don't see NBC programming ads for CBS. If you look at content of online, you see sports scores, weather, news, JC Penney advertising. Many (of these services) position themselves as a replacement for traditional newspapers." Lim notes the two papers do accept ads, however, from Internet access companies and from World Wide Web servers. Also, he writes, "According to published reports, The Times and Microsoft have discussed the possibility of putting content from The Times on the network." While some have suggested this may have been a reason for the decision not to run the CompuServe ad, Ruiz called that implication "an absolute lie." Meanwhile, Reid told Lim, "In this era when the public and analysts are judging publishing concerns for their willingness to embrace the online world, it's incredible that a company would put its head in the virtual sand like this." In CompuServe's "media advisory" statement, Thomas M. Cullivan, CompuServe's director of advertising, said he was "greatly disappointed" at the papers' refusal to run the ad "in an area that we consider to be our second 'home town' while the newspapers of other important business communities ran the ad without questions." Said Cullivan, "The Seattle market is one of the fastest growing hi-tech communities, and it concerns us that we appear to be locked out of this newspaper." -/- Fees Set for Net Domain Names -/- Domain names on the Internet will no longer be free. For years, companies have been able to register, free of charge, the domain portion used in their electronic-mail addresses. That is the part of the email address that follows the "@" symbol, as in 70007.411@compuserve.com. However, starting today, Network Solutions Inc., the company hired to register domain names, will impose an annual fee. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Jared Sandberg quotes officials with Network Solutions as saying the Herndon, Virginia, firm will begin charging a fee of $50 a year, needed, they say, because of the rising cost of handling some 14,000 registrations each month. The Journal says those costs will pass $6 million this year, while the company collects only $5.9 million over five years in its contract with the government. David Graves, Internet business manager at Network Solutions, told the paper, "The dramatic growth of the Internet and the costs of doing domain name registration services are exceeding the budget." The Journal notes domain registrations have soared "as companies, eager to hold on to their trademarks in cyberspace, have rushed to register multiple names as a defensive maneuver." Until today, Network Solutions has registered requests on a first-come, first-served basis, "letting individuals grab up corporate names and try to resell them to the actual companies," the paper notes. "The new fee could curb the practice." While many see this as a rational decision -- "If domains are free, then everybody's just going to go and grab them," says Mike Walsh, president of Internet Info, a Falls Church, Virginia, market research firm -- others are unhappy. "Where was the public discussion about this?" asks Karl Denninger, president of Internet access company Macro Computer Solutions Inc. "Where was the open bidding process?" The Journal notes that under the new arrangement, companies registering new domain names will pay $100 per name for the first two years. Each year after that, they will have to pay $50 per year. Companies that have already registered addresses will have to pay $50 starting on the first-year anniversary of their registration. Officials with the National Science Foundation, which hired Network Solutions to manage the domain names, told Associated Press writer Evan Ramstad the charge will not apply to individuals. So a person with the electronic address of 70007.411@compuserve.com is not charged a fee, but CompuServe, represented by the compuserve.com domain name, will pay one $50 fee to cover the connection to the Internet it supplies to millions of CompuServe user IDs (including 70007,411). AP says the NSF will continue to pay the registration fees of government and military agencies, schools and universities. The NSF hired Network Solutions in 1993 to be the official registrar of the Internet. Since that time, the NSF has paid a fee to Network Solutions each time a new enterprise has connected to the data network. "That was no trouble when only 400 new sites were connecting per month, which was the case in early 1993," says Ramstad. "By October 1994, there were 2,000 new sites per month. The figure should reach 20,000 per month by the end of this year. There are now more than 110,000 domain names in the registry at Network Solutions."! -/- Netscape Upgrades Security -/- Security in the Netscape web browser software distributed on the Internet has been upgraded. An officials with Netscape Communications Corp. told Barbara Grady of the Reuter News Service the firm made the upgrade after getting permission from the U.S. government to give its Internet-distributed version, used by millions of people worldwide, the same security as its commercial version. The move follows a widely publicized security break into Netscape Navigator by a French computerist. "The incident created a stir because Netscape was thought to have the most secure browser software there is," Reuters added. "Netscape had blamed the break on U.S. laws which forbid the export of technology that would interrupt with government national security activities." The Netscape official told the wire service, "We got permission to ship the 128-bit version of our navigator online on the Internet. We still cannot export it, because of the secure technology." -/- Paper Says America Online Hacked -/- Hours after The San Francisco Chronicle reported computer intruders had tampered with America Online's business and customer files, the Vienna, Va., company acknowledged it recently has been fighting online vandals. An online statement from AOL President Steve Case posted late yesterday did not discuss specifics of the Chronicle story -- including reports that intruders had created a security breach that could affect subscriber accounts -- but the Case letter did say AOL recently installed software fixing system weaknesses that intruders had been exploiting. Michelle V. Rafter of the Reuter News Service says AOL officials have declined to discuss details of the newspaper report, but notes Case's letter says the recent software fixes are part of an ongoing "anti-hacker" program that will include periodic reminders to subscribers to change their passwords and a general request that subscribers report unusual activity of any kind to the company's staff. In its story, the Chronicle cited "sources associated with the company" as saying vandals appeared to have obtained access to a wide variety of files at AOL, including Case's personal files. Says Reuters, "The newspaper said it was unclear whether the break-ins were caused by AOHell, a popular hacker program that can be downloaded from the Internet and programmed to send E-mail bombs, set up fake user accounts and gain access to subscribers' passwords and other private information." The wire service quotes AOL spokeswoman Pam McGraw as saying most of her employer's online vandalism problems have stemmed from AOHell, including the recent incidents. The Chronicle said the most recent situation came to light this past weekend, when leaders of various America Online forums who are issued free accounts were told to change their passwords. Says Reuters, "Brian Carlisle, leader of AOL's Politics Channel forum and a Birmingham, Ala., computer consultant, said he received a message from AOL when he logged onto the service on Wednesday asking him to change his password. Carlisle said AOL gave no explanation for the request." Carlisle also said he thinks the AOHell scare is overblown, adding, "AOHell doesn't do anything that a normal user couldn't already do. AOHell could continuously send a mail message to someone's mailbox, commonly referred to as a mail bomb. There's nothing unique about that except AOHell automates the process." The Chronicle reports the computer vandals were able to find a main account at the online service which contains addresses leading to other areas inside America Online. "The addresses include access to areas that have information about members' passwords, screen names by which they identify themselves on the service, and other information," Reuters reports. As with most commercial services, AOL subscribers submit a credit card number, which can be used for online purchases of products. Said the Chronicle, "It was unclear whether the computer hackers could retrieve credit card information." In his online letter last night, Case acknowledged recent cases in which individuals passed themselves off as AOL employees, then asked members for their passwords. Said Case, "Please know that this is not our policy. Your password is a secret code that only you should have." -/- McAfee Sees Market Share Rise-/- McAfee Associates Inc.'s worldwide market share for desktop anti-virus software has increased to 76 percent, according to a new report from International Data Corp., the market research firm based in Framingham, Massachusetts. According to the IDC study, which is based upon 1994 unit sales results, McAfee is the worldwide market leader in desktop anti-virus software for DOS and Windows. The results mark a 9 percent increase over IDC's 1992 data, which had pegged McAfee's market share at 67 percent. "We attribute our market share increase to our consistently high virus detection rates, continued product innovation and our unrelenting dedication to customer satisfaction," says Scott Gordon, anti-virus product manager at McAfee. -/- Nielsen to Monitor Internet -/- Nielsen Media Research, best know for its monitoring of TV viewing habits in the U.S., now also will turn its attention to online viewing. The company says it will conduct surveys similar to its TV reports to gauge the number and demographic profile of users of sites on the Internet's World Wide Web. The first reports will be available by the end of this month. Nielsen officials told United Press International its reports will give Web site owners and advertisers the first comprehensive look at the people who use the Internet. The surveys will be a joint venture with Internet Profiles Corp., a San Francisco firm that just began marketing demographic information about online users in May. While financial terms weren't disclosed, UPI says Nielsen has acquired an equity stake in Internet Profiles. "Nielsen's entry into the Internet marketplace," UPI comments, "underscores the growing use of online media as an advertising and promotional vehicle for everything from new homes to health and beauty products. About 40 percent of American households are equipped with personal computers, but Nielsen officials maintain there never has been a reliable estimate of the number of Americans who have access to the Internet." Look for the Nielsen I/Pro reports to provide data on the number of people who use a given Web site and how much time they spend on the various pages within the site. "In some cases," says the wire service, "Nielsen will be able to report the user's geographic origin, or whether the person's computer has a particular identification code commonly used by universities and large corporations." (Currently, most Web site operators only are able to tabulate the number of times a site is accessed in a given day.) Eventually, Nielsen wants to sign up volunteers to keep track of the online sites they visit, much as it monitors the TV viewing habits of its "Nielsen families." -/- Quarterdeck to Buy Prospero -/- For some $3 million in common stock, Quarterdeck Corp. is set to buy the intellectual property assets of Prospero Systems Research Inc., including a commercial Internet chat server and phone connection software called WebPhone. Reporting from Santa Monica, Calif., the Reuter News Service quotes Quarterdeck as saying the purchase will result in a one-time non-cash charge to earnings. WebPhone, slated for release next month, is to be incorporated into Quarterdeck's WebPhone two-way online voice system, the first of a set of Internet telecommunications products Quarterdeck says it plans. Reuters adds, "Prospero's software will enable users to locate and connect to other users on the Internet without having to know their Internet protocol addresses." Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports this morning Quarterdeck also has agreed to acquire Inset Systems Inc., a closely held maker of PC utilities software, for stock worth about $17 million. Quarterdeck is to exchange 933,000 common shares for the Brookfield, Conn.-based Inset. -/- Broderbund Ends Distribution Pact -/- Broderbund Software Inc. says it has terminated its distribution agreements with Electronic Arts Inc. and New Media Express, a joint venture between Mattel Inc. and Davidson and Associates Inc. Broderbund, based in Novato, California, says it took the action based on the need for its products "to achieve fair and objective representation at all levels of distribution." The company also announced its intent to service its Neostar and Toys R Us accounts directly. "We felt it imperative that our retailers be able to purchase Broderbund products as efficiently as possible and at the lowest available cost," says Rodney Haden, Broderbund's vice president of sales. "We did not feel that New Media Express nor Electronic Arts represented the most-efficient ways to accomplish this objective." Broderbund, which publishes the Carmen Sandiego series and Myst, says it will continue to make significant investments in building its sales infrastructure. -/- IBM Shakes Up Software Group -/- Facing soaring Windows 95 sales, IBM Corp. has reshuffled the management of its software team. The computer maker reports that Lee Reiswig has been named general manager of technical strategy for its software group, and that John W. Thompson will replace Reiswig as general manager of IBM's personal software products division. Both executives will report to John M. Thompson, senior vice president and software group chief. In his new post, Reiswig's responsibilities include software architecture, strategy and standards, as well as new business development. Reiswig, 49, was general manager of the personal software products division since its formation in 1990, and has worked on the development and marketing of OS/2 since its beginnings in 1985. IBM says that John W. Thompson, 46, will assume responsibility for all development and marketing of IBM's desktop operating system software products, including OS/2 Warp, LAN Server and PC DOS. He has been general manager of marketing and solution developer programs for IBM's software group, with primary responsibility for IBM operating systems marketing and for support of industry software developers. He was previously general manager of marketing for IBM U.S., responsible for marketing and brand management for high-end systems, RISC systems, the AS/400 and networking products. IBM also says Larry Loucks, vice president of software architecture for PSP and an IBM Fellow, has been named vice president of technology, reporting to Reiswig. Loucks will provide overall software technology direction to the software group, says IBM. -/- Internet 'Threatens' Software? -/- Does the Internet pose the same kind of danger to big software companies that personal computers did to former industry leaders such as IBM and Digital Equipment Corp.? That's the view expressed by Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates in a discussion with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in the Oct. 2 issue of Fortune magazine. Says Gates, "The Internet is the seed corn of a lot of things that are going to happen, and there are so many parallels to when Paul and I were involved in the beginnings of the PC. We said back then, `Don't DEC and IBM know they're in deep trouble?' Here we are, staring at the same kind of situation." The Associated Press notes Microsoft has been criticized for being slow to develop software that works in conjunction with the Internet. "Some analysts say electronic communication, represented by the Internet and other networks, could change the way software is used," AP comments. "Computer users would rely less on programs in their PCs and more on those that can be quickly downloaded from a network as necessary. Such a change would be similar to the shift in importance from mainframe to minicomputers to personal computers." Speaking to Fortune on the 20th anniversary of Microsoft, Gates observes, "In the computer industry, there's never been a company that's led the way in two successive eras. So really, what Microsoft as a company, or Paul and I as individuals, are trying to do is defy history and actually take our leadership from the PC era into this new communications era. The odds are against us, and that's what makes it so much fun and so challenging." -/- AST President, Others Step Down -/- In a major management shakeup, AST Research Inc.'s president and two other top executives have quit as the Irvine, California, computer maker forecast a quarterly loss and stagnant sales. The move comes less than a month after South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. invested $377.5 million for a 40 percent stake in the company, but AST CEO/co-founder Safi Qureshey told business writer Evan Ramstad that Samsung did not force the executive changes. Ramstad notes AST sales for the July-September quarter have been disappointing in the U.S., with orders delayed by customers waiting for Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 95 software. Meanwhile, sales were soft for seasonal reasons in Europe and "that combination really took a toll on us," Qureshey said. Jim Schraith, AST's president/chief operating officer, and two other execs -- Jim Wittry, senior vice president responsible for the Americas, and Scott Smith, vice president in charge of desktop computer products -- resigned effective immediately. AP says Qureshey and Bruce Edwards, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will share the duties of president while the company looks for a new one. Said Qureshey, "This last year has really been a challenging one for us, and we reached an understanding, especially Jim who has worked with us for so long, and decided this is best for him to step aside." He said the company will seek a new president who has experience in strategic relationships such as the one AST forged with Samsung. AP quotes AST as saying revenue will fall at or below the $495 million reached in the same period a year ago, which had also been weak. Its net loss will be "significantly higher" than the $40 million of that period. The computer maker says it might take other restructuring charges, which would extend its loss. -/- Intel to Build Fastest Computer -/- Intel Corp. reports that the U.S. Department of Energy has selected it to build a new computer that will deliver ten times the performance of today's fastest supercomputers. More than 9,000 of Intel's next-generation microprocessors, code-named P6, will power the new system, which will be located at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The computer will be the first in the world to achieve the goal of calculating more than a trillion operations per second (a teraop), says Intel. The machine will be used by DOE scientists to study a variety of complex problems, foremost among them nuclear weapons safety. "President Clinton is committed to ending underground nuclear testing," says Victor Reis, assistant secretary for energy programs at DOE. "Computer simulation will be a principal means for ensuring the safety, reliability and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. We are embarking on a ten-year program to advance the state of high performance computing to meet national security objectives." The new system will have a peak performance of 1.8 teraops and provide 262GB of system memory. It's scheduled to be installed by the end of 1996. -/- Intel Offers New OverDrive CPU -/- Intel Corp. has released an 83MHz Pentium OverDrive microprocessor upgrade for 33MHz 486 and 66MHz 486DX2-based computers and cut prices on some other models. Intel notes that the latest Pentium OverDrive upgrade delivers a substantial performance increase to most systems. Although performance results vary with each computer and application, Intel says an upgraded 66MHz 486DX2-based system will realize more than a 50 percent performance increase in most typical applications. The 83MHz Pentium OverDrive processor is shipping now for $299. Intel has also lowered prices on several other OverDrive upgrades. The 63MHz Pentium OverDrive model, which was $299, now sells for $279. The 100MHz IntelDX4 OverDrive Processor and 75MHz IntelDX4 OverDrive Processor now cost $229 and $179, respectively. Prices remain unchanged on other models. -/- IBM Rolls Out New Aptiva Line -/- New models in IBM's year-old Aptiva home computer line are being rolled out this week, offering multimedia features designed to give them "all the functions of a home theater," the company promises. IBM says the new models also offer voice navigation and telephone answering, speakerphone and voice-mail functions. Look for the models to carry retail prices ranging from about $1,795 to $3,000. IBM general manager Jose Garcia of the consumer desktop systems told writer Eric Auchard of the Reuter News Service the new features reflect the seemingly insatiable appetite of consumers for state-of-the-art multimedia technology, adding, "The PC has gone from being just a productivity appliance that you used when you came home from work, to being an entertainment and communications device. What's happening is the PC is really becoming the information appliance in the home." The new line contains an Intel Corp. Pentium processor and a second IBM "media processor" chip known as M-Wave to enable Aptivas to have crisp, full-motion video and full-duplex stereo sound. Garcia told the wire service the new PCs will offer voice navigation, allowing users to control the computer using verbal commands, based on IBM-exclusive software. The new models come in various desktop and minitower configurations based on four processor types, running at speeds from 75 to 133 megahertz. There are two hard disk sizes, holding either one gigabyte or 1.6 gigabytes of data. Each comes with a built-in, hands-free speaker telephone, and answering machine and voice mail system, a 4X-speed CD-ROM player, pre-loaded Internet access service software, and a fast 28.8 kilobyte modem. The machines are pre-installed with 40 software titles. Reuters says a "voice over data" feature gives users the capacity to receive voice and data simultaneously over the same phone line, eliminating the need to install a second phone line. "This capacity also allows IBM technicians to perform the previously impossible feat of 'looking' inside a computer for repair problems while the customer remains on the phone," Reuters adds. -/- TI Releases New Notebook Line -/- Texas Instruments Inc. is releasing a new line of notebook computers priced well below competing products. The Wall Street Journal says the Extensa computers will be priced between $1,799 and $3,599, with the cheapest version costing $400 less than a comparable Toshiba version. The paper says the new line represents both a shift away from the high-powered notebooks, those often with a $5,000 price tag, the company is best known for a foray into the fast-growing portable computer market. -/- Software Sales Up 7.9 Percent -/- North American sales of PC application software reached $1.57 billion in the second quarter, a 7.9-percent increase from the second quarter of 1994. That is the word from the Software Publishers Association, which adds total international sales increased 18.7 percent. Quoting SPA figures, the Reuter News Service says combined North American and international sales increased by 15.3 percent during the period, while unit sales in North America jumped 47 percent. Reuters says sales of Windows applications increased 18.9 percent for the quarter, reaching $1.16 billion, while DOS sales fell 32 percent from the year-ago quarter to $167 million. In fact, DOS application sales now are smaller than Apple Macintosh software sales. (A total of $226.5 million in Macintosh applications were sold in the quarter, a 7-percent decline from the same period in 1994.) -/- Storage Format War Brewing -/- Market researcher Disk/Trend of Mountain View, California, reports that a major contest is emerging between storage systems manufacturers, as makers of rigid disk cartridge, small optical disk and high-capacity floppy disk drives are all taking aim at the burgeoning market for midrange removable disk capacities between 100MB and 1GB. Besides the traditional demand for such drives in graphics, security, and printing production, a new generation of higher capacity drives at lower prices has opened the door to new markets for which removable disks provide improved convenience. Drives already shipping and units that will soon become available have generated a strong response for use in multimedia content preparation, video production, storing files downloaded from Internet, backing up personal computer hard disks and a variety of other growing applications, says Disk/Trend. Although overall sales revenue growth for removable data storage products is expected to rise only from $2.9 billion to $3.1 billion during the five year period ending in 1998, the increase in unit shipments during the same period is projected to grow much faster. The fastest growing product group is expected to be high capacity floppy drives, which is forecasted to jump from 203,500 units shipped in 1994 to 3.4 million in 1998. According to Disk/Trend, new 3.5 inch floppy drives with capacities of 100MB or more are stimulating the rapid growth for high-capacity floppy disk drives. Shipments of older high-end floppy drives are declining, but the new low-cost drives are finding immediate acceptance in a much broader market, including home PCs. -/- CII: '486 PCs Fading Away -/- New research from Computer Intelligence InfoCorp (CII) indicates that, for the first time, sales of desktop computers incorporating Pentium microprocessors have surpassed sales of all '486-based desktop models. CII notes that while in the first three months of 1995 '486 PCs held a commanding lead over Pentiums through all channels, the market's momentum began to shift in April when Pentium sales accounted for more than 33 percent of the market. By June, the Pentium had pulled ahead, garnering a 47 percent share of the market. In July, the Pentium's market share reached 53 percent. "It's now impossible to deny the success of the Pentium processor," says Stella Kelly, an analyst for the La Jolla, California-based market researcher. "Intel's pricing strategy to its OEMs, and in particular to market leaders such as Compaq, have made it financially unwise for vendors to continue manufacturing and marketing 486-based products, except on a short-term basis. Street prices will continue to hamper vendor and reseller efforts to market 486 models to end users." CII says that by December, '486-compatible PCs will represent less than 25 percent of PC sales. -/- Chip Shipments Down in August -/- The computer chip industry book-to-bill ratio fell to 1.18 in August from a revised 1.23 in July, according to officials with the Semiconductor Industry Association. Reporting from San Jose, Calif., the Reuter News Service notes some industry analysts had forecast the August figure -- which indicates for every $100 worth of products shipped (billings), manufacturers received $118 worth of new orders (bookings) -- would be relatively flat against July, while others had forecast a slight decline to about 1.20. Incidentally, the seasonally adjusted ratio of 1.23 in July was an all-time record. As reported earlier, July's initial book-to-bill ratio was 1.22. "Historically," says Reuters, "the ratio proves unchanged or lower in August when compared with the previous month." Other findings: -:- North American chip makers shipped $3.88 billion worth of semiconductors in August versus $3.78 billion in July and $2.8 billion in August one year ago, the semiconductor group said. -:- Seasonally adjusted bookings eased 1.3 percent to $4.58 billion in August from a record $4.64 billion in July. -:- World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, which compiles the figures, projects the North American market will grow to total $44.9 billion by the end of 1995 versus $33.5 billion in 1994. -:- And worldwide the market is expected to grow to $142.3 billion in 1995 from $101.8 billion in 1994. -/- Win95 Sales Drop in 2nd Week -/- Sales of Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 95 operating system reportedly have dropped sharply during this second week of availability, though observers say demand continues to outrun any previous software product. Researchers at PC Data in Reston, Va., estimate that through retailers Microsoft sold $30 million worth of Windows 95 on its first day, Aug. 24. That fell to $7 million by the following Sunday, rose again last week and fell to $5.5 million last Sunday. PC Data President Ann Stephens told business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press that at roughly $85 per copy, the volume of sales in stores through the first 11 days reached 1.63 million copies, adding, "I am being a little conservative, but for August, a very large chunk of total software sales is going to be Windows 95." As reported, Microsoft last week said it sold a million copies through retailers on the first four days. PC Data estimated about 900,000 copies in that same period. Microsoft did not have new figures this week and a spokeswoman said it would not regularly disclose sales for Windows 95. Ramstad notes that eventually, most sales will be attributed to versions that are pre-installed on new PCs. -/- S. Korean Government Bans Win95 -/- From Seoul comes word South Korea has banned use of Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 95 operating system in all government computers pending an investigation into reports of antitrust violations and other charges. Officials with the Information and Communications Ministry told The Associated Press the ministry is investigating complaints the latest update of Windows may cause leaks in critical government data and help expedite "cultural invasions." The concern seems to center on the operating system's inclusion of the new Microsoft Network online service. "Seoul also will investigate complaints from domestic onlines service companies that Windows 95 is violating South Korea's fair trades laws," AP says. -/- Firms Work to 'Label' Net Data -/- Working to head off criticism in Congress and elsewhere, 22 software, online service companies and publishers are cooperating to develop a technical standard for labeling information that is distributed on computer networks. The group -- which includes AT&T, IBM, Microsoft Corp., Netscape and the World Wide Web consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- is responded to complaints that digital networks allow minors easier to access pornography and other illicit information than books, records and videos. Business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press reports a consensus among the planners "for a method that will allow the creators of electronic information to rate their products individually or allow independent rating like the way movies are rated." Says Ramstad, "Information identified as unsuitable for a certain audience, like children or employees on the job, could then be easily filtered. The same principle could be applied to the pricing and copyright accessibility of electronic information, representatives of the firms said last week." AP adds, "Their effort resembles many others in which technology companies jointly hammer out a technical standard. For instance, the Internet is based on a standard for moving data around known as TCP/IP. This new effort -- which will get the techie acronym PICS -- is likely to be watched closely because of conflicting views about controlling content on online services and the Internet, the global public data network." The effort comes as a House-Senate conference committee begins this fall ironing out disparate ideas over computer network content in the telecommunications reform bill. (The Senate version forbids obscenity, pornography and other illicit information on the Internet. But the House version prevents the government from making any such restrictions, leaving the marketplace to act.) Ramstad says the group of 22 is making a move envisioned by the House bill, motivated, he comments, "by the prospect that online systems will never achieve mass acceptance if perceived as harbors for the worst elements of society." The effort combines work on a technical standard that was underway at MIT with one that involved Microsoft, Netscape and Progressive Networks, a firm that has created a software method for sending audio quickly on data networks. Firms involved in the labelling effort include CompuServe, America Online and Prodigy, as well as AT&T Corp., Apple Computer Inc., Center for Democracy and Technology, IBM, Information Highway Parental Empowerment Group, Information Technology Association of America, Interactive Services Association, MCI Communications Corp., Microsoft Corp., Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- World Wide Web Consortium, Netscape Communications Corp., Open Market, Progressive Networks Inc., Providence Systems/Parental Guidance, SafeSurf, Spyglass Inc., Surfwatch Software, Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. -/- FBI Sweeps Nets for Child Porn -/- The bureau isn't officially commenting, but word is the FBI has begun a nationwide sweep on computer networks for child pornography materials, serving scores of search warrants and attempting to make arrests. Unidentified White House sources have told United Press International the sweep began this morning, targeting adults suspected of posting or downloading child pornography from the networks, and that the sweep may continue for some time. The sources said identities of those named in the search warrants would be protected unless arrests are made, adding the raids come after months of investigation. "The results of the sweep are not expected to be announced until Thursday, unless the operation is completed sooner than expected," UPI added. Earlier this year, when members of Congress proposed a number of ways to control computer pornography, Attorney General Janet Reno pledged Justice Department lawyers would work with congressional leaders to come up with a workable bill, but warned that any attempt would have to overcome "First Amendment concerns" by the federal courts. The wire service comments, "Any attempt to regulate pornography involving adults also must pass muster with Supreme Court precedent, which allows 'community standards' to define what is and what is not pornographic. Computer nets, of course, can be worldwide. However, the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that child porn is not protected by the First Amendment." -/- Scientist Warns of Robot Revolt -/- A scientist is sounding the alert that robots could someday threaten mankind. Experts should start looking at ways of curbing robots' power now before it is too late, warns Kevin Warwick, a professor in the cybernetics department at Britain's University of Reading. "It is possibly a bigger issue than human genetics," he told a news conference before a keynote speech to a recent British scientific conference. According to Reuters writer Paul Mylrea, Warwick said "experiments showed robots could already learn from their own experiences and from other machines they were linked up to directly. The next stage is for robots to communicate with others via computer and even on the Internet." "Whilst we're more clever, we're alright. But when their level of intelligence gets up to that of humans, then maybe we're not," stated Warwick. Frankie's Corner STR Feature SHANGHAI: GREAT MOMENTS Windows CD-ROM price approximately $35 ages 10 and up from Activision 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000 Los Angeles, CA 90025 310-473-9200 Program Requirements --------------------------------- CPU: 486/33 RAM: 8 megs OS: Windows 3.1 or higher CD-ROM: Double-speed HDISK: 12 megs Video: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Misc.: Sound card, mouse, 10 meg permanent swapfile The Kids' Computing Corner by Frank Sereno Shanghai: Great Moments is an entertaining and challenging multimedia delight that can be shared by young and old alike. This offering from Activision includes four variations of this Far Eastern game, including Classic, Beijing, Great Wall and Action Shanghai. Each version requires differing strategies but each is based on the simple premise of matching tiles to their mates. Shanghai has very simple rules, but it will take many games, even a lifetime, to learn all the subtleties of the game. Activision has added some flare to its latest version of Shanghai. The games are played over high resolution backgrounds. Each of the nine tile sets is animated. When a pair of tiles is matched during play, a short animated sequence will be shown. These may be as cartoon animations or video clips. If a game is successfully completed, then a longer reward video will be shown and the background image will be revealed. Shanghai: Great Moments also includes an on-line coach as ably performed by actress Rosalind Chao. Players can click on her icon to get game strategy, help and even find matching tiles. Rosalind is a cheerful and pleasant coach who will help make the game more fun. I prefer Classic Shanghai, but the other versions will add more variety and increase gaming enjoyment and value. Activision also includes many tile configurations for Classic Shanghai. Another option is playing in contemplation mode in which the tiles' fronts are only revealed when clicked upon. Another great option is for two players. All these options keep the games interesting as players learn new nuances in strategy. The graphics are mixed in quality. The tile sets are generally quite good, although the images are hard to discern due to the smallness of the tiles even on a 17-inch monitor. Some still graphics are excellent, but others are fuzzy. The videos also cover a wide range of quality. Some, especially gray scale images, are excellent, while others have pixellation problems. The sound portion of the program is excellent. Shanghai: Great Moments uses wonderful background music. The digitized voices were captured with excellent clarity and no discernible distortion. Sound effects were also done well. The interface is a well-done point-and-click design which also incorporates hotkey equivalents for most commands which are contained in the drop-down menus. On-line help is available for gaming rules and strategy in a text format as well as video assistance from Ms. Chao. Games can be saved in progress. Tile sets can be changed anytime during play. The program includes a well-written manual and extensive troubleshooting tips are provided in a file on the CD-ROM. With four different versions of Shanghai and countless possible variations on these by using the many user options, Shanghai: Great Moments will be an enjoyable and challenging gaming experience over a long time span. Anyone who enjoys strategy games will be delighted with this fine program. Shanghai: Great Moments is an excellent game that families can share. Parents can play against their children or allow them to help in choosing tiles in solitaire games. It doesn't take long for children to learn Solitaire on Windows. Give them a chance at Shanghai and they will learn a more satisfying and interesting diversion. It can also be educational in the locales and people shown. But the best educational factor in this game is that it teaches patience and logic. Ratings Graphics ....................... 8.0 Sound .......................... 9.5 Interface ...................... 9.0 Play Value ..................... 9.5 Educational Value .............. n/a Bang for the Buck .............. 9.0 Average ........................ 9.0 Thank you for reading! Adobe Training & Testing STR InfoFile Adobe Systems to Offer Instructor Certification Program for Adobe Application Software Trainers New Program Ensures Quality Training and Provides Referral System for Users Mountain View, Calif. (Sept. 11, 1995)(Nasdaq: ADBE) Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced a program to certify third-party trainers who instruct users in working with Adobe's award-winning application products. The Adobe Instructor Certification Program will identify and support qualified instructors that have demonstrated expert product knowledge and teaching ability. Once certified through Adobe's program, instructors will be promoted through Adobe's referral system for customers in search of qualified trainers. The first certification program will be available in October 1995 for Adobe Photoshopt, followed by an Adobe PageMakert program in December 1995. To receive more information, candidates can come the Adobe booth at Seybold San Francisco, Moscone Center, Sept. 26-29, or the Computer Training and Support Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 1-4. Candidates can also access Adobe's World Wide Web site at http://www. adobe.com/Support/AICP.html, or call 1-800-833-6687. "Adobe is recognized as a leader in professional level graphic application software," said Robert Pedigo, manager of the Adobe Instructor Certification Program. "Our certification program will benefit Adobe's customers by providing them with easy access to recognized experts for instruction. It also ensures that users receive the most out of their investment in Adobe's industry-leading products." Adobe certified instructors will receive pre-release versions of software, training and information for new Adobe application products, toll-free access to Adobe technical support and listing on Adobe's referral system available on its World Wide Web site and by phone and fax. In addition, upon successful completion of one of the required components of the Adobe Instructor Certification program, instructors receive the Certified Technical Trainer (CTT) designation from Educational Testing Service. This industry-standard credential is considered a requirement by many computer companies in their instructor certification programs and need only be fulfilled once for recognition by companies requiring this designation. "Educational Testing Service developed the Certified Technical Trainer Program to help define and establish professional standards throughout the technical training industry," said Alice J. Irby, vice president of the ETS Center for Occupational and Professional Assessment. "The CTT designation is becoming a recognized benchmark of ability in the software industry bringing a meaningful credential to certified instructors. We appreciate Adobe's support and commitment to this important effort." Three Steps to Certification The first step for candidates who want to become certified is to complete Adobe's cost-free application and a certified instructor agreement available via phone, fax, or Adobe's World Wide Web site. The second step is to pass the Adobe Product Proficiency (APP) examination designed to test candidates' knowledge of a specific Adobe software application on multiple platforms. The hour-long, computer-based examination will be conducted at Drake Prometric Authorized Testing Centers throughout the United States and Canada. The APP exam fee is $395 for the first product, and $295 for additional product certifications. The last step is to earn the Certified Technical Trainer designation (CTT) from Educational Testing Service. The CTT examinations measure an individual's mastery of fundamental instructor knowledge and classroom performance, as defined by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (ibstpi). Candidates must pass both a computer-delivered test and a videotaped performance assessment to earn the CTT designation. The CTT exams will be administered at both Sylvan Technology Centers and Drake Prometric testing centers. For more information on the CTT, trainers can access Adobe's World Wide Web site, or contact Educational Testing Service at 1-800-258-4914 or via the Internet at cttp@ets.org. Adobe Instructor Certification for a single product version is valid for six months following a major product version upgrade. Recertification testing will cost $150 for the first Adobe product and $130 for additional product certifications. Programs for Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects will be available throughout 1996. For testing dates and program applications, information and fees, contact the Adobe Instructor Certification Program at 1-800-833-6687, or at certification@ adobe.com. Adobe Systems Incorporated, founded in 1982, is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Adobe develops, markets and supports computer software products and technologies that enable users to create, display, print and communicate electronic documents. The company licenses its technology to major computer, printing and publishing suppliers, and markets a line of applications software and type products for authoring visually rich documents. Additionally, the company markets a line of powerful, but easy to use, products for home and small business users. Adobe has subsidiaries in Europe and the Pacific Rim serving a worldwide network of dealers and distributors. Adobe's 1994 revenue was approximately $598 million. Adobe, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PageMaker and Adobe Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated or its subsidiaries and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. ATI Support STR Feature Introduction The purpose of this document is to outline ATI Technologies Inc. position regarding the use of Microsoft Windows 95 and our graphics accelerator products. This document will answer commonly asked questions as well as explaining how to get your ATI products to operate under Windows 95. Generic Windows 95 Information What ATI graphics accelerator products will work with Windows 95? Drivers for all ATI graphics products, including all mach64, mach32, mach8 and Super-VGA-based products, are included in Microsoft Corp.'s official Windows 95 release. These drivers offer up to a 10% increase in graphics acceleration performance with enhanced features such as an integrated user interface, context sensitive help Wizards and a customizable settings and features page that will allow for greater ease of configuration of your ATI graphics board. In our October release, ATI will add features such as MPEG support and color correction. What resolutions and color depths are available with these drivers? The Windows 95 display panel has the ability to select and/or change resolutions to reflect the capabilities of the ATI graphics accelerator installed in your system. Windows 95 can dynamically select the resolution without having to 'reboot', but a change in color depth (16bit to 24bit, for example) will require an operating system reboot. What enhancements do the Windows 95 drivers found on the CD-ROM provide over the Windows 3.1x drivers? Along with the inherent ease of use and features of Windows 95, ATI's graphics drivers offer rock solid stability that is designed for the Windows 95 'look and feel' and is fully integrated into the daily operation of the operating system. Key features of the Windows 3.1x drivers have been updated to reflect the new capabilities of the Windows 95 operating system and have been optimized to provide up to a 10% performance increase. ATI will also be updating the Windows 95 drivers in October to allow for MPEG and accelerated games support and to add more features not normally found in a video driver. Can I use the existing Windows 3.1x utilities under Windows 95? The previous mach64 drivers, FlexDesk+ and WinSwitch were designed for the capabilities of Microsoft's Windows 3.1x and will not work with Windows 95. The ATI-specific drivers which ship on the CD-ROM disk or update drivers from ATI (v1.01) should be used, as you will find these drivers are faster and more stable under Windows 95. Which ATI accelerator graphics cards are 'Plug and Play' certified? Currently, ATI has received 'Designed for Windows 95' logo and 'Plug and Play' certification for the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO PCI card. We have submitted the GRAPHICS XPRESSION and WINTURBO PCI boards and expect certification from Microsoft within the next 30 days. Note that all of ATI's graphics accelerator products do function under Windows 95. The logo certification applies to 'Plug and Play' compliant cards only. Our VLB and ISA-based products will work with Windows, but are not currently 'Plug and Play' certified by Microsoft. In the majority of cases, ATI's boards, even the non-PnP versions, will configure automatically under Windows 95. How is my card recognized by Windows 95? Each ATI graphics accelerator product is uniquely recognized by Windows 95. In the hardware registration listing, the ATI products will appear as follows (CD ROM-based drivers): Product Driver implemented VGA WONDER VGA 8514-ULTRA, GRAPHICS ULTRA, GRAPHICS VANTAGE, mach8 VGA WONDER GT GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO, GRAPHICS WONDER, mach32 GRAPHICS ULTRA+ GRAPHICS PRO TURBO, GRAPHICS XPRESSION, mach64 WINBOOST, WINTURBO On the ATI utilities v1.01, you will find the following: GRAPHICS PRO TURBO, GRAPHICS XPRESSION, ATI mach64 (macxw4) WINBOOST, WINTURBO Does Windows 95 have DPMS support? ATI's mach64-based products all support DPMS. To enable DPMS support, use the Settings page of the Display Properties sheet and select the "change display type" dialog box. Next, set the "monitor is energy star compliant" box in the "monitor type" area on that page. What support does ATI offer for games acceleration under Windows 95? ATI is currently supporting the most recent version of Microsoft's 'DirectDraw' SDK, which is the key component of the next generation of games that will appear for the Windows 95 platform. The next generation of games promises to provide higher resolutions (4x), faster (up to 60fps animation) and more brilliant colors than your typical Sega(tm) SNES(tm) system! Games of this caliber are expected to arrive on store shelves by the end of this year. Do your Windows 95 drivers have OpenGL support? OpenGL is not part of the initial release of Windows 95 but is expected to be implemented in future releases of Windows 95. ATI does support OpenGL in our Windows NT video acceleration drivers for the mach64-based products. ATI mach64 Specific Information What drivers should I use for the mach64 series? Windows 95 automatically recognizes the ATI graphics accelerator products when installed right from the Windows 95 CD-ROM disc. By using the v1.01 enhanced drivers, users of an ATI mach64-based graphics accelerator, such as the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO, GRAPHICS XPRESSION or WINTURBO, can achieve a greater magnitude of capabilities and ease of use. With the Enhanced Utilities available in October, ATI has developed enhanced mach64 drivers and user interface panels designed to offer high performance, additional flexibility, and features not otherwise available under Windows 95. ATI's Enhanced Utilities offers this functionality through additional Windows 95 properties pages, which, for example, allows users of an ATI mach64-based graphics accelerator, to easily manipulate their graphics environment. When will the new mach64 drivers be available? ATI's graphics accelerator drivers ship with the Windows 95 operating system. The enhanced graphics acceleration drivers (v1.01) specific to the mach64 graphics accelerator products will be available on August 24. The next major driver utilities release is scheduled for October. Where can I get the new mach64 drivers? ATI's mach64 driver updates may be downloaded from the ATI Download BBS at (905) 764-9404 (14400, 8, N, 1), via the ATI FTP site at ftp://ftp.atitech.ca, and from ATI's forum on CompuServe at GO ATITECH. Fax info: (905) 882-2600 (touch #2). What features do the mach64 Windows 95 video drivers offer? Standard drivers that ship with the Windows 95 CD-ROM (or diskettes): * Display properties sheet that includes basic screen properties capabilities such as, background settings, screen saver (DPMS support), appearance and settings. * Settings provide the ability to manipulate the display area (resolution for display size), bit depth and font size, which are dependent on the capabilities of the graphics accelerator card used, and the monitor attached. ATI mach64 Utilities v1.01 adds the following features to the basic Windows 95 capabilities: * Monitor Adjustment: Position and size adjustment of the Windows 95 desktop on the display monitor, refresh rate selection, ability to use timing information specific to the monitor selected by the user (provides greater enhancement and clearer viewing) and the ability to select specific display refresh rates. * Low Level Hardware Configuration: Ability to select the power-up video mode of the graphics adapter (the mode that the adapter will be set to after the computer is powered-up or reset). Color and Monochrome modes are supported. ATI mach64 Enhanced Utilities to be released in October will include : * A Settings Page that allows for customization of desktop settings such as desktop size, display resolution and color depth, ability to user-customize pre-set display preferences. * A Panning Page that allows the user to set up hotkeys to control panning of the desktop within a virtual desktop. * A Screen Adjust Page for adjusting the size and position of screen images along with manipulation of the display's refresh rate. * A Color Correction Page to allow the user to correct for color tone differences between real color values and the way the monitor displays them. Control includes color spline, gamma correction and the ability for user-customized preset preferences. * On-line documentation and context-sensitive help using the Windows 95 Help Wizards. Do the ATI mach64 drivers allow me to use special Windows 95 cursor and mouse features? Yes. ATI's mach64 drivers fully support both pointer trails and the animated cursors. Both of these features can be selected in the Properties Page via the Mouse/Pointer settings. Note that the mouse drivers from the Windows 95 CD-ROM disc are required for use of this feature. I used to have 'WinSwitch' with Windows 3.1x... do I still have this capability with Windows 95? Windows 95 does not support 'hot-switching', which was available in Windows 3.1x. ATI's Windows 95 drivers (both CD-ROM version and v1.01) currently do not provide the ability to hot-switch between color depths. You can hot-switch between resolutions via the Display Properties sheet. What is the ATI icon on the task bar for? As a unique feature of the Enhanced utilities driver (due October), ATI will offer users a 'shortcut' icon on the Windows 95 taskbar for instant access to the display settings. The icon will allow the user to select (by clicking the right mouse button) a menu that will present the user with four options: Launch the On-line Help, Launch a Trouble Shooting Help session, Select a desktop scheme (resolution, virtual desktop size, font size, color depth), or Select a Color correction scheme. Is DDC-1 and DDC-2b support still available if I install Windows 95? Yes. Our mach64-based products which have built-in DDC-1 and DDC-2b support will still be available to operate with all versions of the Windows 95 ATI mach64 drivers. If you have a DDC -1 or DDC-2b compliant monitor, those boards will take advantage of it and help to configure the optimum refresh rate and synchronization. Do your Windows 95 drivers have additional hardware video acceleration support? Currently, ATI's basic and initial (v1.01) Windows 95 drivers do not have any additional hardware video acceleration support. ATI will offer this support for Indeo-based video and MPEG-based video playback in a October release of the Windows 95 drivers for the mach64-based graphics accelerator products. Other ATI products not based on the mach64 graphics accelerator currently do not have video acceleration support. What is required to play MPEG videos under Windows 95? ATI will be releasing in October a software MPEG player designed for the mach64-based graphics accelerator products for use under Windows 95. The ATI Player(tm) supports Pentium-based MPC-3 compliant systems and is strictly a software update that allows existing mach64-based boards to take advantage of the MPEG-based videos on the market without the extra expense of costly MPEG hardware boards. The ATI Player provides full-motion, full-screen video, excellent color quality playback and MPEG video playback up to 30 frames per second. The MPEG software is optimized for 8 bits per pixel (bpp) palletized and 16bpp modes, and features 1x zoom, 2x zoom and full screen playback. How can we un-install the Enhanced mach64 drivers? ATI's drivers do not have the built-in ability to be uninstalled. However, users of Windows 95 who have installed the Microsoft Plus! software (available from Microsoft as an add-on program) prior to the video driver installation, can go into the Properties Page, select 'Add/Remove Programs', and the driver installation will be listed on the lower menu. Select this and the driver will be removed, and your system will be reset to the driver that Windows 95 detected upon initial installation. Can VGA and Super-VGA drivers be used on mach64 and mach32 cards? VGA drivers will work on mach32 and mach64-based products. Super-VGA drivers will work on mach32-based products but will not work on the mach64-based products. Installation Questions How do I install the Windows 95 drivers v1.01? Installation Procedure for ATI's Windows 95 mach64 Enhanced display driver v1.01 1) Start Windows 95. 2) Click the right mouse button in an empty area of the desktop and select the Properties entry. 3) Select the Settings page of the Display Properties sheet. 4) Click the Change Display Type... button. 5) In the Adapter Type area, click the Change... button. 6) The Select Device dialog box will appear. Click the Have Disk... button. 7) Insert the display driver install disk, specify the source drive, and click OK. Highlight the macxw4 entry and click OK to copy the driver to your hard disk. 8) If you have not already configured your monitor type do so now. In the Monitor Type area, click the Change... button and select the appropriate monitor. Click OK to apply your changes. 9) Click Close to return to the Settings page. Click Close or Apply to initiate your changes. 10) Restart the computer to run Windows 95 using this new driver. 11) To change the color depth, resolution and/or font size 12) When Windows 95 is up, you may configure your new display in the Display Properties sheet follows. 13) Click the right mouse button in an empty area of the desktop and select Properties. 14) On the Settings page of the Display Properties sheet, choose your preferred color support, resolutions and font size.. 15) On the Adjustment Page of the Display Properties sheet, you may further customize your display. Note that these values reflect the monitor configuration you performed in step 8 of this procedure. 16) Click Apply or OK to switch to the new setting. Note that Windows 95 will require a re-start to implement certain display settings. If I don't have Windows 95 on CD-ROM, how do I install it? Microsoft has available Windows 95 on both floppy diskette and CD-ROM. ATI's basic set of video acceleration drivers are available on both mediums. After either installation, you can still update to version 1.01 by the method described within this document. If you are installing Windows 95 from a network, please follow the read-me file that ships with the Windows 95 operating system for instructions, or refer to the Microsoft technet CD on this process. Other Questions What Customer Support does ATI provide for users of their products with Windows 95? ATI is dedicated to supporting customers on a variety of platforms, including Windows 95. Its highly trained and knowledgeable Customer Support group offers support for all ATI graphics products running on the Windows 95 platform. ATI Customer Support representatives are available to assist customers with any support issue including installation, troubleshooting, and driver updates. ATI Customer Support can be contacted via phone at (905)882-2626, Monday - Friday 9:00am - 7:00pm Eastern, via CompuServe e-mail at 74740,667, via ATI's forum on CompuServe at GO ATITECH, and on the World Wide Web at http://www.atitech.ca. Driver updates may also be downloaded from the ATI Download BBS at (905) 764-9404 (14400, 8, N, 1), and via the ATI FTP site at ftp://ftp.atitech.ca. ATI Games Development ATI's interactive multimedia division, ATI Interactive!, has been working closely with Microsoft Corp. to develop game graphics technologies since August, 1994. The high-performance games that ATI Interactive! is working with third parties to develop are designed for Windows 95 systems exclusively. Microsoft's new Game SDK for Windows will give the PC capabilities that rival the performance of existing and dedicated next generation games systems. Interested title developers should contact ATI Interactive! at (408) 434-9888. Based in San Jose, CA, the ATI Interactive! group consists of developers with extensive experience in Windows-based multimedia and games technology. Its purpose is to pursue market opportunities in the interactive, multimedia arena. ATI Performance and Value Offering superior performance and quality, ATI's full product line includes graphics, desktop video and communications. ATI's powerful graphics accelerators speed up graphics, create vivid true colors, provide sharp resolution and offer accelerated motion video enlarged to full screen size. Desktop video hardware and software products enable users to create and edit videos from their own PCs. Communications products provide efficient PC fax and data communications at fast speeds that save users time and money. ATI continues to build on its leading edge technology to provide products to meet its customers' needs. For more information, or how to find an ATI dealer near you, please call (905) 882-2600 ext.1, or fax us at (905) 882-2620. General inquiries can also be sent to ATI's forum on CompuServe at GO ATITECH or e-mail at 76004,3656, and on the World Wide Web at http://www.atitech.ca 5.0 Windows 95 mach64 enhanced display driver problems - The Windows 95 mach64 enhanced display driver is capable of using monitor timing data contained within Windows 95. This data is selected by configuring a monitor type at Windows 95 installation time or via the "Settings" page of the display properties sheet. If you change the selected monitor type via the "Settings" page of the display properties sheet the new timing data may not take effect until after restarting Windows 95. A solution to this problem is to always restart Windows 95 after changing the monitor type. - The Windows 95 mach64 enhanced display driver is capable of using monitor timing data contained within Windows 95. This data is selected by configuring a monitor type at Windows 95 installation time or via the "Settings" page of the display properties sheet. The Windows 95 mach64 enhanced display driver may incorrectly interpret Windows 95 monitor timing data for some older monitors which require interlaced modes. This may cause some options to be disabled. A solution to this problem is to select one of the "(Standard monitor types)" available via the settings page of the display properties sheet. - In Windows 95, display drivers can be installed via the "Add New Hardware" wizard. When the Windows 95 mach64 enhanced display driver is installed via the "Add New Hardware" wizard the "Settings" page does not get installed into the mach64 display adapter property sheet. A solution to this problem is to use the driver installation procedure described above. Windows 95 Questions & Answers Release 1.2 EPUB STR Infofile EPUB NEWS: PUBLISHING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT The World Wide Web is an electronic publishing jungle. Since swinging onto the scene September 1st, Epub News is offering a daily machete for explorers authoring, marketing, or publishing with epub tools like Acrobat, Envoy, WinHelp .. and even the Web's native tongue-twister, HTML. "Today's epublisher is faced with a spectrum of choices", says Ted Husted, Editor. "No one tool is small enough, fast enough, or flexible enough to do every job well. Epub News is designed to give epublishers a daily heads-up as to their options, while providing a steady stream of practical how-tos." Epub News is also designed for fast-loading and quick-linking. Each day's addition always appears first, with the prior days' items descending in chronological order. At the foot of the second page is a link to the epub morgue - an item's final resting place. "An article runs on the newspage for eight days, each day taking a successively later position, until it is finally pushed off into the morgue -- but still only a click away," explains Husted. "Our stories stay continuously in print." Ted Husted has been active in electronic publishing since 1988. Author of three shareware authoring tools and several publications, Husted founded epub areas on CompuServe and America Online, and also helped form the EpubNet BBS network and the Digital Publishers Association. Husted's work has been showcased in many magazines, including PC Week and Analog. Most recently, Husted was a featured developer in the book "Paperless Publishing" by Colin Haynes (McGraw-Hill, 1994). "Epublishing offline will remain important," says Husted, "but online is where electronic publishing comes alive. Offline we're books-on-disk: new wine in old bottles. Online, we're a medium with a message: this is now'." Epub News features both original content and direct links to other pages on the Web. In its first two weeks, Epub features included: Cut and Paste HTML + The Virtual Encyclopedia of Absolutely Everything + Acrobat on the Web + Zines Zines Everywhere + The Lost Codes + Epubbin' at the Mall + Get Your Company Online with Wildcat + Beyond Help + Severe Tire Damage + Epublishing with Windows 3.1 + Finding an On-Ramp to the InfoBahn + NeoMax Lifts Off + What Makes Successful Web Sites? + Envoy Goes Runtime. Early reviews for Epub News are up beat. "Epub News looks great -- found some interesting things there," writes Jill Ellsworth, author of "Marketing on the Internet". Daniel Will-Harris, a graphics professional, agrees: "It looks great -- very clean design." To browse Epub News, link to http://www.servtech.com/public/thusted/epubnews.htm. 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) DELRINA NEWS! STR Focus Delrina Corp. and Wallace Computer Services Team Up to Deliver Enterprise-Wide Electronic Form Solutions Hillside, Ill. and Toronto, Ontario, September 12, 1995 -- Wallace Computer Services, Inc. (NYSE:WCS) and Delrina Corporation (NASDAQ:DENAF, TSE:DC) today announced a formal agreement to deliver complete solutions for electronic forms in large corporate environments. The companies' combined product and service offering delivers enterprise-wide electronic forms capabilities across PC, minicomputer and mainframe platforms, and integrates W.I.N. <tm>, Wallace's management tool to create and maintain effective form systems. "Among our large corporate customers, Delrina is the number one PC electronic forms choice, " said Brad Caudell, General Manager of Wallace's Platforms Division. "Together we offer organizations the most comprehensive set of electronic forms software and services available, as well as solutions for the integration of paper and electronic systems." "Delrina's partnership with Wallace enhances our position in corporate America, enabling more companies to automate business processes such as expense reporting and procurement, with electronic forms," said Teddy Rosenberg, General Manager of Delrina's Electronic Forms Business Unit. "This is a unique product and service combination that provides large companies with specialized solutions to ease the transition from paper forms to electronic forms." Through this partnership customers have a comprehensive solution that integrates Delrina FormFlow <tm> for PCs with Wallace's Options Form FrameWork for MVS<tm>. Between them, Wallace and Delrina also offer software that runs on AS/400 and UNIX platforms, and provide services including forms design and development, integration, distribution, training, support and installation. The companies will work together to develop additional electronic forms products. Information about these electronic forms solutions is available at 800-268-6082 (Delrina) and (714) 222-0122 (Wallace). Delrina FormFlow electronic forms software allows companies to create sophisticated forms applications with conditional routing and deploy them across their organization using their e-mail systems. Delrina FormFlow allows the most popular e-mail systems; the most commonly used desktop/SQL databases; and enterprise information sharing platforms, such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange; to be combined in forms-based applications. W.I.N., the Wallace Information Network<tm>, is the leading forms management system for large organizations. Created and introduced by Wallace in 1993, this software system is the single, complete tool for the organization and management of all electronic and paper forms, as well as other information management supplies used in a business. 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, California. Wallace is one of the nation's largest manufacturers and distributors of information management products, services and solutions. In addition to electronic forms, these include paperwork systems and forms, labeling products and software, direct response promotional printing and office supplies. The company generated fiscal 1995 sales of $712 million and is headquartered in Hillside, Illinois, with manufacturing, distribution and sales facilities throughout the United States. OUI SPECIAL OFFER STR Infofile OUI, DVORAK'S USENET NAVIGATOR PRE-ORDER OUI & GET PICTURE PERFECT GOLF on CD-ROM FREE! -------------------------------------------------------- OUI, Dvorak's Usenet navigator product will soon be released. In preparation, we are making a special offer: if you pre-order OUI for $39.00, we'll include Picture Perfect Golf on CD-ROM for FREE. Picture Perfect Golf features actual pictures of fairways and greens rather than crude animation. "...computer golf never matched the enjoyment of the real thing, until I played a round of Picture Perfect Golf." -- ComputerLife (Feb. 1995) OUI works with CompuServe's Dialer program, or any PPP or SLIP compatible dialer. OUI provides fully automated access to over 10,000 Usenet newsgroups. What NavCIS does for forums, OUI does for newsgroups. Plus, OUI supports automatic UUdecoding and encoding. Want to post a binary file in a newsgroup? It's so simple a child can do it. OUI will encode the file and break it into component messages for you... all automatically. Ever tried to find all the parts of a UUencoded file in newsgroup headers? Just find one part, tell OUI you want to decode it, and OUI will find the other parts for you. OUI also has full MIME support, ROT-13 support, and e-mail support (both POP-3 and SMTP). Like NavCIS, OUI includes a built-in spell checker, support for fonts, graphical thread viewing (even before you download messages), and powerful twit filtration (by user or subject) and intelligent thread watching. For screen shots of OUI and Picture Perfect Golf, please download the file OUI.ZIP. OUI requires a 386/20 or better with 4mb RAM, PPP, SLIP (via a dialer) or direct TCP/IP connection, VGA or higher monitor and a mouse. It requires Windows 3.1, Windows 95 or Windows NT. If you already own NavCIS Pro, you can pre-order OUI for just $19.00 and get the Picture Perfect Golf CD for just $5.00, but you must be a paid NavCIS Pro user to qualify. Picture Perfect Golf rivals MS Golf and other expensive golf simulation games that cost as much as $79.95. It's a full 18 hole golf game and will provide hours of entertainment. Even if you don't own a CD-ROM, this is a perfect "stocking stuffer" for family, friends or colleagues. We're sorry, but Picture Perfect Golf is not available on diskette. Picture Perfect Golf requires DOS 5.0 or higher, a 386/20 or higher with 4mb of RAM, color VGA and works from keyboard or mouse. What will you get? Picture Perfect Golf on CD-ROM including a micro-manual, and OUI on two 3.5" 1.44mb diskettes. OUI does not include a manual, rather it has extensive built in help a slick new "hint" system. Plus, quite honestly, it's very intuitive and easy to learn. So don't miss out on this limited special offer. Fill out the pre-order form below and fax it or e-mail it today. Fax: 303-661-0635 E-mail: 71333,12 (snip) -------------------------------------------------- (snip) OUI PRE-ORDER FORM Name:___________________________________________________ Company (optional):_____________________________________ Address:________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ City:___________________________ State/Province:________ Zip (mail code):________________ Country:_______________ Daytime phone:__________________________________________ ___ Yes, I want OUI for $39.00 and send me Picture Perfect Golf on CD-ROM for FREE. ___ I am a NavCIS Pro owner and want to take advantage of this offer. Please send me OUI for $19.00 and Picture Perfect Golf for $5.00 more ($24.00). My NavCIS Pro serial number (on the master disk) is:____________. ___ Ship via US Mail in USA, Canada or Mexico: $3.50 ___ Ship via US Air Mail everywhere else: $5.50 $_______ Total ___ I would like to pay by credit card (we accept Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard, American Express and Discover. ______-______-______-______ expires:___________ _________________________ Signature ___ I would like to pay by check (payable in US Funds only please). My check is enclosed. NOTE, PLEASE READ: Pre-orders will receive priority handling and will be shipped before any other orders. I understand that this is a pre-order, and as such, the order will be processed and charged upon receipt. OUI and Picture Perfect Golf will be shipped no later than Oct. 15, 1995. US Mail: Dvorak Development & Publishing Corp. 385 So. Pierce Avenue Louisville, Colorado 80027 This special offer must be received by Midnight (GMT - 7), Oct. 1, 1995. OS/2 WARP STR Feature OS/2 WARP'S DOS AND WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY This week and in the weeks to come, we'll be taking a look at OS/2's role as the operating system on a game player's PC. Ok, I know this is difficult concept to swallow. True, OS/2 was not designed to play games; but after all, you know the saying "All work and no play..." OS/2 Warp's DOS and Windows compatibility has been highly publicized, almost to the point where you would believe OS/2 does have native applications. Well, until just recently, this was true for native OS/2 games. There was a variety of shareware titles, but the first full-blown OS/2 game appeared from a company called Stardock Systems; this game's title was Galactic Civilizations. Now one would question whether a native OS/2 game could be successful, but Galactic Civilizations (or GalCiv for short) quickly answered that. In a very short period, GalCiv took over the number one spot on the Internet Top 100 Games Poll, topping the absurdly successful Doom 2 by Id Software. So there was now proof that OS/2 could deliver great games, but why weren't there many (or any) others out there? Well, one of the main reasons was that OS/2 not generally considered as a home PC operating system, which was (and still is) dominated by Windows. However, another very important reason is because there was no developers toolkit for OS/2 games. This is all changing. OS/2 Warp has been a hot seller, despite the hype of Windows 95. And furthermore, IBM has done a few things to make it easier to write native OS/2 games. Introducing. . . . . . . . . . .The Entertainment Toolkit (Beta) The Entertainment Toolkit provides game and multimedia developers support for increased graphics performance, standard interfaces, 3D Graphics, enhanced audio support, and networking. In the Toolkit, a developer will find... OS/2 Warp Video, which allows very fast access to the display subsystem. The provided functions allow for fast blitting, full- screen video buffer control, stretching, and hardware video control. IBM's new full-screen DIVE (Direct Interface to Video Extensions) allows this improved support. OS/2 Warp Audio, which allows direct control over the audio device, plus improved MIDI support. 3D Graphics support, using Argonaut's BRender. BRender, short for Blazing Render, allows production of real-time 3D graphics. The Toolkit contains the complete BRender development environment and 3D library; however, each individual developer must arrange with Argonaut the license to distribute a program using BRender. If you have no idea what BRender could do for a game or multimedia title, find a store that will demo the DOS game FX Fighter from GTE Entertainment. (Or for a free demo on the net, check out http://www.im.gte.com) OS/2 Warp Net, which simplifies communications programming in a multiplayer game. This can manage multiple protocols, but for the 1995 release of the Entertainment Toolkit, only TCP/IP will be supported. It manages system resources on behalf of users and provides communications support in a device-independent manner. Subscribers of the IBM Developer Connection for OS/2 should look forward to Volume 8 and future releases for the Entertainment Toolkit. For so much more information, refer to the WWW page http://www.austin.ibm.com/os2games Coming next week (hopefully) . . . Galactic Civilizations review As always, direct any feedback to our editor, Ralph Mariano at rmariano@delphi.com, or directly to me, Mike Restivo at mike.restivo@np.newpower.com Mike Restivo Team OS/2 Happy Warping! NEW FEATURE IN STREPORT ======================= PORTABLE COMPUTING & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION Editor: Marty Mankins Welcome to the newest section in STReport. It is the Portable Computing and Entertainment section. Here we will cover all sorts of topics on portable computing including laptops, PDAs, palmtops, wireless communications and articles that talk about using your portable equipment. As far as the entertainment coverage, we'll be first covering the new Sony PlayStation and then adding other game systems. The Atari Jaguar will still remain in the Atari/Jaguar section with Dana Jacobson at the helm as editor. And I will still be providing Jaguar game reviews there. But, it's too hard to ignore the PlayStation. With almost a year exposure in Japan, the PlayStation hit the US on September 9th (just last Saturday) and it's selling like crazy. The games are incredible and with 17 titles released at the products introduction, there's a good list to choose from. Another 35 games are expected by years end, with titles like Mortal Kombat 3, Tekken and Disc World. We'll be here every other week until the end of the year, when we go weekly for 1996. Every other week we will provide information on the portable computing market as well as the latest in Sony PlayStation game reviews. If you own a PlayStation and would like to provide game reviews for us, please contact me via e-mail at: 75300.1770@compuserve.com. Or at: PerAppliedn@eworld.com. Either address will reach me. We don't pay for reviews, but the exposure of getting your feedback on games to the PlayStation gamers will benefit all. Well, let's get started. For this issue, we have two articles on portable computing. For the first, we talk about the use of a PDA or a laptop/notebook for use on the go. Which is better for your needs? What kinds of information do you enter? Are you always needing more power? This article will discuss the different pros and cons of each hardware platform. The second article is called "A Portable E-Mail Refresher" and goes over all of the details of using e-mail on portable computers. Tips on how to manage multiple mailboxes and being able to control what message go where will help all of us with the massive and growing number of e-mail we get each day. Our entertainment coverage will focus on the PlayStation for the rest of the year, before adding other game systems like Sega Saturn , Nintendo Virtual Boy, 3DO and next year's Nintendo Ultra 64. We provide a full review of the PlayStation unit itself and offer two game reviews: Battle Arena Toshinden and ESPN Extreme Games. In two weeks, we'll have 3 more PlayStation reviews: NBA Jam T.E., Power Serve 3D Tennis and Ridge Racer. And in the coming weeks of coverage, we'll add to the game reviews as more games show up on our doorstep and in the stores. - Marty Mankins Editor, Portable Computing & Entertainment STReport PORTABLE COMPUTING: PDA/Palmtop/Laptop/Notebook PDA vs. Laptops: Can One Replace The Other? by Marty Mankins One of the biggest questions I get all the time is, "What do I need a PDA for?" Following that popular question is the next most asked, "Can a PDA replace a laptop or can a laptop provide the same functions as a PDA?" To answer these questions, I decided to write this article to help people with their decision on what to use or to use both and for what purposes. Not only are laptops, notebooks and subnotebooks popular, they are very effective at doing many, if not all, of the functions you perform on a desktop PC. And PDAs and palmtops have been slowly making their mark in society as being information holders in a small package. Let me cover some experiences with both hardware platforms and help you determine what a laptop and/or PDA can do for you. DETERMINE YOUR NEEDS Before you'll know what system you need, you must sit down and realize what kinds of needs and wants you will need in a portable device. Are you looking to take most of your desktop functions with you on the road or just pieces of it? Are you always going to be in a place where you have a desk or place to rest your laptop or is space limited to just your hands? Perhaps, you may find that you need to do some functions that only a laptop can perform, but may not need that more than 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time you may still need to collect information, but can't do it with pen and paper. This is where you may find that both a laptop and PDA is needed. For example, I find myself in places like stores and offices where I don't have a desk to set a laptop down to type on. At least 80% of the time, I am simply gathering information that will be entered later onto my desktop or laptop. My Newton MessagePad 120 comes in handy during these times, allowing me to enter data and then using the Newton Connection Kit to transfer that information at the end of the day. I then compile it into the report or article that I am working on and feel my needs are met. For some users, like those found in the insurance industry, a laptop is the only must they need. Almost always near a desk or area to rest their device, they can run through the needs of determining insurance for families or adjusting a claim without problem. or lack of speed or function. There are some of these people who do use a PDA, but it is mostly used for keeping simple notes, a schedule and other personal items. Which brings us to where the determination of what a PDA or laptop is used for. The first step is to separate personal from business. If we determine that most of what we do with a laptop is personal, but find that it can't go places we need it to, then a PDA or palmtop like the Newton, HP 200LX, Casio Zoomer or Psion 3a may be perfect for your needs. If you use both a laptop and PDA/palmtop on the road and need for them to interact with each other and exchange data, then you must find a laptop that can meet the demands of connectivity software. The Newton Connection Kit, Palm Computing's Palm Connect for the HP palmtops and RuppLynx all require Windows 3.1 running in enhanced mode. Some of your older laptops that are based on the 386 processor may not have enough memory or power to support these programs. I've got an older HP OmniBook 300 that doesn't run enhanced mode Windows, so it is pretty much stuck. Fortunately, just about all of the current laptops, notebooks and subnotebooks on the market today will meet your needs. With at least 4Mb of RAM as a minimum, it's a safe bet that you could do most basic to medium needs without needing an upgrade. ONLY USE A PDA Back about 4 years ago, if someone were to say, "I only want to use a PDA/palmtop to perform all of my on the road needs", you would have been hard pressed to really make that work. In fact, only a fraction of the people out there even came close to meeting this goal. Now with the Newton and it's 100's of software titles available, plus the HP palmtop being able to run DOS programs, and the Psion 3a with it's built-in capabilities, it's not unreasonable to think of what a PDA could do. To give you an idea of how well equipped a PDA could be, there are many users who check their CompuServe and eWorld e-mail, have budgets in a spreadsheet, keep lists of often used or needed items, keep a full schedule, manage dozens of todo entries and have the latest company database of information all in one unit. The Newton can do all of this. This is not to say that other models and brands of PDAs cannot accomplish all of this. The HP 200LX, with DOS programs, could easily manage these tasks. Last year, I used the HP 100LX to manage all of my affairs, including my Sysop duties on CompuServe, without the need for a laptop. It worked just fine, with the only limitation being the small keyboard. LAPTOP ONLY For those who cannot use a PDA due to it's size and other limitations of mass storage and memory, there is the laptop, notebook or subnotebook. Which you choose depends on how much of the desktop PC you want to bring with you and how much you are to lug around. Most of today's subnotebooks are between 4-5 pounds and can handle a lot of tasks, but are not quite at the Pentium level yet. I find the most capable of the current crop of subnotebooks is the HP OmniBook 600C. Under 4 pounds, it's got a fast processor and for about $2,000, can meet many budget restrictions. Notebooks are for more average to harsh on the go needs, weighing in at 6- 7 pounds. Carrying this into every location you go into may work, as mentioned above by having a place to set the unit down to type. And laptops are mostly past the 8 pound range and used a lot for presentations and other full desktop needs. Pentium processors are common in the laptop category and offer the closest thing to a desktop PC. In fact, some users who are normally on the road but need to come into a satellite office to take care of business, will most likely use the laptop as their only computer. Just 5 years ago, this was possible, but not all that common. CONCLUSION The decision is yours. Choosing a laptop or PDA - or using both - can make your life much easier to deal with, knowing that your data and information can be right there with you, not requiring a desktop PC to perform all needs. A PDA can help keep basic and limited information with you at all times and a laptop can make those powerful needs for when you have access and the slightly more space needed to use the laptop. And for those who need both, a PDA can be with you at all times, while the laptop can reside back in the hotel room or in the car, correlating the data between the two devices and making it all work on the go. PORTABLE COMPUTING: Communications A Portable E-Mail Refresher by Marty Mankins It seems everyone has access to e-mail. Those of us involved in the online industry are shocked to learn that only a fraction of the nation even owns a modem (10% to be exact). While this number will grow over the next 5 years, we feel like there are already a ton of people on the Internet, online services like CompuServe and America Online and personal and corporate e-mail environments. Some of us often have more than one e- mail account and often use a PDA or laptop to check mail. I'll go over my experiences that I've had with managing multiple e-mail accounts and sharing information between desktop, laptops and PDAs. MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS At last count, I had 8 different e-mail accounts on multiple and like systems. I have 2 accounts on CompuServe (one is my Sysop account [75300,1770] and the other is my personal account [73217,3305]), an account on America Online [INFOSTREAM], an account on eWorld [PerAppliedn], an account on the new Microsoft Network [perapplied], my e- mail address from my Internet SLIP connection provider [infostrm@itsnet.com] and accounts for both of the businesses I run, which run under Novell GroupWise and cc:Mail. These 8 accounts keep me really busy and sometimes I wonder how I keep track of all these. But proper management of time and knowing what to check for and keeping track of what accounts I give out to people for what purposes help a lot. Say I want to get a reply from someone for my needs with InfoStream. I'll most likely give out the America Online account and get my replies via my Sony Magic Link. Almost everything personal goes to my most used address, which is on CompuServe. Since my Sysop duties keep me out on CIS a lot, I like to be able to check my CIS mail all the time. So anyone that wants me to respond in a timely manner will get my CIS Sysop account. I hardly ever use my personal account for obvious reasons, but keep it around to allow me access to some needs that my other CIS account doesn't cover. For all of the stuff I use my Newton for, I'll most likely use CIS Retriever or my eWorld account for sending mail. Since the Newton is always with me, I can create a quick e-mail message to someone and get the information I need to them via modem. If it's really important, Ill link up the cellular phone and send it off right away. If it can wait until I get to a phone wall jack, then I can hook up and cut my costs. As previously mentioned, I use my Sony Magic Link to retrieve my AOL e- mail. It helps me to keep track of messages that come across from our site on the Internet [http://www.info-stream.com]. My business needs on our local e-mail systems are covered internally with each business. Since I run Perfection Applied from home, our house is networked so that all projects, notes and other bits of information are tracked. Even though there are only 4 computers, it makes it nice to have cc:Mail on all of these systems to help get information to those who come in and work on the computers. InfoStream's internal needs are met with Novell GroupWise 4.1. One connection is remote and the other is local. This keeps things separate enough in order to have the same communications needs that Perfection Applied enjoys and saves a lot of time. Transferring data from say CIS to my cc:Mail system is easy. It's all done via the clipboard since cc:Mail is not attached to the network. I do have remote access via modem to my messages from cc:Mail Mobile, which lets me call in and exchange data that has been shared while I am on the road. And if there is something internal that needs to get out to the other e-mail accounts, I use the clipboard and transfer it over. This system works very well and will work even better once a 56K leased line becomes even more affordable to have. SAME ADDRESS, MANY LOCATIONS If you only have one account that you use the most, like my CIS Sysop account, then using the same address from multiple systems makes the difficulty level much higher. For instance, what if you wanted to get mail from someone on your PDA but wanted to make sure that any files that had been loaded to you were taken care of first, you would need to take a few actions. How I handle this is easy. I log onto CIS with WinCIM or NavCIS Pro. I check my e-mail manually, saving any binary files that have been sent to me and doing a general clean up of messages that are too large or ones that I don't want to keep. Then I'll log on with my laptop using NavCIS Pro an grab the e-mail. I then go through each message and respond to each one. This allows me to save some time by not having to wade through all of the e-mail messages and delete the ones that I don't want when time is of issue. When using my Newton, I can save the step of using multiple CIS programs and use CIS Retriever to see what messages are what and ones that I will want to keep on my Newton for portable reading and replying. The nice thing about a program like CIS Retriever is that the messages I read and save onto the Newton can remain on CIS and I can save them later on my laptop for storage and reference. Since I like to keep messages of information for later use, this system works very well for me. Perhaps you can get some ideas and modify it for your own needs. SHARING WITH OTHERS If you use one account that is shared by others (i.e. company support), you should sit down and coordinate when who read what messages. This can be difficult on online services like AOL, which show all messages to you no matter when you log on, but a bit easier on systems like CIS, except for e-mail. If someone replies via e-mail to a customer, and another person that has access to the same account comes along and sees the same message, they may be tempted to reply. A note of some sort could be helpful in letting the other person know you already replied to that message. Another way of telling this other person is by sending a message to this account with a memo, with a subject like "Already Replied to xxxx" This has been known to help support staff keep track of replies and e-mail questions from customers. Another approach i to setup a database and keep track of mail sent and received. While this seems like a lot of work, it can be a big help later when you have to account for all of the e-mail sent and received. Just use the clipboard and capture all of the information into a new record. Not all mail systems will keep e-mail for a long time, so this may be the best overall method of tracking e-mail. JUST ONE ACCOUNT If you only have one account and need to manage it better, there are some steps that you could take. All of the above suggestions for using a single account with more than one person could work and may be easily taken care of without spending too much time. Another way is to see if there are off-line readers. CompuServe has the widest range of offline message readers with Tapcis and NavCIS Pro leading the pack. OzCis is another very popular choice. CIS Navigator runs on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms and can help keep your costs to CIS access down. On top of saving you money, offiline readers can archive messages for you and allow you to search on the text of the messages, which makes finding a lot of information easier and better for keeping any amount of data. If you need access to the Internet, choosing an online service can give you WWW access as well as full e-mail send and receive from any other person with an Internet address. You only need to worry about one account to give out to others and one account to keep track of checking. CONCLUSION It doesn't matter whether you use a single e-mail account or more than one, it's important to make sure you keep track of the messages you send and receive as important information comes across your computer all the time. And you don't want to be left out of getting and keeping data that helps all of us in our daily activities. ENTERTAINMENT: Sony PlayStation Game System Review: Sony PlayStation List Price: $299.95 Specifications: Double speed CD-ROM Full frame video at 30 frames per second 16.8 million simultaneous colors 360,000 polygons per second 2Mb of RAM 1Mb of VRAM 3.3 lbs. 10.75" (w) x 2.45" (h) x 7.5" (d) Availability: As of September 9th, nationwide stores such as Electronics Boutique, Babbage's and Software Etc. carried the PlayStation. Other stores like Media Play and Fred Meyer also carry the PlayStation. For $299.95, you get: PlayStation unit, audio/video RCA cables, power cable (transformer is built-in to the PlayStation), demo CD-ROM, one (1) controller Almost a year ago in Japan, Sony released to lined-up crowds the Japanese version of the PlayStation. Nine months later, they claim to have sold over 1 million PlayStations there, making it one of the most popular video game systems in Japan, in just a short time. The next step was to introduce the system here in North America. Well, on September 9th, it happened. And crowds reserved their systems, often weeks in advance. Some stores even offered trade in credit from Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis systems towards the purchase of a Sony PlayStation. A total of 17 games were known to be released at the system's introduction. A total of at least 50 games are expected to be on the market available for purchase by the end of 1995. During the 1st quarter of 1996, another 25-30 games are expected to be available, making the total at least 75 games. Is this the system of the future? Is this the Nintendo and Sega killer? Let's take a look at the PlayStation and see what it has to offer. SYSTEM FEATURES While no game is packed in with the PlayStation (hereafter known as the PS), it does offer some interesting features to go over. For starters, it obviously plays PS games, but not all. The US version of the PS cannot play the Japan PS games, even though both systems do support NTSC broadcast signals. There's enough difference between the two versions of the format that causes the games to be incompatible. Not too fear, as most, if not all the US games will be close to or identical their Japanes versions. The ability to play audio CDs is expected and is provided in the PS. To play an audio CD, simply turn the unit on with the CD lid open. Then insert a CD. Close the lid. Choose the CD Player option from the Main Menu screen. Every possible feature to play an audio CD is here. Will your PS replace your CD player? It depends on where the PS is used and if you consider it convenient enough to use it as both a game machine and CD player. If you use the PS hooked up through a stereo receiver or pre-amp, then there's a good chance that audio CDs played through this system will come out sounding as good as most consumer-brand CD players. Any other hookup will compromise the sound, so it's possible that it may be more of a novelty than a necessity. You can also use a memory card for each slot. The Sony SCPH-1020 is a 128K Flash RAM card with 15 blocks for saving games and other settings. Each controller has a card slot. For those computer lurkers, this is not a PCMCIA/PC Card slot, so don't think of using your RAM card from your PDA in here. From the Main menu, you can also manage the memory blocks on each memory card, copy settings from one card to another and be able to delete saved games and settings to make room for more. On the average, memory cards are about $25 each. As for available ports, there are quite a few of them. The first and most obvious are the two controller ports and two ports for memory cards. Next on the list is the AC cord plug. The left, right and video RCA jacks are for hookup to your TV. There is also an RF output, using the SCPH-1061 RFU adapter for TVs without RCA jack hookups. There is a connector called AV MULTI OUT, which allows hookup to an S-VIDEO jack on a TV, VCR or stereo receiver. Another port is the SERIAL I/O for use with the SCPH- 1040 link cable, so players can go head-to-head with supported games. And there is a covered PARALLEL I/O port that is being used for future use, according to Sony. EASY TO USE The controls and over functionality of the PS is made well. Some pieces like the CD lid feel a bit cheap at times, but overall, the PS should be able to take the normal abuse that a home video game system will take. Being able to incorporate so much into the unit and keep it's size down is a plus. The major plus is keeping the transformer inside the PS, not having to use a wall transformer AC adapter. A simple AC cord is plugged in, making it easy to take on a trip or over to a friend's house. The controllers are larger than their Japanese versions, but not as much as what we expected them to be. The arrow pad has each key separated, but underneath, it is still one piece. I find that the smaller buttons are not perfect, sometimes causing numbness in my thumb after an hour of game play. I would choose the larger ASCII Pad controller, available at most outlets that sell the PS. There is also a larger base controller with large joystick that some players will find really good for larger hands. And a joystick will be available for purchase soon from Sony. Another optional accessory is the SCPH-1090 PS Mouse. This is one of those accessories that will most likely bring some educational titles to the PS platform and offer a pointing device that some games may find useful. SOME PROBLEMS Most PS owners are happy and have never experienced any problems in their first week with the PS. But, there have been some problems. Most of these have been the CD player not being able to render the video clips included on a demo disc. The effect of the problem is a choppy and constant hesitation in playing the video clips. Most owners simply return their PS and get another and the problem is gone. This is good for stores that do have sufficient stock and constant shipments, but for those stores who are always running out of PS units, a return may be difficult. It seems Sony was anxious to meet their ship date and push these units out with some quality assurance getting missed. CONCLUSION The Sony PlayStation is the next generation system that will do well over the next couple of years. Give it a lot of titles and put some accessories on the market for it and people will buy it and use it. While the initial $300 may be hard to come up with for some people, the price will drop, hopefully in time for Christmas so more people will be able to find it and several games underneath the tree. The system does have a few limitations, such as only being able to play PS and audio CDs (other systems have been known to have capabilities much greater like Video CD and CD-G+), but all of this aside, the PlayStation will provide gamers with a system they have been waiting for. ENTERTAINMENT: Sony PlayStation Game Review: Battle Arena Toshinden Developer: Sony Publisher: Sony List Price: $59.95 Ease Of Play: Medium/Difficult Just what the video game market needs: another fighting game. Since the original Double Dragon, the industry has gone violence-crazy, with the different games trying to be on top. While some would say the current leader is Sega's Virtua Fighter, Battle Arena Toshinden (referred to as Toshinden from here on) is one to behold. And it's got the moves, graphics, characters and speed to take Virtua Fighter on anyday. Toshinden game play is based on the one who has more life left in them at the end of the round wins. A round can end one of a few ways. One is to take down your opponents life until they have no more. Another is to knock them out of the ring. This is done by pushing them so far to the edge of the ring that one more hit will send them to their doom. If the time runs out, whoever has more life left in them at that point wins the round. You need to win twice to move on to fight the next bad guy. If you lose, then the game is over. You do get the option to continue, so you get an extra chance to play to see if you can take down your oppressor. There are several ways to play. Your first option is 1P Game. You are the player against the computer. The computer randomly picks your opponent. If you win, then it keeps randomly picking opponents until you have won. A nice advantage is that if you have another controller, you can have a second player join in at any time. This does result in the current battle ending, but it allows two players to go at it without having to go all the way to the beginning of the game options. You can also start the VS. Human to play two players from the beginning. Or you can choose, as a single player, which of the fighters you want the computer to be. THE PLAYERS Toshinden allows you to pick from eight different players. Eiji, the first on the list, is a fair fighter with a sword. Kayin, also sword- bearing, has a bit more fighting power than Eiji. Sofia, one of the most well known players (thanks to Sony marketing putting her on just about every Sony ad and PlayStation pamphlet) has many mean tools with her. Rattle snake is a whip-like object that will beat you to a pulp if you are in its way. Thunder Ring is another weapon that is easy to dodge, if you are looking out for it. Rungo is an Arnold/Stalone type with a huge rock- made club. Get too close to him and the club will hit you. Stay on the ground too long and the club, when hitting the ground, will take some life out of you. Fo and Mondo use oriental magic and other tools of their trade to take you down. Duke, as the name appears, is of royal descent. He seems like a wimp sometimes, but can really wield the sword to take life out of you. And finally we reach Ellis. To explain Ellis is not that hard. She is like a high-strung, extremely angered school girl who got a hold of a pair of jabbing swords. She also has a bit of magic in her that can take you out if you get too close and let your guard down. GAME OPTIONS There are so many options for Toshinden that it would take way too long to list them all. My favorites are the level, where I can set it to be very easy, easy, normal, hard or very hard. Choosing the last option level will provide a fight you will practically break your fingers trying to do the right moves on your fighter. Control Type is also pretty cool. You can even set it up so you use the Left and Right 1 & 2 buttons to control the camera angle for the fighters. Makes for an interesting battle when you can see the different angles that you are getting hits or getting hit (as the case may be) from. The basic goal is to beat the other player. There are some tips in doing this. One is to learn the controller very well. If you know what your player does and which buttons do what, then you can learn (over many games) how to beat the other player. Stay in positions where your weapons can have the best effect of abuse on the other fighter. If you can get to the point where you wear down the other player in a shorter amount of time, you know you are doing well. Take advantage of pushing the other fighter closer to the edge of the ring. If you can get them close to the edge, all it takes is just a few hits to get them to fall right off and you win that round. Do this often and the number of hits you'll need to win will be few. CONCLUSION Battle Arena Toshinden is one of those fighter games that is really good, down right perfect. There are some times when you feel you have mastered a few of the players faster than you wish you would have, but trust me, things will get harder once you step up the level and start the path to Battle King or Queen. This is a title that you will want to keep in your PlayStation library forever. Graphics: 9.0 Sound FX/Music: 9.0 Control: 8.5 Manual: 7.5 Entertainment: 9.0 Reviewer's Overall: 9.0 Graphics were the best part of the game, with the rendering and 3D action mind blowing. Sound was good as were the FX of hits, jumps and weapons clanging together. The manual was good and listed as many of the important parts a game player needs to know. The Entertainment value was good. Things couldn't be more fun to play. ENTERTAINMENT: Sony PlayStation Game Review: ESPN Extreme Games Developer: Sony Publisher: Sony List Price: $59.95 Ease Of Play: Average/Medium If you have ever watched MTV Sports, that show hosted by Dan Cortese, you will have an idea of what ESPN Extreme Sports is like. Based on the kinds of alternative sports programming that ESPN's brother channel, ESPN 2 offers, ESPN Extreme Sports (known as Extreme Sports from now on) lets you take a piece of that broadcasting action and play it like you've never played before. PLAYING OPTIONS You get your pick of many options. Road conditions change based on where you decide to race. Pick Utah and you are out in the middle of Zions National Park on the two lane roads of southern Utah. Lake Tahoe takes the scenic and steep routes around the famous lake located between Nevada and California. San Francisco takes you a bit more west of Lake Tahoe where the streets are even steeper and the buildings distract you enough to stay on the course. Internationally, you get Italy and the streets of steep hills, sharp curves and avoiding obstacles of the Italian nature. And lastly, head down to South America and race amongst the hills, rough roads and ancient ruins. For your mode of transportation, you get 4 choices. The mountain bike is a beefed up as you'll find in any bike store, although it doesn't have any low-profile advantages. The roller blades are not that difficult to ride, but not everyone can master them well. The skateboard is one of the oldest for street transportation. And the street luge makes those hills both exciting and scary. You can also choose your player. Some players are better than others, depending on what you use to ride on. Charlie Nappi is the best on the skateboard. Meg Tipre is an animal on the bike. Reggie Costa is the best on the bike. Jim Huml owns the road with his street luge. Patricia Elenia is the female equal to Reggie on the bike.. Paul Dillon kicks on roller blades. And Mo Howard can show up both Reggie and Patricia when it comes to riding the bike. M. Charles Read can handle the luge and skateboard just fine. Debra is another hot challenge on the roller blades. Joe Carberry finds himself a bit better than average on all devices. Saul Burland is known for good on the bike and luge. Sam Marubayashi may not be that good on the luge, but he sure can skate. Frank Coresetti is another more than average rider on all devices. Tony Beccaccio can shred on the luge. And Ralph J. Vanni takes it to the streets on roller blades.. And finally, Samantha Lyons doesn't take any guff when it comes to her bike. GAME PLAY The goal is to come in first place and beat all of the other 15 racers. You can do a number of things to stay on course. One is to keep yourself on the roads. For some areas like South America, there are all sorts of distractions that pop out at you. Utah is no piece of cake with tumbleweeds and pioneer wagons along the road. And San Francisco offers the occasional street car. The harder the level, the more the obstacles. There are four levels of play: Easy, Medium, Hard and Extreme (hey, I wonder where they got that name from!!). You can play 1 or 2 players. You can also choose from playing modes where you are in exhibition, continue season or new season. Basically, this means the same thing as trial, continue from a saved game and start a new game, respectfully. If you finish in the top 3 racers, you get the advantage of starting at the beginning of the next round closer to the front than any of the other racers. In your goal to stay ahead of others, you can get violent and force the other racers off the road. Using the Left and Right 1 buttons on the controller, you can kick to the left or right to knock the racer off their bike, luge, roller blades or skateboard. It doesn't stop them completely and not for a long time, as they get right back up. So you much continue to concentrate your efforts on the race and the road hazards. Speaking of hazards, items like rocks, tumbleweeds and all sorts of other objects get in your way. Some you can use like the red and yellow barrels in San Francisco to possibly knock down another racer. Some will stop you dead like the piles of tires. And yet a few others will take you off your racing vehicle. The goal is to stay on your transportation to get ahead. MORE OPTIONS For the first few games, you're going to come in 16th place. It's a fact of playing. If you happen to get lucky and can memorize the course as you go, then you can at least come in 5th place or higher. Getting to know the course is the best way to increase your position. If you do happen to finish in first, you get $300. There are also green gates that you can pass through which give you $5 for each one. Yellow gates help you get season points. The blue gates are for special features or other cool stuff. The more cash you get, the better equipment you can upgrade to. Your options in upgrades give you faster speed, which is what allows you to go faster and work towards that 1st place prize. Hint: if you want to be in first place every time, go to the shed screen (where you pick which vehicle to ride) and shut off all of the CPU players. This leaves only you (or if you are playing 2 player, your opponent as well) and allows you to come into first place and collect $300. At any time at the end of each race, you can add the CPU racers back in for competition. CONCLUSION ESPN Extreme Games is one of my favorites. It's racing and action abilities out pace a lot of other racing games that I've played in the past. It's got a lot of options on it that can really extend game play. And as you make your way to bonus rounds (note: very hard to get - you need to pass through every single gate!) and upgrade to better equipment, you'll find this game will be in your shelf for the life of your PlayStation. Let's hope it inspires others to take note of what Sony has done with this winner. Graphics: 8.0 Sound FX/Music: 9.0 Control: 8.5 Manual: 7.5 Entertainment: 8.5 Reviewer's Overall: 8.5 Graphics are really good, but could be just a bit better in some areas. The Sound FX and music are tops and right inline with this type of game. Control of the racers was just about excellent, with some speed issues that are of concern. The Manual told of the options and how to play the game, but could have added more into the game control and players. The entertainment value is one of the best I've seen in a long time. ATARI/JAG SECTION Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The CD articles are still in limbo, much to my disappointment. It bothers me to continuously apologize for these delays, but it can't be helped. Please bear with me... If you've always wanted to purchase Pagestream for your ST but felt uneasy to spend a good chunk of change for the program, you're in luck. Below, you'll find a recent press release announcing a special offer from Soft-Logik - Pagestream for a paltry $39.00!! No, the decimal point is not misplaced! It's Soft-Logik's 10th year anniversary and they're making this incredible offer. Even though the Atari platform version of Pagestream is no longer being updated, the company still remembered its roots, and included Atari users in their offer. Also, it sounds like there will be more news (offers?) to come in the next few weeks - stay tuned. Until next time... Delphi's Atari Advantage! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (9/13/95) (1) LIGHTNING STORM ANIMATION *(6) PYSGHAM 1.5 (2) CD_LIST UPDATE (7) ATARI COMMUNITY E-MAIL LIST (3) REJOINDER *(8) GEMHEXED 1.00 (4) T.A.F. WWW BROWSER *(9) FOG - FALCON DISKLETTER *(5) GEMVIEW 3.15 *(10) CINDY SITUP MPEG * = New on list ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HONORARY TOP 10 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. ST REPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 11.36 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 1995 PRESS CONTACT: Ellen Kazmaier tel: 314-256-9595; fax: 314-256-9595 SOFT-LOGIK 10th ANNIVERSARY: (St. Louis) Soft-Logik Publishing(tm) will celebrate its tenth anniversary on September 11th. In an industry where companies appear and disappear seemingly overnight, Soft-Logik products have become fixtures on the shelves of Amiga and Atari computer owners. Soft-Logik introduced Publishing Partner for Atari in 1986, and it was hailed as the most powerful desktop publishing program of its time. The industry's leading magazine called it a "knockout program". Publishing Partner grew into PageStream and was released for Amiga in 1989. It soon became the number one selling DTP program for both Amiga and Atari computers. In 1994, Soft-Logik released PageStream 3.0 for Amiga, a completely new program which set a new standard for features and value. Version 3.1 is scheduled for release later this year and will be a free update for owners of PageStream 3.0. Today, Soft-Logik sells a wide range of Amiga software, including PageStream and TypeSmith. Soft-Logik is the exclusive North American publisher of Digita's Wordworth, Organizer and Datastore. THE DECADE AHEAD: New versions of PageStream for Macintosh and Windows are in development. The Macintosh and PowerMacintosh versions will be released later this year, and the Windows95 and WindowsNT version is scheduled for the second quarter of next year. A new Amiga version is also planned for next year. Soft-Logik president Deron Kazmaier said "PageStream has become the #1 Amiga and Atari DTP program by being the best program available. The Macintosh and Windows markets have entrenched market leaders, but our extensive experience as a pioneer in the DTP field will help us succeed where recent Mac DTP newcomers have failed." PAGESTREAM 2.2 RETURNS: To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Soft-Logik is re-releasing PageStream 2.2, the best-selling desktop publishing program for Amiga and Atari computers. Bundled with a new 90 page manual, PageStream 2.2 SE will probably top the sales charts again at its incredible new price. PageStream 2.2, which originally had a suggested retail price of $299.95 will now sell for just $39. The new lower price will help bring desktop publishing to people who couldn't previously afford a professional quality DTP program. Readers of Britain's "CU Amiga" magazine will receive a free copy of PageStream 2.2 with their October issue cover disk. They can purchase the full program disk set with all of its fonts and the manual for 24.95 pounds Sterling. PageStream 2.2 SE is the perfect choice for owners of older Amiga and Atari computers. Its minimum system requirements are 1.5MB of RAM, 1 floppy drive (2 for Atari), and AmigaDOS 1.3 or any version of TOS. Purchasers of PageStream 2.2 SE Amiga who wish to upgrade in the future can apply the entire purchase price towards the purchase of PageStream3. PageStream 2.2 SE for Amiga and Atari will be available in late October. Orders are being accepted now. PS: Watch for another exciting announcement later this month! >In This Week's Jaguar Section - CATnips! Breakout 2000! Pitfall! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" CatFights! FlipOut! And much more! "Coming October 6, Plug in the WIRE network!" -> On October 6, Atari Corporation, CompuServe Information Service, <- -> Atari Explorer Online Magazine, and STReport unveil something <- -> big for the online community. <- >From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" While the JaguarCD hasn't been spotted yet, new games are arriving on our favorite dealers' shelves. The latest two games to appear are Rayman and Ultra Vortek. Opinions of both are still fairly quiet (everyone's busy playing, not talking!), but we hope to have reviews and other opinions shortly. We've also learned that "Pitfall" is in production and expected out soon. Part of the benefits of being a member of the press is some of the interesting items that come our way, dealing with the Jaguar. One of the latest items that I received a few days ago was the most current video of short clips of upcoming games. I must tell you that I am extremely impressed with almost all of the games that were included on that video. I also liked the new Jaguar commercial (which I haven't seen 'live' yet). Some of the games that were included on this video that I'm really excited about seeing include: Pitfall, Ruiner Pinball (looks incredible!), Defender 2000 (hey, it's Minter!), Breakout 2000 (looks hot in 3D!), Blue Lightning (we'll have it within days!), Dragon's Lair (I never played this one on any platform!), Demolition Man (Yo, Adrian - oops, wrong movie!), Myst, Creature Shock, Iron Soldier II, Battlemorph (I really liked Cybermorph & this is much better looking!), Varuna's Forces, Black ICE/White Noise, and Max Force. There were other clips, but these titles stuck out in my mind - I'm sure if I had the video running, I'd name more! The "Mind Control" ad was very different, and very entertaining - Atari goes after the competitors! I've been after our support staff and keeping tabs as to how they're progressing with new reviews. We've got a bunch coming for you in the next couple weeks: CatBox (our second review), FlipOut!, Ultra Vortek, Double Dragon V, Syndicate, Troy Aikman, Flashback, Rayman, Blue Lightning, VidGrid, VLM, and a few others that I don't recall offhand! The games are finally getting to us, albeit slowly. However, the staff is ready, playing, and writing - stay tuned. I was going to make some comments related to the continued delays with the JaguarCD, but it's pointless at this point in time. The CD should be available within days unless something else happens to delay it. I agree with many, however, that Atari could have done a better job of handling the problems. It's too bad that Atari can't seem to shake "Murphy's Law"... The STReport/AEO "CatFights" are almost ready to get underway! The "rules" are in the process of reaching agreement by both magazine publishers; and potential topics for debate are being readied. Both staffs are looking forward to these debates; and we're ready to get started! As we're able to bring you more specific information about these debates, we'll keep you all up-to-date. It's going to be a lot of fun - for us and you, as our readers. You're not going to want to miss these features! 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 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 J9040E Flip-Out $49.99 Atari Corp Rayman $69.99 UbiSoft Ultra Vortek $69.99 Atari Corp Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER 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 Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp. J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 CatBox $69.95 ICD Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp. >Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -/- Mindscape Acquires MicroLogic -/- Consumer software publisher Mindscape Inc., has acquired MicroLogic Software, an Emeryville, California-based software developer for undisclosed terms. MicroLogic is best known for PrintMaster Gold, a product that lets home and small business PC users print envelopes, letterheads, greeting cards and other documents. "This acquisition gives Mindscape a strong competitive position in print productivity, which is one of the largest categories in consumer software with annual sales of approximately $100 million," says Bob Lloyd, CEO of Mindscape, which is located in Novato, California. MicroLogic is the third software company Mindscape has acquired in less than a year. In October 1994, Mindscape acquired Strategic Simulations Inc., a Sunnyvale-based developer of war and fantasy role-playing games. Earlier this year, Mindscape acquired Atreid Concept, a French entertainment software company. Mindscape is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pearson plc, an international media group based in London. >Jaguar Easter Eggs, Cheats, & Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" FlipOut! Tips!! FlipOut! is still new, but we did have a few requests for some help. The most common requests dealt with the levels "The Tile Eater" and "The Tile Flipper" - so here are some tips for each of these levels. We'll add to this hint file over the next few weeks. 2. The Tile Eater The tile eater will flash different colors as he swallows one of the tiles. While he is holding it, the tile will never fit properly onto the board until he releases it. To get him to release a tile, simply flip him into the air; and after three flips, he will spit the tile out. Often, more than one tile eater will come into play; and you will have to get them all to release the tiles to complete the level. 5. The Tile Flipper The tile flipper will flash different colors when he is ready to act. He will actually grab a tile you have placed on the board and flip it into the air, ruining your placement of the tiles. Often, more than one tile flipper will come into play. To get him off the board, simply place your cursor under him and flip him off. >Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" From CompuServe's Atari Gaming Forums: Sb: Pitfall - details Fm: Laury Scott [ATARI] 75300,2631 To: all Rather than reply to each of you individually I'll try to answer all your questions here. 1) Yes it is the Mayan Adventure. 2) It is a swinging and jumping (and crawling and hanging and bouncing and ride the roller coaster and ...) side scroller. 3) Buried in the game is a version of the old 2600 Pitfall game. I am sure that once it is out someone will tell you how to find it. 4) I have been so busy lately I haven't played many games but I did play it for a couple of hours the other night and got through the first 3 'levels' and was killed on the 4th by the end boss. The graphics were good and there are a lot of hidden things to find (in addition to the 2600 Pitfall you can also play a version of Simon as a bonus level). 5) Pitfall is a 4M cartridge game. I think that answers everyone. If you have more questions let me know. For those of you interested in motor racing I am off the the Indy Car races at Laguna Seca tomorrow. I have managed to arrange pit and paddock passes and am looking forward to a great day. In fact I'll even be having lunch with Team Penske (or at least in their hospitality tent anyway <bg>). -Laury Sb: #91690-#Breakout 2000? Fm: Daniel Skelton 73742,464 To: Nathan Wong 76327,3723 (X)>> I see the importance of the older games being rehashed, but I just don't feel that Breakout was the appropriate game right now.<< I agree. I wrote a whole article in Jaguar Journal about the "Top 12 Games Which Should Get The 2000 Treatment." Breakout was not among them. Originally, I had planned to survey all of the Atari-original titles which I could find from the back catalog of 2600/5200/7800/Lynx/8bit games. I shifted gears to only doing the top 12 when I heard that Breakout and Pong (yes, pong) were being planned for 2000 versions, and I had listed both of those as having low potential for updating. >>I didn't like Tempest too much when it initially came out (but was hot with a lot of people, including my girlfriend), but Tempest 2000 held my interest sufficiently.<< The original Tempest is probably my favorite arcade game ever. When I heard the Jaguar had a version of it, I almost bought one on the spot. Glad I waited for the game library to enlarge before taking the plunge, or I would have ended up as frustrated as a lot of those who regularly post here. >>There had been a lot of talk in this forum throughout the years of old games that we would all like to see and from my recollection Breakout was NEVER, ever mentioned...not even once.<< I do not recall it being mentioned. >>So, why was it picked to be one of those rare Atari Jaguar games when 1) it's not highly anticipated and 2) Atari is desperately in need of grabbing the general public with something that "looks and feels" 64-bit?<< I think that it was chosen because 1) Atari owns the title outright, with no fuzzy lines of legality, and 2) Breakout has been analyzed as being one of the most important, and best, videogames ever released. That might be surprising to you, but I read an entire book written by a psychologist in the early 1980's devoted entirely to his obsession with Breakout, and why it was so psychologically addicting. Breakout also holds the distinction of being the first video game ever which did not attempt to mimic some real-world activity, and which could only be done in a video game format. (The idea of breaking bricks in a wall only incidentally describes the gameplay; the disappearance of the bricks and the more complex rebounds which resulted were not duplicatable in the real world.) One aside to the game designers at Atari. In order for Breakout 2000 to be successful, it must retain two key elements of gameplay: 1) The ball should get to a point where it bounces repeatedly off a surface, rebounding into the brick wall, racking up lots of points without player intervention. Whenever a player plays Breakout, that is ALWAYS the first goal, to break a hole in the wall as small as possible and maneuver the ball through it. This goal is key to the success of the game, because it gives the player something immediate to shoot for in addition to the overall goal of clearing the screen of bricks. 2) When the player inevitably loses, the display must make it obvious how close the player was to reaching the next level of play (in the older games this was done by leaving the partially-cleared playfield onscreen until the player started the next game). This is the single most important aspect of Breakout which MUST be retained. If any of the game designers would like to contact me privately, I would be glad to provide further discussion, based on an engineering analysis of arcade games I performed in 1982, prior to attempting to write my own first game. One thing to point out: This element is MISSING from Flip-Out - when the player loses by breaking a tile, the already-placed tiles immediately turn grey, and the player cannot see how close he was to completing the next level. This is a crucial mistake, and without this element the urge to try again will not be as strong. >>"Breakout 2000? Is that a typo? Why would they make THAT? That's like making Pong 2000!" << Which, according to the latest Video Games magazine, is EXACTLY what Atari is planning. However, Pong 2000 will feature a character named Pong who is a real boy cursed by being made of rubber like a super ball. He bounces off his enemies, attacking his opponents relentlessly, but, like Pinocchio, he wishes more than anything to be a real boy. He will be featured in a platform game which has puzzle-solving elements and shooter elements. The premise? Pong fights the evil king Voidoid and his army of Paddle Soldiers, who want to destroy the Earth in a colossal intergalactic video game. And the lovable "Pong" will be the long-needed mascot for the Jaguar. So it looks like the designers are using Pong as a jumping-off point for a completely new game. I think it's a great idea which ties the classic Atari games into state-of-the-art 64-bit gameplay in a title which no other game system will have. This is the kind of game that should have been created two years ago to launch the system, but it's better late than never. I understand from the blurb in Video Games that the game exists only on the designer's paper, but I would urge Atari to pull out all stops for this one and provide the game design team with the resources needed to finish this one as quickly as possible. And have Jeff Minter program some of his patented special effects for the sparkle such a game will need (like explosions, celebratory sequences, weaponry, etc.) Don't know about the name "Pong 2000" though. I might suggest: "The All New Adventures of PONG - The Boy Who Wanted To Do More Than Bounce" Or something like that. Boy, I'd kill to work on this title. Talk to you later, Dan Skelton Antique Videogame Aficionado and Proud Jaguar Owner CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.09.12) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Coming October 6, Plug in the WIRE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prepare yourself for the final test... Mankind has something to prove before they are worthy of the "Ultra Vortek"; the eternal source of life's energy for all living things on the planet Earth. If you fail to guide any one of the seven mightiest and cunning warriors from all the planet to a victory against the Guardian, then you'll have to try again after dinner! "Ultra Vortek" is here and will be shipping from Atari's warehouse on Wednesday, September 13. I know. I've personally made the long journey to the Dock Zone and snagged my copy from the Grand Master of Expedient Expedites (with properly approved signature scrolls of course). What can I say? If you haven't seen previews of "Ultra Vortek", then you may very well not be prepared for the excitement that awaits you in... ULTRA VORTEK! (imagine deep snarling resounding voice) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes, I know CD-ROMs were to start shipping this week. As I understand it, a minimum quantity must be prepared before distribution can release them. The deadline for that is Friday and Ted has asked for all to be delivered that are ready at that time. On the other hand... ULTRA VORTEK! (imagine deep snarling resounding voice again) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Europe's Computer Trade Show (ECTS) is wrapping up this week and there's a lot of excitement in the Atari booth as I understand. Make sure to pick up this weeks issues of Atari Explorer Online and STReport for complete coverage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coming October 6, Plug in the WIRE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.09.14) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "Coming October 6, Plug in the WIRE network." If you're a Jaguar supporter and would like to help spread the enthusiasm of something really cool happening on October 6, please consider adding the above statement to your on-line messages on the Internet or on CompuServe. What does it mean? We'll here's what I can tell you so far... "On October 6, Atari Corporation, CompuServe Information Service, Atari Explorer Online Magazine and Silicon Times Report unveil something big for the online community." [Please note: the event above involves commercial participation between Atari Corporation and CompuServe online service. Please do not incorporate the above tag line on commercial services other than CompuServe such as Prodigy, Delphi, America On-Line or GEnie. Those are very reputable systems also and deserve your support while a guest on their service. This message is a courtesy with appreciation for your support of Jaguar 64. Please feel free to CLEANLY delete all "Plug in the Wire" text found in this CATnips prior to posting on alternate systems if you desire.] ~ "That's ZOOPer" ~ Jeanne Winding, Atari Corporation (Okay, Jeanne, what gives?, eh?) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Lebow tells me the public debate topic submission area is open in the Jaguar Forum on CompuServe. This is the official area to contribute or consider topics in the upcoming CATfights between STReport and Atari Explorer Online. Stop by if you can and see what is being considered or submit your own. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The newest issue of Atari Explorer Online is expected to be out Friday as will the new issue of STReport out late in the evening. Travis Guy, Publisher of AEO, tells me you can expect the following in the latest issue... Don, If you have time, and if you were going to mention AEO & STR's ECTS coverage in CATnips, please note that AEO will have "exclusive from-the-booth coverage." :) AEO_0407 will also include coverage from the CBS Toy Test from a few weeks ago. :) ... as well as a transcript of the RTC last night, a review of Flashback, an up-to-date software list, Dimitri's Jagged Edge column with notes on Fangoria's Jag reviews, and a cool code for Super Burnout. Thanks! Travis Guy - Editor - Atari Explorer Online Magazine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Internet... Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 12:08:32 From: jeremyh@amcc.com (Jeremy Hansen) To: Multiple recipients <jaguar@bucknell.edu> Subject: Rayman - First Impressions Comment: Discussion of the Atari Jaguar and video gaming industry My wife and I played Rayman for about 2.5 hours last night. It's such a good game that she _recorded_ the season premier for 90210 instead of watching it. Now that's saying something. :) My background: Age - 24, Systems - Genesis, SNES, Jaguar, Atari ST, PowerMac First off I'd like to point out that Rayman is a platformer more along the lines of one of the Disney platformers for the SNES. It isn't real fast moving, but just in our short period of playing time we played levels with things we didn't expect. For example, at one point you have to defeat a big mosquito. Once you do, you make friends with him, hop on his back, and the next level is played as a side-scrolling shooter! Then there's another level where the level is only one screen width, and it's "filling with water", so you have to keep moving up as fast as you can to get to the top. So despite the relatively slower pace of the game, there are definitely fast action areas. You all know about how beautiful the graphics are, but it's also neat how so much is animated on screen (flowers, mushrooms, etc.), and there is a fair amount of interaction between Rayman and the environment. The sound is good, but not of a spectacular nature. The happy in-game music was fitting for the levels we played. There are a lot of effects in the game that will make you smile or laugh. So, anyone that's played the Disney platformers know that they've got one main drawback - TOO EASY!! It's like they program the things for 6 year olds. This is not so with the Jaguar Rayman. In fact, I'd say that what we've experienced so far is the difficulty is spot on. Just hard enough to give you a challenge, make you go back and find things, and take lots of time, but easy enough that you can overcome obstacles and make progress with a feeling of satisfaction. Control is also very good. My main gripe is I didn't see any way to change the button configuration. Both my wife and I had trouble getting used to using "B" for Jump and "C" for fire. I guess most other games must use the reverse combo, because that's what we both kept doing. Aside from that, Rayman controls very well. Overall Rayman is a very good platformer. The animated scenery and the colors and the smoothness of everything is very nice, and the game is fun to play. It _is_ still just a platformer, so I wouldn't call it anything groundbreaking, then again I can't think of a way to be groundbreaking in a sidescrolling platformer nowadays. All that can be done is "more", and that's what Rayman has - more colors, more animation, more enemies, more fun. I'd also like to add that after my first 30-45 minute game was done, my >status screen said I'd completed "2%" of the game, so it looks like it's got a lot of gameplaying time packed into that cartridge. It also has 3 save game slots, so if you're a multiple-gamer family, it shouldn't be a problem. > Jeremy Hansen jeremyh@amcc.com > Technology Group > Applied Micro Circuits Corp. > AMCC now has a web page: http://www.amcc.com/ > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For those who attended the GEnie RTC last evening, we had a whole lot of fun. Dozens of people attended to speak live with Ted Hoff, Ron Beltramo and me. Ted had hurts his back last week and was recovering. We had him on a live conference call and read him the questions as they appeared. The 1.5 hour conference concluded with the giving away of prizes donated by Atari, John King Tarpinian and Travis Guy. Atari gave away some hot new Jaguar cartridges and a Strategy Guide published by Sandwich Islands Publishing. Mr. King gave away a banner from the E3 show earlier this year and Travis gave away a chocolate Jaguar CD. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FANGORIA fans... Look on page 19 of October's issue for a GREAT review of the Jaguar and three gruesome Jaguar 64 cartridge titles: "Alien Vs. Predator", "Brutal Sports Football" and "Doom". All three games scored high in gore and fun! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AOL members: There's a rumor that we may be working on a live conference soon. Stay tuned. I'll forward more info as the time and date is determined. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And in conclusion... "Coming October 6, Plug in the WIRE network." "On October 6, Atari Corporation, CompuServe Information Service, Atari Explorer Online Magazine and Silicon Times Report unveil something big for the online community." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > 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. Well, another week has come and gone. It's amazing to me that no matter how far you get from an event, whether in space or time, there are still those like to relive what they consider past glories (whether they really are or not) and constantly insist on re-writing the truth. These "rulers of morality" are constantly loosing their grip on their precious little patch of ground, and yet seem to feel that if they whine loud enough and long enough, that what they say will become truth. Sorry folks, but it doesn't work that way. I know that most of you don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about, and I've always hated it when people "pulled" this on me, but anyone who knows of the history of STReport and its association with several Online services might have a head start on the rest, but the real surprise will come in a few months and then you'll say "ah-ha! So THIS is what that fool was talking about." Well, at any rate, let's get on with the reason for this column... All the great news, hints, tips, and info available every week right here on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forum ============================== Andrew Wright posts: "Nobody has told me how to upload a file yet. Please give me brief instructions..." Michel Vanhamme tells Andrew: "Go to the libraries section, choose the library you wish to upload to, select the "upload a file" option, and follow the on-screen prompts. That's it! If you have more specific problems, just ask. Otherwise, I will be glad to look for Stoop and upload it myself." On the subject of using Stoop to access the Internet, Chris Roth tells Andrew: "If you're using an Atari to access CIS, it's quite useful if your terminal prog is capable of the CompuServe QuickB+ protocol to upload files (Flash and Connect f.i.), other wise you should use ymodem. You can type UPLOAD at the forum prompt and then follow the instructions. If you're using a software like CIM on a PC or Mac, things are easier since there's simply a menu item for uploading files when you're into a forum." Susan Brader posts: "My young nephew has an Atari ST with 1 Mb RAM and no hard disk. He has been playing Sim City which he bought about 3 years ago. He has been led to believe that there is a more recent release of this game with really good graphics but we are unable to track it down. We thought it was Sim City 2000 but apparently this is only for PCs. Can anyone advise on where to find this updated Sim City, what it is called and how much it is likely to cost. The young man concerned lives in Norfolk, UK." Sysop Jim Ness tells Susan: "As far as I know, there was never an Atari ST version of Sim City 2000, or any other Sim besides the original." John at Missionware Software posts: "Just curious... I'm wondering if it's me, my local node, or ??? It seems as though the past month or so B+ uploads have been very very slow. About the best I can get is 500 bps at either 14400 or 28800. Downloads are not a problem - they zip right along." Sysop Ron Luks tells John: "Uploads are always slower, but not that much slower. SEnd a message to FEEDBACK. CIS is upgrading lots of nodes to 28.8kbps lately (just got mine this week) and maybe something got screwed up." John replies to Ron: "That's what I thought. Uploads always have been a tad slower, but lately its been ridiculous. I think I will send a note off to FEEDBACK. Thanks." Sysop Jim Ness tells John: "I suspect you're talking about uploads to CIS Mail. It's been a concern for the past several weeks, and it will be a problem for several more. It appears that the implementation of CIS B+ used by CIS Mail (and it IS a different implementation than used on other parts of CIS) has begun to collapse due to the membership numbers CIS has reached. Remember that CIS Mail is now a mail hub for several corporate entities. They use CIS to pop email from one office to another at regular intervals. The hub supports MCI Mail, ATT Mail, Advantis, and a bazillion other email services, as well. On top of this, there has been Microsoft Mail support here for about 9 months now, so individuals can email their offices or associates using MS Mail. It's basically overloaded, and won't be completely fixed until an upgraded Mail system is introduced later this year. Nobody who has to send large files is very happy about it. If it's a serious problem for you and your testers and customers, maybe we can work something out for you in a forum on an interim basis." John replies tells Jim: "...you hit the nail on the head. :-) CISmail is where I'm having the problem. It's really not a serious problem - more of an annoyance. It doesn't cost me anything but time and since I'm now operating at 28800 as often as possible, even there the loss of time isn't that substantial (although I have to admit that 500 bps at 28800 is nothing to write home to mother about <g>). I guess we'll just have to hang on until CIS gets the mail situation straightened out. I suppose we could go with a private forum, but Paul and I aren't uploading that often that it really matters much. Thanks for the response. You confirmed what I figured was happening. I'm glad to hear (I guess) that others are having the problem too." While still on the subject of telecommunications, Chris Johnston asks about increasing the size of his download buffer in STalker3: "Could your please elaborate on how to use BUF_SIZE.BTK to increase the buffer size with AUXINT.PRG?? No matter what I do, I always end up with 04 Kb default." Jerry Coppess tells Chris: "Go to the Backtalk menu in Stalker and click on Run Backtalk Script. At the file selector click on BUF_SIZE.BTK. BUF_SIZE.BTK will bring up a dialog box Click on AUXINIT. Then the file selector again. Select AUXINIT.PRG in your AUTO folder. Then you are back in Stalker and you will get these questions. Answer them and your all set. I guess I had mine set to 31K not 16K(Mega4). Buffer size is currently set at 31K New buffer size in K (2-31) -> 31 Buffer size updated successfully! Dev # Port ----- ---- 0 Standard Serial Port 7 TT/MSTe Modem 2 8 TT Serial 1 / MSTe Serial 2 9 TT Serial 2 Device number is currently set to 0 New device number -> 0 Device number updated successfully!" Glenn Pavlovic asks: "Are there any automated access programs avbailable for the 16-bit atari that support the CS internet access?" Sysop Jim Ness tells Glenn: "No, afraid not, Glenn. The only way to automate Internet via CIS would be to write a script for a telecom program such as STalker or Flash II." Michel Vanhamme talks about hard drive tools: "...I still use AHDI, but since I've ordered a new 800 and something HD I've been wondering if I should change to a commercial alternative... Michel (back from a 3 week vacation on the French riviera, he he :). But I missed you folks, honestly!)" Chris Roth tells Michel: "[It's] nice to have you back. Hope you did enjoy the Cote d'Azur. Wasn't it too crowded? SCSI Tools (HUSHI - the driver itself) is working very fine for me, never had any troubles. It's quite a comfortable package. Just when running CAF with a foreign hard disk, I had to disable the caching features for CAF to work properly. But I have heard this to be the same with other hd drivers as well. HD Driver (from Uwe Seimet, the author of Ouside) is also very good. It is cheaper than SCSI Tools, and also fully AHDI and XHDI compatible. Like SCSI Tools, it supports bus arbitration in it's newest version. Both are very quick and reliable. HD Driver also supports background DMA SCSI transfer with MagiC, thus allowing real multitasking with hard disk access." Michel rubs it in a bit about his vacation: "The Cote d'Azur isn't too crowded this time of the year, at least where I was. There still were some tourists in August, but in September the coast was ours (well, almost). The only thing that bothered me is that the extreme right is gaining popularity over there year over year. The nearest great city (Toulon) even has a Front National mayor now. Creepy... Thanks for the HD drivers info... "real multitasking with hard disk access"? Is that safe?" Chris tells Michel (and probably only makes _me_ jealous): "re:cote d'azur I haven't been there for two years now, I also was lucky to be there with French people who showed us places without all the touristic masses (wasn't easy though <g>). Sad to hear that right wing parties are on ascending ways. France is a real miracle to me these days politically. I don't understand why the French didn't see Chiracs real face before the election, f.i. re: hd multitasking safe? I can't really assure you, because there's still no MagiC for Falcons .-( But from what I know of the author, it is. I trust him because he proved in many ways that he's a real good one. Also, in this term, multitasking means that harddisk operations between the SCSI bus and the memory (DMA) can be done while other applications can run without slowdown. I think MagiC has security options built in to provide safety." Michel tells Chris: "I watched the French presidential campaign quite a bit (we have French television on the cable here) and I can assure you that he did a remarkable performance in hiding his "former" self. His discourse was even left-ish at times... Great actor. > there's still no MagiC for Falcons .-( I am still waiting for that one too... <sigh>" John Moris asks for help: "I want to read Midi and Asci Files written on Atariformatted disks on my PC. Must I have something like a Converter or do I need more ? I don' t want to run Atari programms on my Pc, just use my Atari files. Example Cubasefiles from Atari to Cubase PC ? Asci from Signum to Winword ? Who knows more ? Albert Dayes at Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells John: "You can format a 720K disk on your PC and then use the disk directly to move files between both systems. I do this quite a bit and it works without any problems." Meanwhile, Chris Roth tells us: "I have bought NVDI 3 recently and now am the first time really happy with my printouts, using Atari Works. But... could somebody clear up the myth of Speedo font files for me? I don't understand wether *.tdf files are necessary or what they're intended for." Simon Churchill tells Chris: "SpeedoGDOS 5 does not use these files and I would assume NVDI does not either, however if an application want's to then it will use these files as they contain extra details for the idividual typeface. Remember most BXnnnnn.SPD has a file ??nnnnn.TDF, but not all! The 'nnnnn' is the typefaces ID number." Brian Gockley of ST Informer Magazine tells Chris: "I tried NVDI, but there was no way to change the page size defaults for my SLM printer. It seemed to always add a quarter inch offset, as well as assume an A4 page size. I tried the MAKEPRN.APP, but there was no SLM option. With Speedo, there was a DRIVERS.PRG that allowed me to "Set Offsets," and when I turn them off, a one inch indent starts at one inch. With NVDI, a one inch margin starts at one and a quarter inches. The only other thing was a lack of any stand alone font selector. For a WYSIWYG font technology, this is a real lack. Other than these two things, I was really impressed by the speed of NVDI both in printing and in screen redraws. The SLM driver was TWICE as fast as the Speedo one!" Jean-Pierre Amringe asks for help: "Could you please help me about a problem of a 4L connected to an Atari TT. When printing many sheets, as an error occurs on the printer (like out of paper, or paper jam), the atari doesn't stop to wait for the printer is OK, but instead of this, goes on printing, but no other page is printed after paper is added. I previouly had a HP DJ 540 connected, and also a DJ 850, and I never had the same problem." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Jean-Pierre: "You might change your time-out values on the printer. I had a similar problem with mine until I made the time-out values longer. If you are having paper jams you might fan the paper before you place it in the tray. Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next 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" South Korea is now trying to Badger Microsoft.... Strange how the rhetoric sounds just like Janet Reno only with a funny accent. 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" September 15, 1995 Since 1987 Copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No. 1137 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.