                  STReport International Online Magazine
                "The Original Independent Online Magazine"
                       (Since 1987 - Our 11th Year)
                                      



                                      
     October 09, 1998                                         No.1433
  



                Silicon Times Report International Magazine
                           R.F. Mariano, Editor
                           STR Publishing, Inc.
                               PO Box 58094
                     Jacksonville, Florida 32241-8094
                    Voice: 1-904-292-9222 10am-5pm EST
                          FAX: 904-268-2237 24hrs
                           streport@streport.com
                                      
                 STReport WebSite http://www.streport.com
                                      
                    STR Publishing's FTP Support Server
               14gb * Back Issues * Patches * Support Files
                           (Continually Updated)
                             ftp.streport.com
         Anonymous Login ok * Use your Email Address as a Password
                                      
                     Check out STReport's NEWS SERVER
                             news.streport.com
                                      
       Have you tried Microsoft's Powerful and Easy to Use Internet
                              Explorer 4.01?
    Internet Explorer 4.01 is STReport's Official Internet Web Browser.
                                      
                 STReport is prepared and published Using
            MS Office Pro 97, WP8, FrontPage 98, Homesite 3.01 
                                      
                     Featuring a Full Service Web Site
                          http://www.streport.com
                      Voted TOP TEN Ultimate WebSite
             Join STReport's Subscriber List receive STReport
                         Via Email on The Internet
                       Toad Hall BBS 1-978-670-5896
  





10/10/98 STR 1433  "Often Imitated, Never Surpassed!"

 -Windows 98 Bug FIX RSN  -Lycos Buys Wired $83m  -IBM Wins Minitel Deal
 -Marketers AIM at SPAM   -CDnow-N2K to Merge     -Dr. Brain on WEB
 -iMacs & Software FREE   -MORE about DGPS        -Compaq Does Linux
 -Red Hat Linux 5.1       -Activision Classics    -Sony to Offer PDA  
 
                              BAND WIDTH BOOM
                          SENATE DEFEATS NET TAX
                           GOP COMMITS SUICIDE!






  
                      STReport International Magazine
                              Featured Weekly

         "Accurate UP-TO-THE-MINUTE News, Reviews and Information"


  Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, Gossip and Information
              Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
  






IMPORTANT NOTICE

 STReport, with its policy of not accepting any input relative to content
 from paid advertisers, has over the years, developed the reputation of
 "saying it like it is." When it comes to our editorials, product
 evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers
 interests first and foremost.  With the user in mind, STReport further
 pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over
 the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our
 readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly
 where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we
 shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards
 of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and
 every issue.
 
 The Publisher, Staff & Editors 
  



 From the Editor's Desk...
 
 I'm certain most will agree. The Republican Party, The GOP, has indeed
 committed political suicide. The fools ignored all the warning signs and
 stampeded ahead with their rabid pursuit of Clinton. It's the same
 hotheaded vengeance the "Newt Gang" with their "revolution" exhibited in
 Clinton's very first year. Any fool can easily realize that at that
 point in time Gingrich hadn't a clue about Clinton's private life. Yet
 Newt was very busy from day one trying to undermine Clinton's Democratic
 Presidency. It is sad to see the Republicans so busy chasing Clinton's
 head that they are seemingly ignoring the Nuclear Weapons Proliferation
 going on in the Mid-East. Pakistan, India and now Iraq and Afghanistan
 have or are suspected of having weapons of mass destruction.  What is
 our government doing about it?? Chasing Clinton's sexual life.  What
 .... is WRONG with this picture?? I'll never support or vote for a
 Republican again.  They have sold out the American electorate for
 useless GOP party lines and the good OLE boy system. They can keep it
 and all they stand for. The GOP is dead as far as I am concerned. That
 also goes for the GUTLESS Democrats that backstabbed both Clinton and
 the voters of this nation. The popular opinion polls clearly mandate
 that this rabid pursuit of Clinton cease.... yet the clown politicians
 ignore the voters... Well our time is coming.

 Sorta reminds one of the Burning Rome and Nero story, the GOP and
 Gutless Democrats horse around on the hill while the world is headed to
 nuclear hell. Voters... make yourselves heard this November. I know I
 shall.  Now, the time comes to say it like it really is..

 History WILL bear these comments out to be true. The real powerhouse
 behind the best part of Clinton's troubles is the man he beat at the
 election polls way back when. A man who was coming off a major military
 victory, a man with decades of experience in how to break another man's
 career through sexual exploitation and setups and finally a man with the
 power, reach and political savvy to get all these things done smoothly
 and efficiently.  There is only one man is this type of a driver's seat
 these days, that man is George H.  Bush.

 One can only imagine the sheer amazement Bush was experiencing knowing
 full well Clinton was going to beat him silly in the elections. Not to
 mention the anguish and pain of tasting defeat as he came off Desert
 Storm and the end to the Cold War. I'm certain Bush was confident that
 with these major events seemingly to his Presidency's credit his winning
 a second term would be a given. But no, he lost. But did he really lose
 it all?? In the future, history will point out just how manipulative
 George was. How much he put his deep experience and connections from
 running the CIA to use in bringing about the persecution of Clinton.

 The more we see unfold relative to the Clinton Presidency, the more we
 see a President set up to take a terrible fall. Much like Jimmy Carter
 was setup when he was running for re-election. The Iranian Hostage
 affair was already brought to a close but the hostages were left there
 to make Carter look so bad when in fact, the actual dealings and
 negotiations were accomplished during Carter's administration. Guess
 who was running the CIA? Who was his best buddy? Check the history of
 the affair Who was running the CIA during the Ford Administration?
 Better yet why is it that even though the Ollie North Hearings produced
 evidence that Ronnie was in fact, involved up to his ears in the Iran -
 Contra Affair nothing was done? Could it be because his VP had full
 control of what was going on? Poindexter, however, took the fall. So
 Bush would remain clean to run in the next presidential election. All
 the fancy Republican shenanigans ..  will it ever end? I think not. I
 might add; yes, this all sounds scary. But if you take the time to do
 the research, you won't be frightened you'll be terrified!  There are
 some really bad people in powerful places in this country's government
 and outside of it too but very well connected.

 Folks in Florida had better think twice about voting for "Jeb" Bush Who
 would they really be voting for? Is it true Jeb moved to Florida just
 to get a shot at running for Governor? Why is Jeb Bush so tight with the
 power brokers in NE Florida?? Are they not the same power brokers that
 got Jeb all hooked up so nice with the IDEON Corp.??  A deal where
 untold numbers of people lost their fortunes in investments in this dead
 corp.. There were all sorts of calls for an in-depth investigation but
 nothing ever came of it. What's become of the CEO of IDEON?? Paul Cahn
 was the CEO at the time it failed.  Jeb Bush was an active board member.
 The company failed not long after Bush joined the board. This matter
 cries out for a thorough, in depth investigation. What became of the
 investigations into Keating and the bank failures he was accused of
 being responsible for?  Better yet why is it the others at the top in
 the Keating Affair were never prosecuted?  Wasn't one of them a Bush
 too?

 Think twice Floridians The other problems seen with Bush is he is
 playing up to the Southern Baptist Power Brokers by yapping about being
 against pro-choice. People had better wake up or else they'll be
 condemning the young people to criminal records, interstate flight and
 death. Gun Control, while a sticky wicket, is bound to become an
 absolute nightmare with Bush he is against "cooling off" periods,
 registration and background checks. This guy is dead wrong for Florida.
 DEAD WRONG!
  
                                                                Ralph
                                                                   






  
                          http://www.streport.com
                              ftp.streport.com
                             news.streport.com
                                ICQ#:1170279
                                      



           STReport's managing editors DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!


Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher, Editor

Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs

                              Section Editors

        PC Section         Apple MAC Section       Shareware Listings
       R.F. Mariano          Help Wanted               Help Wanted
  
  
    Classics & Gaming       Bits & Bytes         Kid's Computing Corner
    Dana P. Jacobson      Ralph F. Mariano            Frank Sereno
  



                          STReport Staff Editors

          Michael R. Burkley    Joseph Mirando      Victor Mariano       
          Vincent P. O'Hara     Glenwood Drake
 
  



                     Contributing Correspondent Staff

 Jason Sereno    Jeremy Sereno     Eric M. Laberis     Angelo Marasco
 Donna Lines     Brian Boucher     Leonard Worzala     Scott Dowdle
  





Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles,
reviews, etc., via E-Mail w/attachment to:





  
                      Internet: rmariano@streport.com
                         STR FTP: ftp.streport.com
                      WebSite: http://www.streport.com
  







  
STReport Headline News

LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS

 Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
 Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
  



  
Town Denies Access to Web Records


A federal judge has denied an Internet publisher the right to feast his
eyes on so-called ``cookies,'' computer files showing which Web sites
users have been browsing.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Higgins' dismissed the publisher's lawsuit
last week but left a legal question up to the state: Are the cookies
public records?

Geoffrey Davidian, publisher of an on-line newsletter called The Putnam
Pit, wanted to see the files to determine whether city employees in
Cookeville were visiting pornographic and other non-work related sites on
taxpayers' time. He said the city violated First Amendment rights by
denying him access.

Higgins last week ruled that Davidian's claim was a stretch and left it
up to the state to decide whether the cookies are public information when
they are stored on government computers.

Davidian has appealed. First Amendment experts are watching the case,
hoping the courts will set clearer boundaries for what computer
information is open to the public.

Cookies are nuggets of information that a Web site can be programmed to
plant in the hard drives of computers. Depending on the computer, the
files can be stored for long periods of time, leaving a trail showing
where the user has visited.

Evan Hendricks, editor and publisher of the Washington, D.C., newsletter
Privacy Times, said the Freedom of Information Act guaranteeing public
access to certain government records should cover cookies. But he said it
may take a number of court cases to establish that.

Jane Kirtley, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom
of the Press in Washington, said judges should consider requests for
digital information just as they do access to ordinary government
paperwork.

``It's possible that sometimes people do get so wrapped up in the
cyberspace component they can't see the forest for the trees,'' she said.

Davidian's case stemmed from a feud with Cookeville officials that led
him to start publishing the Pit, which focuses on government and politics
in Cookeville, about 80 miles east of Nashville.

City attorney John Duffy argued that because the files are created by
outside software, they are not city property even though they are stored
in city computers.

Sam Harris, Davidian's lawyer, likened the cookies to long distance phone
records, which are considered public under Tennessee's Public Records
Act.



Court Papers Suggest Microsoft Fears Of Sun's Java


Microsoft Corp. executives were worried about the threat to the company's
dominant Windows operating software by Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java
programming language designed to run on a variety of computer systems,
according to newly unsealed court documents.

In a court hearing held almost three weeks ago and closed to the press,
Sun's lawyers presented evidence that they allege showed Microsoft was
seeking to wrest control of Java away from Sun. The Java language was
touted in its early days as the software that could end Microsoft's
dominance.

Palo Alto, California-based Sun is suing Microsoft for breach of contract
in its licensing agreement for Sun's Java, which is designed to enable
programmers to write a program that will run on a variety of computer
systems.

Sun, which has sought to make sure that all copies of Java are
compatible, has argued that Microsoft is trying to ''pollute'' Java by
developing Windows-only versions of Java and Java programming tools.

The transcript of the court hearing was released late on Wednesday night
by the U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Whyte for the Northern District
of California in San Jose.

In the unsealed court documents, Sun attorney Lloyd ''Rusty'' Day quoted
from internal Microsoft memos about its strategy for Java. ``We must
seize control of the Java platform,'' Day said, quoting a Microsoft memo
from the company's head of Java development to its top management.

Day told the court Java scared ``the hell out of'' Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates. The Sun lawyer said that in October 1996 Gates made it clear
in an annual ``Think Week'' for Microsoft top managers that the company
needed to offer Java client applications code that would be unique enough
to preserve Microsoft's market position.

Microsoft's attorney, Karl Quackenbush, in a rebuttal, said ''e-mail is a
wonderful communications tool'' and that people use it like they are
having a conversation in the hall.

``But while the e-mail and these internal documents are interesting, it's
sort of background noise,'' Quackenbush told the court. ``But what the
case is really about is the contract, what's in the products, what was
done, how do they work and that's what we'd like to talk about.''

Quackenbush said Microsoft received a license to the technology and broad
rights in its contract to modify, adapt, create derivative works of the
technology. He said that Sun was trying to turn its fundamental agreement
upside down.

Quackenbush also pointed to a document created by Sun co- founder Bill
Joy with the words ``Wintel'' (for Windows and Intel, the leading chip
maker), with a big circle around it and a line drawn through it, where
the year 2000 was written.

``The gang of four that Sun organized -- Sun, Netscape, Oracle and IBM,
all [Java] licensees -- this gang of four apparently spent some time
thinking about how to kill Microsoft, '' Quackenbush said, arguing that
the notion that Sun was not attacking Microsoft's franchise did not stand
up.

Sun is seeking to enjoin Microsoft from shipping versions of its products
that have Java, including Windows 98.



Microsoft Loses Fight for Access


Two professors do not have to turn over to Microsoft tapes of interviews
with executives from a rival software company, a federal judge ruled this
[Thursday] morning.

Microsoft had hoped to use the interviews _ research for an upcoming book
by the two professors _ with rival Netscape as powerful evidence to
stymie the government's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.

Professors David Yoffie of Harvard University and Michael Cusumano of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who recorded the interviews, had
refused to hand over the tapes and documents in which Netscape executives
admit mistakes in their efforts to compete against Microsoft.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled against Microsoft, saying the
professors had shown the tapes were made in confidence..

Stearns did say, however, that Microsoft lawyers had not been on a
``fishing expedition'' when they sought the tapes to use as evidence in
their own antitrust defense. And he reserved the right to release
sections of the tape if necessary once the antitrust case against
Microsoft goes to trial in Washington later this month.

Microsoft lawyers had argued the tapes cut to the heart of the U.S.
government's antitrust case: Did the software giant use unfair tactics to
dominate its competitors?

To win the mammoth antitrust case, the government must show that
Microsoft crossed the line from innovation to calculated schemes that
choked rivals and hurt consumers. It must prove that Microsoft used its
dominance in operating systems - the software that runs computers - to
force PC makers into installing its Internet browser software and exclude
competitors.

Microsoft is eager to find evidence that may show Netscape's own business
blunders - not its allegedly illegal conduct - caused Netscape's Internet
browser software to founder while Microsoft's grew in popularity.

The several hours of tapes, which include interviews with Netscape
chairman Jim Barksdale, company cofounder Marc Andreessen and more than
40 other employees, contain off-the-record comments, private
conversations and admissions of strategic missteps, Cusumano said.

The professors had said that the tapes were made with the understanding
that they would be used for their book - not a lawsuit by a rival
company.

Jeff Swope, Cusumano's lawyer, said this morning in court arguments that
the case hinged on academic freedom.

``It's not just chilling. It's freezing,'' he said. ``That's the end of
research with confidentiality.''

Moreover, he accused Microsoft of laziness by going after the professors'
interviews when the company could depose the Netscape employees
themselves.

The book, ``Competing on Internet Time: Lessons from Netscape and Its
Battle with Microsoft'' is scheduled to appear in stores just days after
the start of Microsoft's Oct. 15 trial.



Senate Defeats Internet Sales Tax


The Senate rejected legislation that would allow states to force mail
order and Internet businesses to collect sales taxes for them.

In a 65-30 vote Friday, senators killed a measure that would have
authorized any state to require companies with significant catalog, mail
order or Internet sales to collect their sales tax and send it back to
the state.

Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., the sponsor, noted that every business
operating in a state with a sales tax must already collect and remit the
revenue. The measure would effectively reverse a 1992 Supreme Court
decision preventing states from enforcing sales taxes on companies
located outside their borders, he noted.

``If they choose to have a sales tax, the federal government should allow
them to enforce it,'' Bumpers argued.

But opponents, who prevailed for the sixth straight year, called the
measure a hidden tax increase. ``Since this tax has never been collected,
there's only one way to view it,'' said Commerce Committee Chairman John
McCain, R-Ariz.

The issue is sure to resurface as the Senate debates a broader Internet
tax bill that would impose a moratorium on any new state or local taxes
while a federal commission sorts out tax options for electronic commerce.

More than a dozen states already have imposed a variety of taxes on
online subscriptions and on transfers of data. In some cases, this has
led to contradictions such as a tax on electronic newspaper subscriptions
that is not imposed on the printed copies.

Legislation passed by the House would impose a three-year moratorium on
new state and local Internet taxes but allow existing ones to remain.
The current Senate bill has a two-year moratorium, but that may change as
a final vote nears next week.

States are already losing $4 billion a year because of mail order sales
and project at least $12 billion in lost annual revenue to the Internet,
according to the National Governors' Association.



Marketers Push To Fight "Spam," Protect Kids On Net


Marketers want industrial nations meeting in Ottawa next week to adopt a
global system to protect consumers from junk e-mail, which a top marketer
calls the ''cancer of electronic commerce.''

Direct marketing experts meeting separately in San Francisco next week
hoped to agree a global code of practice to protect children using the
Internet from straying onto unsuitable sites, said Colin Lloyd, chief
executive of Britain's Direct Marketing Association.

``We are trying to lay the foundations to develop an e-mail preference
service globally, for consumers to opt out of receiving unwanted e-mail
solicitations,'' he told Reuters.

``We don't want to ban it because we think that would be closing the door
to what could be a very exciting marketing opportunity in future.''

An e-mail preference service would operate in a similar way to services
provided by direct marketing trade bodies for direct customer contacts
through the post, telephone and fax, by which consumers can ask to be
excluded from direct mail.

Lloyd said that junk e-mail, or ``spam,'' was reaching epidemic
proportions in the U.S. Recent research found that while there was much
less of it here, 95 percent of such messages coming into Britain
originated in the United States.

Three sites on the global computer network offered lists of electronic
mail addresses for 10 pounds for a million names, and it could take just
one hour to reach all one million addresses, Lloyd said.

But unlike direct mail via the post for which the marketer pays, spam
pushed costs onto consumers, who paid for telephone access to the
Internet to receive such messages.

Senders of unwanted electronic mailshots for porn or timeshares used
``all sorts of tricks'' to evade barriers thrown up by Internet service
providers, Lloyd said.

Cautioning that the technical means of creating an e-mail preference
service against spam were extremely complex, Lloyd said, ``It's the
cancer of electronic commerce. You either kill it or cure it.''

The direct marketing community was looking to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) summit opening in Ottawa on
October 7 to adopt the proposal as part of global guidelines to unlock
electronic commerce.

Development was also hampered by a lack of global agreement on issues
like taxation and domain name registration, Lloyd said.

British, American and Canadian direct marketers hoped to persuade
colleagues at a separate meeting in San Francisco next week to agree a
global code of practice for children on the Internet, covering privacy
issues and content.

``We need some guidelines to regulate the transmission of commercial
information to children in online environments. That'll be a very big
step.''

Direct marketers wanted to act in the interests of commerce, parents and
educators, before an anticipated boom in use of the Internet by children
in homes and schools, Lloyd said.

He expected a global code to be announced formally in San Francisco after
resolution of key issues such as the age of a child, commonly interpreted
as less than 16 in Britain and Europe, but 13 in the U.S.

Earlier this week Britain's Direct Marketing Association together with
the Federation of Electrical Industries won $1.19 million of European
Commission funding to develop a global system to protect intellectual
property with encryption and digital watermarks, the DMA head said.

``It's more important to owners of intellectual property rights but I'd
be able to digitally direct market products all over the globe knowing
that somebody can't steal them,'' Lloyd said.



Internet Relay Hit By ``Trojan Horse'' Software Bug


An estimated 15,000 users of Internet Relay Chat, a global chat network,
have been infected with a Trojan horse programmed to retrieve a file from
the GeoCities Web site. It's an especially ominous exploit, since it
allows malicious users to take control of an infected machine once the
program has landed.

In an email message sent Friday to the Bugtraq security mailing list,
GeoCities system administrator Debbie Barba said the company's Web
servers were receiving thousands of requests daily from unique computers
for the file, which no longer exists on its servers.

``The specific count for one minute on Friday, September 25 at 10:17 a.m.
was 3,522 hits,'' Barba said in the message.

Barba said that the request does not use a Web browser and occurs every
30 seconds while the user is connected to the Internet. The requests have
been building up since 18 August-the oldest date in the GeoCities Web
server's access logs-and were for ``nfo.zip,'' a file that was stored in
the directory of a GeoCities member.

The Trojan horse currently infects Microsoft's Windows 95 and 98
operating systems, and so far the mIRC client software is the most
frequently used.



Microsoft Plans Bug Fix For Windows 98


Microsoft Corp. will release an update to Windows 98 early next year to
fix bugs in the computer operating system and add support for additional
hardware, company executives said.

The planned Service Pack 1 update will be tested beginning this month and
posted onto the Internet for free download sometime early next year, said
Kim Akers, a Microsoft product manager.

The software release will fix several problems including the ``date
rollover bug,'' in which the system fails to change years if the computer
is powered off at a critical moment just before year's end.

The release also will incorporate Internet mail security updates that
have been available separately. And it adds support for new hardware
including USB modems, Akers said.

Windows 98 went on sale June 25 and immediately jumped to the top of the
software best-seller list, according to PC Data Inc., which estimated 1.2
million copies had been sold in the United States through the end of
August. At least 1.5 million additional copies have been sold overseas,
and millions more have been shipped and loaded onto new computers.

While Windows 98 got a lukewarm response from critics, there have been no
reports of glaring problems in the system, a relatively modest update to
the phenomenally successful three-year-old Windows 95.

``Fortunately the issues that have been reported have been relatively
minor and rare,'' Akers said.

Nevertheless, she recommended that all users download the service pack
when it becomes available. An updated version of the operating system
also will be made available to computer manufacturers.

The update will not include separate multimedia enhancements that were
made available earlier.



U.S., Network Solutions Agree On Internet Names Plan


The U.S. government and Network Solutions Inc. reached a deal to phase
out the company's exclusive authority to register names in the most
popular segment of the Internet.

The agreement, part of the Clinton administration's plan to privatize the
Internet's name and address system, requires the Herndon, Va., company to
allow competing firms to enter in its registration database names ending
in the suffixes, or top-level domains, .com, .net and .org.

While every country has its own top-level domain, like .us for the United
States, most companies and Internet users prefer to register in the
generic domains controlled by Network Solutions. A growing shortage of
names in the .com domain spurred calls to reform the system over two
years ago.

Under Tuesday's agreement, Network Solutions would have until June 1,
1999 to create and put in place software allowing other firms to register
new names in its databases.

The rest of the Clinton administration's plan would establish a new
nonprofit corporation, based in California and run by an international
board of directors, to oversee the system. The corporation would have
authority to bring more competition to domain name registration and to
create new domains.

Network Solutions also agreed to be subject to the authority of the new
corporation and to provide it with databases, software, documentation and
technical support to facilitate competition.

The agreement was the result of months of discussions between the company
and officials from the Commerce Department after the Clinton
administration in July issued a final plan, called the White Paper, for
privatizing the system. With an extension to the current agreement
scheduled to expire, talks went until 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning and
continued during the day Tuesday to hammer out the pact.

Becky Burr, associate administrator in the department's
telecommunications unit, said the agreement ``delivers on the promises
that the department outlined in the White Paper and demonstrates (Network
Solution's) commitment to robust competition.''

Still to be worked out is a fixed price that Network Solutions will be
allowed to charge new firms for entering registrations in its databases.
The company said the fee will reflect its ``costs and a reasonable return
on its investment.'' The company currently charges Internet users $35 per
year for each registration.

Under a 1993 contract that expired last month, Network Solutions had
exclusive authority to register domain names in the Internet's lucrative
generic top-level domains, the two- or three-letter suffixes at the end
of every net address. Computers on the global network use the domains to
route traffic, like a request to view a Web site or an e-mail message, to
intended recipients.

With the phenomenal growth of the Internet, the Network Solutions
database has grown as well, swelling to over 2.3 million names in the
.com, .edu, .net, and .org domains.



Disney Seeks Porn-Law Exemption


The Walt Disney Co., already under boycott by some religious groups, is
seeking to be exempted from a proposed law aimed at keeping Internet
pornography away from children, according to Republican congressional
staffers.

The GOP-sponsored Child Online Protection Act, the second major effort by
Congress to protect children on the Internet, would require commercial
Web sites to verify an adult's age before showing photographs or other
material ``harmful to minors.''

The House planned to vote on the bill today.

Disney, the Motion Picture Association of America and other groups are
lobbying Republican leaders, said the GOP staffers, speaking on condition
of anonymity. They were pressing for language limiting the bill only to a
company that displays online harmful material ``as its primary or
principal course of trade or business,'' according to lobbying documents.

As written now, the bill would apply to all companies that display such
material on the Internet ``as a regular course of such person's trade or
business.''

``That particular loophole could easily be used by the adult-oriented
sites to circumvent the whole intent of the law,'' said David Walsh,
director of the National Institute on Media and Family. ``You'd have to
get into the definition of primary or principal.''

Disney said in a statement it ``is extremely concerned that children be
protected from exposure to inappropriate content on the Internet'' and
``has been working with members of Congress to improve the language'' of
the bill.

Others lobbying for the change said they're concerned that a bill aimed
mostly at pornographic Web sites might inadvertently snare mainstream
sites, especially as the Internet matures into an entertainment medium
that could include the delivery of movies.

``We have concerns that the current language is too broad,'' said MPAA
spokesman Rich Taylor. ``We support changes to the language that would
target and impact commercial adult Web sites.''

Disney, whose business has long been entertainment mostly for children,
has been the target of a largely ineffective boycott by some religious
groups, notably the Southern Baptist Convention and the conservative
Focus on the Family.

They object to some of Disney's policies, including providing health
benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees, and to films such as
``Pulp Fiction'' by its Miramax Film Corp. subsidiary.

Disney, with $22.4 billion in sales last year, operates ``Disney.Com, The
Web Site for Families'' through its Disney Online business, part of the
company's massive ``Creative Content'' division that overall is
responsible for nearly half its revenues. That division also covers
Miramax, The Disney Store, home video releases and some television shows.

But since Disney's ``primary or principal business'' isn't showing
harmful material online, the company wouldn't fall under the new law if
the wording were changed. Most other entertainment companies also would
be exempted from the law.

The Clinton administration opposes the legislation - at least pending a
study of online pornography - saying it prefers the use of high-tech
tools by parents over a ``static, imperfect solution'' such as a new law.

The House bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, largely parallels
legislation offered in the Senate by Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., which is
part of a Justice Department spending bill awaiting a vote.

Congress is scheduled to adjourn Friday.



Lycos buys Wired for $83 million


Lycos Inc. has agreed to acquire Wired Digital Inc. -- a deal which
includes Wired's search engine HotBot -- in an $83 million stock swap.

Beyond the search site, Lycos, will get its hands on Wired's online
editorial properties, which include Wired News, Suck, HotWired and
Webmonkey.

"The acquisition of the industry-defining Wired Digital further fortifies
our position as a premier media company," said Lycos CEO Bob Davis said
in a release. "In addition to gaining quality products and an incredibly
talented group of people, the pioneering spirit of Wired Digital, its
high-profile brands and added reach elevate the Lycos multi-brand network
strategy to a new level."

Lycos said that users of its search engine and the HotBot engine do not
generally overlap. It estimated that by combining the search and
editorial properties, Lycos' would now reach about 40 percent of the Web
audience.
 
Lycos will give Wired shareholders $83 million in Lycos stock at the
close of the deal, expected later this year, as well as an undisclosed
amount of stock equal to Wired's cash on hand. Lycos will also assume
Wired Digital's stock plan.

 Wired will keep its San Francisco headquarters and operate as a unit of
Lycos, based in Waltham, Mass. Beth Vanderslice, president of Wired, will
report directly to Lycos' Davis.

The deal marks the end of Wired's repeated attempts to go it alone on the
Internet. Wired started as an offshoot of Wired Magazine, which was sold
in May to Advance Magazine Publishers/Conde Nast for $75 million.

That deal ended more than a year of financial ups and downs for the
pioneering publication, one of the first media companies to bring the
Internet and the Web to a mass-market audience. Wired Ventures Inc. had
tried twice to go public. At the time of the Conde Nast deal, the online
properties which later became Wired Digital were generating $3.4 million
in revenue and were expected to be profitable by the end of the year.

The deal also marks yet another combination of content with directory
technologies.

Lycos' competitors in the portal world have been signing deals right and
left with media companies. Infoseek Corp. received an investment earlier
this year from the Walt Disney Co., and the two will launch an online
service later this year. And, General Electric's NBC division recently
acquired part of Snap! the online directory started by CNet Inc.

But analyst Andrea Williams, at Volpe Brown Whelan in San Francisco, says
that while Wired's editorial sites have a following, the real hits come
from HotBot.

She applauded the deal, saying that Lycos has been successful at buying
up Web properties like community sites Angelfire and Tripod, to expand
its reach.




  





       A T T E N T I O N **  A T T E N T I O N ** A T T E N T I O N
                                      
                                      
                              LEXMARK OPTRA C
                                   COLOR
                               LASER PRINTER
  


  
 Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its price
 range. It is far superior to anything we've seen or used as of yet. It
 is said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. The output from the
 Lexmark Optra C is worth ten thousand words! Send for the free sample
 now. Drop us an Email with your address.
  
  
        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
  








  
               EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed 
 

Contents
 
   
States Launch EMall Initiative
WVU Adopts Digital Dissertation Requirement
Marketers Take Aim At Spam
Stemming The Flow In Leaky Electronics
Internet Sales Tax Bill Defeated In Senate
Feminist Group Supports Library Software Filtering
Blank Spaces In Microsoft Antitrust Case
Congress Likely To Pass Tech Bills
Banking Network Will Trim Check-Handling Costs
IBM Wins Minitel Deal
Micro-Lattice Sparks Optical Communications
Getting The Word To The World Wide Web
Justice Department Wants More Data From Microsoft
FTC Wants Info On Cisco Meetings With Two Competitors
Bandwidth Boom
Congress Makes Another Try To Contain Net Pornography
Ad Blitz Promotes Privacy On The Net
Bertelsmann Invests In Barnesandnoble.com
CDnow-N2K To Merge
Long Distance Internet Connections May Cost More
Computers Instead Of Cash On Cal. State Campus
Cable-Ready Computers From Dell
Andy Grove On The Future-The Net-The iMac
   
 
 
 STATES LAUNCH EMALL INITIATIVE
 
Seven state governments are teaming up to test an Internet-based
procurement system called EMall. During the six-month pilot, the
Massachusetts-led initiative will handle 50 to 100 orders a day for
office supplies, computer hardware and software, and lab and scientific
equipment. Participating suppliers include Dell, Gateway, Micron
Technology, Software Spectrum, VWR Scientific, W.W. Grainger and Xerox.
The other participating states are Idaho, New York, South Dakota, Texas,
Utah and Washington. "The Internet opens the gates between states for
ways to do business better," says Massachusetts' deputy state purchasing
agent. "Before the Internet, there was no common place to go." With a
combined purchasing power of $6 billion annually for maintenance, repair,
operations and supplies, the project is touted as potentially the largest
public-sector Web-purchasing effort to date. (Information Week 2 Oct 98)

WVU ADOPTS DIGITAL DISSERTATION REQUIREMENT

Starting this semester, graduate students at West Virginia University are
required to submit their dissertations and theses electronically. The
university follows the example of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University, which instituted a similar rule last year. Unlike
Virginia Tech's experience, the move by West Virginia U. has been met
with approval by faculty and students. Some Virginia Tech students had
worried that after submitting their papers online to a database open to
the public, their works would be considered "published" by scholarly
journals, which would then refuse to print them. Since then, the school
has given students the option of submitting them to a database accessible
only by students, professors and staff members.  West Virginia U. says it
is considering setting up a similar system. (Chronicle of Higher
Education 2 Oct 98)

MARKETERS TAKE AIM AT SPAM

Marketing experts meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland say they want industrial
nations to adopt a global system to fight junk e-mail. "We are trying to
lay the foundations to develop an e-mail preference service globally,
for consumers to opt out of receiving unwanted e-mail solicitations,"
says Colin Lloyd, CEO of Britain's Direct Marketing Association. "We
don't want to ban it because we think that would be closing the door to
what could be a very exciting marketing opportunity in the future." The
system would work in a similar fashion to the lists that consumers can
pay to have their names added to, requesting that no direct mail be sent
to their address. Lloyd says spam has reached epidemic proportions in the
U.S.: "It's the cancer of electronic commerce. You either kill it or cure
it." (Reuters 2 Oct 98)

STEMMING THE FLOW IN LEAKY ELECTRONICS

Chipmaker Power Integrations Inc. has developed a new chip it says can
cut up to 90% of the electrical power that is drained by appliances such
as TVs and battery chargers that use electricity even when turned off.
The TinySwitch can sense when the AC adapters used to recharge cordless
appliances are inactive, and shuts them down. Calculating that the
average home contains five to 10 such appliances, the company predicts
annual savings that could exceed $1 billion. Nokia Corp. plans to use the
chips in future AC adapters for phones and other products. The switch
could also be used to cut the power drain from PCs and cable set-top
boxes by 30%. (Business Week 5 Oct. 98)

INTERNET SALES TAX BILL DEFEATED IN SENATE

Although the issue will certainly rise again, the U.S.  Senate has for
the time being rejected, 65-30, an attempt to allow any state set a
requirement for companies with significant Internet, catalog, or mail
order sales to collect their sales tax and send it back to the state.
Opponents such as Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said
the measure was a hidden tax increase:  "Since this tax has never been
collected, there's only one way to view it." (USA Today 2 Oct 98)

FEMINIST GROUP SUPPORTS LIBRARY SOFTWARE FILTERING

In a case testing the use of software filters to block pornography in
public libraries, the Dulles, Va., chapter of the National Organization
for Women (NOW) has filed a friend-of-the-court brief to support the idea
of filtering. The NOW brief says that "explicitly or constructively
forcing librarians to deal with displays of pornography could result in
the development of a hostile or abusive workplace." Opponents of
filtering include the American Civil Liberties Union, which says that
libraries have always had adequate policies for addressing misbehavior by
patrons, and that the use of filtering to censor cyberspace is not the
way to protect librarians. (New York Times Cybertimes 2 Oct 98)

BLANK SPACES IN MICROSOFT ANTITRUST CASE

Under a judge's protective order, hundreds of pages in public legal
filings in the government's antitrust case against Microsoft are riddled
with blank spaces to block out material considered confidential by
Microsoft or its competitors. Washington lawyer Bruce D. Brown says this
level of secrecy makes it difficult for reporters and the public to see
what's going on: "It brings home ...  how easy it is to shield documents
from public view." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 3 Oct 98)

CONGRESS LIKELY TO PASS TECH BILLS

Pending legislation on Internet copyright law, taxes and employment is
likely to be passed before Congress adjourns for the November elections,
says the director of technology policy at the National Association of
Manufacturers.  "More legislation is passed in even years with elections.
There is also now some increased understanding by Congress of the
importance of a networked kind of economy.  Likewise there's an increased
awareness by high-tech companies they must get involved with Washington."
The Senate and House both passed the Year 2000 Information and Readiness
Disclosure Act last week, and the Senate also voted to move the Internet
Tax Freedom Act forward with limited debate. Attached to that bill may be
other legislation that allows digital signatures to replace ink-on-paper
in some cases.Meanwhile, a compromise bill allowing more foreign
high-tech workers on H1-B visas passed the House last week. (TechWeb 4
Oct 98)

BANKING NETWORK WILL TRIM CHECK-HANDLING COSTS

A newly formed banking consortium is setting up an electronic network
that will enable banks to exchange check data, saving its 12 members as
much as $900 million in check processing costs over the first five
years. The new system will mean that checks will still be processed
manually, but only once -- then that data will be available
electronically to other banks participating in the system. Members of the
consortium are BankAmerica, Bankers Trust, Bank of New York, Chase
Manhattan Bank, Citibank, European American Bank, First Chicago, First
Union National Bank, Fleet Bank, Marine Midland Bank, Norwest Bank and
Republic National Bank of New York. (Los Angeles Times 5 Oct 98)

IBM WINS MINITEL DEAL

In a deal with France Telecom, IBM will develop software and services to
bring Web access to France's 35 million Minitel subscribers. The move is
a major part of France's efforts to jump-start its population to become
more active on the Internet. Currently, only about 3% of the French
population uses the Internet, compared with 20% in the U.S., and 9% in
the U.K. and Germany. In addition to upgrading the aging Minitel, both
France Telecom and IBM will jointly market the new Java-based system to
national telecommunications providers in other countries. (Wall Street
Journal 6 Oct 98)

MICRO-LATTICE SPARKS OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a micro-lattice
of woven silicon slivers that can bend light in the infrared range,
permitting improved transmission of light-based data, such as images.
The device is considered a key component needed in the development of an
optical -- or photon-based -- computer that would be capable of running
faster and cooler than today's electron-based ones. (Investor's Business
Daily 5 Oct 98)

GETTING THE WORD TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Motorola, SAP, Visa, Broadvision, and the Nuance Communications unit of
SRI International have formed an alliance to extend the Voice Markup
Language (VoxML) speech recognition standard to various commercial
applications.  Called V-Commerce, the new standard will allow people to
use voice commands to interact with the World Wide Web or corporate
Intranets via phone, pager, or personal computer.  Nuance chief executive
Ron Croen says, "So far, electronic commerce has been constrained by the
PC. We're intent on making the audience larger by an order of magnitude."
Visa has created some prototype applications for financial services,
including credit card activation, lost and stolen card replacement,
travel planning, voice banking, and bill payment. (New York Times 6 Oct
98)

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WANTS MORE DATA FROM MICROSOFT

Saying Microsoft has turned over data from only two of a much larger
group of databases, the U.S. Justice Department is asking the federal
judge presiding over its antitrust case against that company to open up
databases containing information on its operating systems, royalties,
sales forecasts and actual revenues.  Microsoft says it has already
complied with the government's requests: "We provided the government with
all the data they requested and we even offered to run any data query the
government wanted, recognizing how complex these databases are. The
government refused our offers to assist them. We provided all of the data
they requested and now they're coming back and saying they can't read it
and saying that's Microsoft's fault." (San Jose Mercury News/Reuters 5
Oct 98)

FTC WANTS INFO ON CISCO MEETINGS WITH TWO COMPETITORS

Antitrust regulators in the Federal Trade Commission are looking into
meetings Cisco Systems executives had with executives of rival companies
Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks, to determine whether Cisco
illegally tried to divide up the market for communications hardware
systems. Cisco promises to "cooperate fully," and says it views the
inquiry as a "preliminary and routine matter." (USA Today 5 Oct 98)

BANDWIDTH BOOM

Industry analysts see a communications bandwidth boom on the horizon,
with AT&T, WorldCom and Mindspring making major enhancements to their
networks and with four other companies (Qwest, Level 3, ITXC, and
Williams Communications) building "the equivalent of 80 AT&Ts" (according
to North River Ventures).  Whereas in 1985 it took six fibers in a
fiber-optic line to broadcast a football game, one fiber today could
handle such 700 such broadcasts. Experts say that these developments
could drive the cost of a long-distance phone call to 1 cent a minute
within a year, and should soon thereafter make possible full-fledged TV
over the Internet. (USA Today 8 Oct 98)

CONGRESS MAKES ANOTHER TRY TO CONTAIN NET PORNOGRAPHY

To limit online pornography and protect children navigating the Internet,
the House of Representatives has voted to require companies with Web
sites offering "obscene or indecent material" to demand that their
customers give a credit card number, adult access code, or "any other
reasonable measure" to prove they are at least 16 years of age. Some
comments made during the Congressional debate: Michael Oxeye (R-Ohio):
"Unfortunately, the Web is awash in degrading smut." Barney Frank
(D-Mass.): "This will further erode the notion of freedom of speech."
John Micatin (R-Ariz.): "There may be some questions about the bill's
constitutionality. Fine, we'll let the courts decide that." (AP 8 Oct
98)

AD BLITZ PROMOTES PRIVACY ON THE NET

In an upcoming advertising blitz organized by the nonprofit organization
Trustee, along with AOL, Yahoo, and other firms, the Internet industry
will be attempting to demonstrate that it can effectively protect
individual privacy rights online without new federal regulation or laws.
However, there are some privacy advocates who are unenthusiastic about
the blitz, because they believe that the government has a role to play in
protecting individual privacy online. (Washington Post 7 Oct 98)

BERTELSMANN INVESTS IN BARNESANDNOBLE.COM

German media giant Bertelsmann AG is buying a 50% stake in bookseller
Barnes & Noble's online business, barnesandnoble.com. Following the
announcement, Barnes & Noble said it would temporarily postpone its
planned initial public offering of its online unit. "It does provide a
deep-pocket investor at a time when the notion of going public is a
little bit more uncertain in these markets," says an analyst with J.P.
Morgan Securities, who adds that Bertelsmann has "everything except a
brand name and Barnes & Noble is probably the biggest brand name in
books. The combination is going to be terrific." Bertelsmann owns BMG
Entertainment, which includes Arista Records and RCA Records, as well as
Bantam Doubleday Dell and Random House. The deal is expected to help
barnesandnoble.com obtain exclusive book deals, as well as expand into
music and video sales. (Los Angeles Times 7 Oct 98)

CDNOW, N2K TO MERGE

Online music retailers CDnow and N2K are engineering a merger that will
consolidate operations under the CDnow moniker, considered to be the more
recognizable of the two names. The two companies were pioneers in the
online music business, a field that is projected to grow to $1.8 billion
in annual sales by 2001, up from $71 million today. N2K specializes in
music genres such as classical, jazz and country, whereas CDnow has built
its reputation on its MTV relationship and expertise in pop and rock. "It
makes sense to basically come up with one million customers overnight,"
says one new media analyst. If they continue to just compete against one
another, he adds, "the big threat out there is, does Amazon.com eat their
lunch?" (Wall Street Journal 7 Oct 98)

 LONG DISTANCE INTERNET CONNECTIONS MAY COST MORE

MCI WorldCom Vice Chairman John Sidgmore told attendees at a conference
in England Wednesday that customers expecting to pay low prices for
high-speed, long-distance Internet connections may be disappointed. "The
idea of a 2-Mbps access for 25 pounds [$42.50] per month -- we can
probably do that for access to local content. But the problem is long
distance. We're not going to provide a full 2-Mbps pipe between Frankfurt
and Denver for 25 pounds per month." The problem is significant for
Internet users outside the U.S., because most of the Internet's content
currently is housed on U.S. servers. To lower prices for that access,
Sidgmore suggested that more companies use caching and mirror technology
to offer U.S. content on local sites. In addition, he predicted that
content "growth in Europe will outpace U.S.  over the next few years."
(TechWeb 8 Oct 98)

COMPUTERS INSTEAD OF CASH ON CAL. STATE CAMPUS

California State University at San Marcos is offering needy students
computers rather than tuition money as part of a new scholarship
program. The students receive a laptop, a set of software and technical
training. If they graduate, they get to keep the computer. "We're a very
high-tech university with a lot of low-income students," says the
school's financial-aid director. "We have been wrestling with a problem
of the 'have/have-not.'" The university requires all students to
demonstrate computer literacy during their first year. (Chronicle of
Higher Education 9 Oct 98)

CABLE-READY COMPUTERS FROM DELL

Dell Computer is outfitting some of its Dimension PCs with cable modems,
in an alliance with @Home Corp., which offers its customers speedy
Internet access via cable. @Home currently has 147,000 subscribers in
select areas of the country, and plans to become more widely available
next year. (Bloomberg News 8 Oct 98)

ANDY GROVE ON THE FUTURE, THE INTERNET, AND THE iMAC

Intel chairman Andy Grove thinks that the extremely rapid growth of the
Internet is leading the industry into "the Valley of Death" -- a
destructive period in which "the technology will change and the devices
will change." He says computers are essentially designed as standalone
general-purpose devices to which networking has been added as an
afterthought, whereas future computers will have to be designed as
networking machines that also do computing. What would they be like? "The
iMac embodies a lot of the things I'm talking about. Sometimes what Apple
does has an electrifying effect on the rest of us." (Time 5 Oct 98)

 




 The Kids' Computing Corner 
 Computer news and software reviews
 from a parent's point of view

 by Frank Sereno
 fsereno@streport.com

 
 In deference to the late Gene Autry, "I'm back in the saddle again."
 I've been on a long hiatus, but I'm ready to get back on track. The
 birth of our youngest child really made some big lifestyle changes.
 Despite having two older boys, we weren't fully prepared for Nathan's
 arrival last December. The entire family has settled into a new routine
 and I should be a regular contributor to STReport once again.  Please
 feel free to send any questions, comments or suggestions to
 fsereno@streport.com. It is an honor and a priviledge to be writing this
 column again.
 
 I'm hoping to have a software review of Knowledge Adventure's Print
 Artist Craft Factory ready for next week. As a preview, Craft Factory
 is a fun and easy program that will have your children creating crafts,
 cards, stickers and more in less time than it will take to read this
 column. With cooler weather and the holidays ahead of us, children will
 have more time and plenty of inspiration to create party decorations,
 invitations and gifts.
 
 
 In the News
 
 Dr. Brain on the WEB
 
 If you are looking for a fun and educational web site for your child,
 be sure to check out the newest offering from Knowledge Adventure. It's
 the Dr. Brain&#153; Thinking Games web site at http://www.drbrain.com.
 
 With cool games and neat extras, it also features a boffo contest.
 Children who are victorious in an online game can then enter the "Win
 the Ultimate Game Room" contest. The grand prize features a state of the
 art computer, hardware accessories and a terrific software bundle. The
 value of this package is $6500. Additionally, twelve first prize and 120
 second prize winners will receive Knowledge Adventure software titles.
 The contest will end on December 6, 1998.
 
 If you remember Dr. Brain from his days with Sierra, he was an
 eccentric, older gentleman with white hair. The new Dr. Brain is a hip,
 young dude with a shock of red hair. The new Doctor is the star of two
 new CD-ROMs from Knowledge Adventure.  The first is Dr. Brain Thinking
 Games: IQ Adventure and the second is Dr. Brain Thinking Games: Puzzle
 Madness. Both games are aimed at children ages nine and up, although I'm
 sure many parents will enjoy the challenging puzzles, 3D graphics and
 compelling storylines. The titles will retail for about $30 and be
 available at many computer retailers and discounters.
 
 Travel the World with Timmy
 
 Edmark recently released its newest early learning product. Travel the
 World with Timmy takes children ages four to seven on journeys to three
 distinct countries.  Children have the opportunity to learn about the
 customs, languages and cultures in order to understand the world's
 diversity.
 
 Timmy, a friendly alligator, travels by hot-air balloon to Argentina,
 Japan and Kenya. Children can engage in many activities including
 singalongs of native songs and playing problem-solving games. Other
 activities are writing stories and making crafts. The program features
 colorful graphics and an easy-to-use interface.  Edmark promises that
 Travel the World with Timmy will build valuable learning and social
 skills. The program is available for both Windows and Macintosh with a
 price of $29.95.
 
 High School Success
 
 Knowledge Adventure and Kaplan Educational Centers have combined talents
 to create a comprehensive program to increase students' skills and
 knowledge, High School Success. Designed for youngsters ages twelve and
 older, it features four CD-ROMs filled with diagnostic tests and
 interactive lessons on grammar, vocabulary, math and reading
 comprehension. It also includes desktop publishing, paint and video
 capabilities for creating presentations or reports.
 
 Students will first take assessment tests to determine their skill
 levels. High School Success will then generate individual lesson plans
 to improve the student's weaknesses. The program tracks each student's
 progress. Once a student has completed his personalized lesson plan, he
 can take the assessment test again to determine his progress.
 
 High School Success is available for the Macintosh and Windows
 computers with a suggested retail price of $40.
 
 'Kids! Spanish' Ships from Syracuse Language

 Kids! Spanish promises to be fun and easy to teach youngsters a second
 language.  Designed for children ages six to ten, it requires no
 keyboarding or reading skills.  Children can learn over four hundred
 Spanish words and phrases in thirty-seven colorful activities. Skills
 learned include speaking, listening comprehension, pronunciation,
 vocabulary and grammar. The program features a record/playback feature
 to compare their pronunciation to that of native speakers.

 Experts agree that an early introduction to additional languages makes
 for better pronunciation skills, increased fluency and better retention.
 If you want to learn more about Kids! Spanish, more information is
 available on the Web at http://www.languageconnect.com or you can call
 1-800-797-5264.  The program is available for Windows on CD-ROM at
 around $30.

 Apple Giving Away iMacs and Software

 Each day during October, Apple Computer will be giving away a new iMac
 computer to celebrate Computer Learning Month. Teachers, school board
 members and PTO/PTA members can register on Apple's website at
 http://www.apple.com/education/. So, if your school could use new
 computer equipment or software, be sure to register as soon as possible.

 Britannica Online Features Dinosaurs

 Starting this week, Britannica Online is highlighting an incredible
 dinosaur exhibit at http://www.dinosaurs.eb.com. With stunning
 animations, detailed drawings, expert photography and interactive
 content, the site gives new details on the lives of dinosaurs and how
 the experts perceptions have changed over the years. If your child has
 an interest in dinosaurs, this will be a favorite website.

 Take Your Children on the Internet Week

 Women in Technology International (WITI) will participate in Take Your
 Children on the Internet Week (October 26 through November 1) by
 hosting a series of educational activities from the organization's
 website at http://www.witi.org Children and parents will be able to
 participate in a World Wide Web scavanger hunt, building home pages,
 participate in an interactive story and to write a scary story.

 Prizes will be given to some participants. Among the sponsors last year
 were Apple Computer, AT&T, Broderbund, Disney, The Family Channel,
 Intel, Microsoft and many more. This year's sponsors include IBM,
 Microsoft and New Horizons Computer Learning Center. To participate in
 this year's activities, simply go to the WITI website anytime between
 October 26 and November 1, 1998.

 Edmark Announces Let's Go Read! 2: An Ocean Adventure

 With cuddly and colorful characters, Edmark teaches five to seven
 year-olds how to read in Let's Go Read! 2: An Ocean Adventure, a CD-ROM
 for Windows and Macintosh computers. Robby the Raccoon and Emily the
 Squirrel will host children through a series of activities will teach
 your child with phonics, pictures and spoken words. In addition, the
 program features IBM Speech Recognition. With this technology, the
 computer can actually monitor your child's words and then respond.  The
 adventure begins when Paige the Bookworm and the Bookmobile are somehow
 lost at sea. Your child must rescue Paige and the Bookmobile by
 participating in a series of underwater adventures. Along the way, they
 will meet new friends such as Manray the Manta Ray, Marvin the Whale and
 Ernie the Eel.  Let's Go Read! 2 features eleven learning locations and
 nine interactive electronic stories.

 Let's Go Read! 2: An Ocean Adventure will be available later this month
 with a suggested retail price of $39.95. It will be widely available at
 computer stores or it can be ordered online at Edmark's website at
 http://www.edmark.com. A teacher's version with supplemental materials
 will also be available. More information can be obtained at the website
 or by calling Customer Service at (800) 691-2985.
  





                               Bits & Bytes
                                   NEW!
 
 by R. F. Mariano


 The boat..... is in the water. 
 
 
                                 [PICTURE]
 Here she is getting readied for some trial
 runs....
 
                                 [PICTURE]
 All set now, fuel tanks topped off, and away we are about to go.
 
                                 [PICTURE]
 Here's the Bits & Bytes under way.. at approx 35mph


 We are so close to getting the aciton on its got all of us antsy. The
 boat is doing so well. I really have to thank the able hands at Pablo
 Creek Marina. In particular, Matt Smith and Mike Adams for their expert
 advice and workmanship. They're among the very best in my book.
 
 MORE.... about DGPS

 The global positioning system is a satellite-based navigation system
 consisting of a network of 24 orbiting satellites, eleven thousand
 nautical miles in space, in six different orbital paths. The satellites
 are constantly moving, making two complete orbits around the Earth in
 just under 24 hours. If you do the math, that's about 1.8 miles per
 second. Now that's really moving!  The GPS satellites are referred to as
 NAVSTAR satellites. Of course, no GPS introduction would be complete
 without learning the really neat stuff about the satellites too!

 The first GPS satellite was launched way back in February, 1978. Each
 satellite weighs approximately 2,000 pounds and is about 17 feet across
 with the solar panels extended.  Transmitter power is only 50 watts, or
 less! Each satellite transmits on three frequencies. Civilian GPS uses
 the 'L1' frequency of 1575.42 MHz. Each satellite is expected to last
 approximately 10 years. Replacements are constantly being built and
 launched into orbit. The GPS program is currently funded with
 replacements through 2006.  The orbital paths of these satellites take
 them between roughly 60 degrees North and 60 degrees South latitudes.
 What this means is you can receive satellite signals anywhere in the
 world, at any time. As you move closer to the poles (on your next North
 Pole expedition!), you will still pick up the GPS satellites. They just
 won't be directly overhead anymore. This may affect the satellite
 geometry and accuracy--but only slightly.  One of the biggest benefits
 over previous land-based navigation systems is GPS works in all weather
 conditions. No matter what your application is--when you need it the
 most, when you're most likely to get lost--your GPS receiver will keep
 right on working, showing right where you are!

 So what information does a GPS satellite transmit? The GPS signal
 contains a 'pseudo-random code', ephemeris (pronounced: ee-fem-er-is)
 and almanac data. The pseudo-random code identifies which satellite is
 transmitting--in other words, an I.D.  code. We refer to satellites by
 their PRN (pseudo-random number), from 1 through 32, and this is the
 number displayed on a GPS receiver to indicate which satellite(s) we are
 receiving. So why there are more than 24 PRN numbers? This simplifies
 maintenance of the GPS network. A replacement satellite can be launched,
 turned on, and used before the satellite it was intended to replace
 actually fails! They simply use a different number (again from 1 through
 32) to identify the new satellite.

 Ephemeris data is constantly transmitted by each satellite and contains
 important information such as status of the satellite (healthy or
 unhealthy), current date, and time. Without this part of the message,
 your GPS receiver would have no idea what the current time and date are.
 This part of the signal is essential to determining a position, as we'll
 see in a moment.

 The almanac data tells the GPS receiver where each GPS satellite should
 be at any time throughout the day. Each satellite transmits almanac data
 showing the orbital information for that satellite AND for every other
 satellite in the system.  By now the overall picture of how GPS works
 should be getting much clearer. (Clear as mud, right?) Each satellite
 transmits a message which essentially says, "I'm satellite #X, my
 position is currently Y, and this message was sent at time Z." Of
 course, this is a gross oversimplification, but you get the idea. Your
 GPS receiver reads the message and saves the ephemeris and almanac data
 for continual use. This information can also be used to set (or correct)
 the clock within the GPS receiver.

 Now, to determine your position the GPS receiver compares the time a
 signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received by
 the GPS receiver. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far
 away that particular satellite is. If we add distance measurements from
 a few more satellites, we can triangulate our position. This is exactly
 what a GPS receiver does. With a minimum of three or more satellites,
 your GPS receiver can determine a latitude/longitude position--what's
 called a 2D position fix.  With four or more satellites, a GPS receiver
 can determine a 3D position which includes latitude, longitude, and
 altitude. By continuously updating your position, a GPS receiver can
 also accurately provide speed and direction of travel (referred to as
 'ground speed' and 'ground track').

 First the good news; now the bad news! What makes a GPS receiver
 perform below its best capability or accuracy? There are several items
 which add error to your GPS position, preventing you from achieving the
 best possible accuracy. The first of these items, and the largest source
 of position error, is Selective Availability (or SA). SA is an
 intentionally-imposed degradation in the accuracy of civilian GPS by
 the U.S. Department of Defense. Under SA, GPS accuracy can be degraded
 to a maximum of 100 meters (328 feet).  Of course, they don't typically
 degrade GPS accuracy to that level, but errors of 30 meters or more are
 not unusual.

 Why does SA exist? GPS was originally designed and built for military
 applications. As the system evolved, many folks realized that it has
 numerous civilian applications as well. By presidential proclamation,
 Ronald Reagan declared in the early 1980s that GPS would be made
 available to everyone--with the exception that the best accuracy would
 still be reserved for the military. Since that time, satellites capable
 of being degraded with SA have been launched regularly. Today, all GPS
 satellites are capable of and subject to SA degradation. The rationale
 behind SA is to deny hostile military or terrorist organizations the
 maximum accuracy benefits of GPS.

 Another factor affecting GPS accuracy is satellite geometry. In simple
 terms, satellite geometry refers to where the satellites are located
 relative to each other (from the perspective of the GPS receiver). If a
 GPS receiver is locked onto four satellites and all four of these
 satellites are in the sky to the north and west of the receiver,
 satellite geometry is rather poor. In fact, the GPS receiver may be
 unable to provide a position reading! Why? Because all the distance
 measurements are from the same general direction.  This means
 triangulation is poor and the common area where these distance
 measurements intersect is fairly large (i.e., the area where the GPS
 receiver thinks our position is covers a large space, so pinpoint
 positioning is not possible). In this scenario, even if the GPS receiver
 does report a position, accuracy will not be very good (maybe off as
 much as 300-500 feet).

 With those same four satellites, if we spread them out in all
 directions, our position accuracy improves dramatically. Suppose these
 four satellites are separated equally at approximately 90 degree
 intervals (north, east, south, west). Now satellite geometry is very
 good since distance measurements are from all directions. The common
 area where all four distance measurements intersect is much smaller,
 meaning we're much more certain where our exact position is. In this
 scenario, even with SA, our accuracy may be within 100 feet, or better.

 Satellite geometry also becomes an issue when using a GPS receiver in a
 vehicle, near tall buildings, or in mountainous or canyon areas. When
 the GPS signals are blocked from several satellites, the relative
 position of the remaining satellites will determine how accurate the GPS
 position will be (and the number of remaining satellites will determine
 if a position can even be determined). As more and more of the sky is
 obstructed by buildings or terrain, it becomes increasingly difficult to
 determine a position. A quality GPS receiver indicates not only which
 satellites are available for use, but where they are in the sky (azimuth
 and elevation) so you may determine if the signal of a given satellite
 is being obstructed.

 Another source of error is multipath. Simply put, multipath is the
 result of a radio signal being reflected off an object. Multipath is
 what causes 'ghost' images on a television set. We don't see this on a
 television much nowadays since it's most likely to occur with those old
 style 'rabbit ears' antennas, not on cable. With GPS, multipath occurs
 when the signal bounces off a building or terrain before reaching the
 GPS receiver's antenna. The signal takes longer to reach the receiver
 than if it travelled a direct path. This added time makes the GPS
 receiver think the satellite is farther away than it really is, which
 adds error to the overall position determination. When they occur,
 multipath errors typically add well under 15 feet of error to your
 overall position.

 Are there any other sources of error? Sure. Propagation delay due to
 atmospheric effects can affect accuracy. So can internal clock errors.
 In both cases, the GPS receiver is designed to compensate for these
 effects and will do so quite efficiently. But, very small errors due to
 these items can still occur. If you're wondering, propagation delay is
 the 'slowing down' of the GPS signal as it passes through Earth's
 ionosphere and troposphere. In space, radio signals travel at the speed
 of light, but they are significantly slower once they enter our
 atmosphere.

 How accurate is GPS, really? A typical civilian GPS receiver provides
 60 to 225 feet accuracy, depending on current status of selective
 availability, number of satellites available, and the geometry of those
 satellites. More sophisticated and expensive GPS receivers, costing
 several thousand dollars or more, can provide accuracies within a
 centimeter by using more than one GPS frequency. However, a typical
 civilian GPS receiver's accuracy can be improved to fifteen feet or
 better (in some cases under three feet!) through a process known as
 Differential GPS (DGPS). DGPS employs a second receiver to compute
 corrections to the GPS satellite measurements. How are these corrections
 provided to your GPS receiver? There are a number of free and
 subscription services available to provide DGPS corrections. The U.S.
 Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (and many foreign
 government departments as well) transmit DGPS corrections through marine
 beacon stations. These beacons operate in the 283.5 - 325.0 kHz
 frequency range and are free of charge. Your only cost to use this
 service is the purchase of a DGPS Beacon Receiver. This receiver is then
 coupled to your GPS receiver via a three-wire connection, which relays
 the corrections in a standard serial data format called 'RTCM SC-104.'

 Subscription DGPS services are available on FM radio station
 frequencies or via satellite. Of course, in either case you need a
 separate receiver to pick up these transmissions and then send them to
 your GPS receiver. In some cases, the prices vary according to the level
 of accuracy desired.

 So what's the best GPS receiver for me? Now, that's the ultimate
 question, isn't it?  And certainly the hardest one to answer. A number
 of issues come into play here:  What is the intended application? The
 most important issue is finding a GPS suitable for your application. If
 your particular need is for an panel-mounted GPS in your airplane, a
 handheld designed for the recreational boater is obviously of little
 value!  You can quickly narrow your choices down by identifying which
 models are available for your application. In some cases, you may still
 have alot of choices from which to choose.  For example, if your
 intended use is hiking or hunting, a GPS for outdoor recreation is
 suitable--but so is a handheld GPS designed for boating or flying. In
 this case you may have to examine specific features more closely. Unless
 you plan on flying too, all the extra information of airports contained
 in the aviation handheld GPS probably isn't worth the extra price. A
 marine GPS which uses cartridges to show navigation markers and depth
 contours won't help out much on the trail either (unless you also want
 to use the GPS on your yacht!). What is the price range? Once you've
 narrowed the field, you'll most likely still have several models over a
 range of prices from which to choose. Examine each model closely. What
 do the higher-priced models have that the lower-priced models do not?
 Do you need the extra features or accessories that come with the
 higher-priced model or is the lower-priced model sufficient to do the
 job? Which model do you like the best? Choosing the right GPS receiver
 for you is two parts rational planning and one part simple preference.
 If rational planning still leaves you with two or three models to
 choose from, find a dealer for these models and try operating each one.
 Sometimes the differences in operation are dramatic. You may find one
 real easy to use and understand, while another seems much more
 complicated and difficult to use. Choose the GPS receiver that you LIKE
 best! You're more likely to still be happy with the decision you made
 after one month or one year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Got a question relative to something.... 
   We have covered or reviewed?
   Want something reviewed?
   Want to tell us a thing or two?
   Request a Brochure about a product?

   This is the place... 
 
 
 
  






  
           STReport's "Partners in Progress" Advertising Program

 The facts are in...
 STReport International Magazine reaches more users per week than any
 other weekly resource available today. Take full advantage of this
 spectacular reach. Explore the superb possibilities of advertising in
 STReport! Its very economical and smart business. In addition, STReport
 offers a strong window of opportunity to your company of reaching
 potential users in seventeen countries, on major online services and
 networks, the Internet, the WEB and more than 200,000 private BBS's
 worldwide. With a readership of better that 250,000 per week, this is
 truly an exceptional opportunity to maximize your company's recognition
 factor globally.

(STReport is pronounced:
"ES TEE Report")
STR Publishing's
Economical "Partners in Progress" Plans!
"Partners in Progress"
Program.. Call Today!
 
             STR Publishing, Inc. (STR, STReport, CPU Report);
 
     * maintains a commitment to utilizing the power of the Internet and
       Web to keep computer users, worldwide, both private and
       commercial, informed of new trends in equipment, upgrade reports
       and future planning.
     * offers highly informative Hardware and Software Reviews, Press
       Releases, hands-on stories, user experiences and show reports.
     * presents the NEWS about new hardware, new software and how-to
       publications within HOURS of its being made public.
     * is dedicated to keeping the users informed of what your company
       has to offer at incredibly, almost the moment its offered!
     * Will maintain the free status STReport has the very best value in
       online magazines today
 
 
   Take full advantage of STReport's
   Exciting "Partners in Progress" Programs! 
   MAXIMIZE your Company's Presence Worldwide. TODAY!
 
 Your company's color ad, banner or teaser as described/submitted by you
 or designed by us, will appear in either STReport International Magazine
 or on our Website (your choice). STReport is published and released
 weekly on Fridays Evenings. (except for July and August when it is
 released once a month)
 
 Trade-outs and Special Arrangements are available.


 MAIL us at:

 STR Publishing, Inc.
 PO Box 58094
 Jacksonville, Florida 32241-8094
 
 Email us at: streport@streport.com
  
 or, for quick action call us at: VOICE: 904-292-9222 10am/5pm edt
 * FAX:  904-268-2237 24hrs
 
  






                             The Linux Advocate
 
 October 9th, 1998
 by Scott Dowdle
 dowdle@icstech.com
 ICQ UIN: 15509440


 LOGIN:

 Hello folks. I really would like to stick with writing original
 content. You know, software spotlights and things like that but it seems
 that I've been so busy lately, I'm just barely able to keep up with all
 of the Linux news. Since Linux appears to have become the darling of the
 computer industry press these days, there are literally dozens of
 mainstream articles a week. I figured that if I don't make some attempt
 to do a weekly column, I'm going to fall behind way fast. Until I can
 find someone to help me with this column (and I have a person in mind),
 the quality is just going to have to suffer... not that it could get any
 worse, right? :)


 NEWS: (in no certain order)

 Item #1: Mac, Windows and Now Linux - Katie Hafner writes a piece for
 the New Your Times. If you don't know who Katie is, just go to the
 library and do a title search on that name. She co-wrote two of my
 favorite books (Where Wizards Stay Up Late and Cyberpunks). This was
 published on Oct. 8th and I haven't even read it yet but I know it has
 to be good because when Katie writes, she usually does a lot of
 background work and knows all about it... unlike some industry
 speculators. Check it out at the following URL:
 http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/10/circuits/articles/08linu.html
 
 Item #2: The man behind Linux - Linus speaks again, this time to the
 Dallas Morning News newspaper. You can find it at the following URL:
 http://www.dallasnews.com/technology-nf/techbiz205.htm
 
 Item #3: Gates pushes hometown to Linux - Here's a piece from the
 Computer News Wire from New Zealand that tells the story of the small
 city that is dealing with all of the building permits on Mr. Gates'
 house. The simply couldn't store all of those documents any more and
 needed a digital document storage system. Guess what operating system it
 uses? Well, the title tells it all. My favorite quote from the article
 follows along with the URL.

 "When I asked the guys at town hall if they minded that the idle screen
 would display a big Caldera logo, they told me I could point it toward
 the window so everybody walking by could see it," Jones says.
 http://www.idg.co.nz/nzweb/b252.html Item #4: Compaq Embraces Linux
 Groundswell - "Linux is a hot commodity among ISPs. I think we'll be
 doing something in this space in the near future," says Compaq ISP
 marketing manager Jeff Edwards, who was quick to point out that Linux
 developer Red Hat Software Inc. was showcased in its booth at last
 week's ISPCon show.
 http://www.zdnet.com/sr/stories/news/0,4538,2144990,00.html
 
 Item #5: The Linux Alternative Gets Serious - The article presented at
 the following URL has my favorite quote of the week,"I predict that
 Linux will kick major butt." Check it out:
 http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?IWK19981005S0041
 
 Item #6: An abundance of Linux online magazines - 32 Bits Online has
 decided to become a Linux centric publication. Read their announcement
 at the following URL:
 http://www.32bitsonline.com/cgi-bin/miva?htmlscript/miva/articles/article.mv+Issues/
 ct98/editorial1005+1
 
 Item #7: The Linux story promises entertainment - Eric Lundquist of PC
 Week Online wrote an article that isn't too bad. Check it out at the
 following URL:
 http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/columns/0,4351,357354,00.html
 
 Item #8: Linux outselling Windows 98 with some vendors - C|Net's
 Shopper.com maintains a list of the top 1000 software titles they sale.
 According to their list, the Simon and Schuster package of Red Hat Linux
 5.1 is at #14 on the charts while the Microsoft Windows 98 Upgrade is
 #25. I'm sure there are other examples with contradictory results.
 http://www.shopper.com/top1000/0.html

 Item #9: Server Makers Cast An Eye Toward Linux - Red Hat's Young
 expects six of the top 10 PC server makers to offer Linux on their
 machines by next March.
 http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,357428,00.html
 
 LOGOUT:

 Enjoy the news. I hope to write an editorial piece for next week if I
 can find the time... and in the not too distant future, a spotlight on
 SuSE Linux 5.3. As always, feedback is welcome and enjoy!

 Scott Dowdle
  







  
                                On the Hill
 
                             T H E  F i x e r 
                       ILLUSTRATION BY ZACH TRENHOLM
 
                                 ctsy Salon


 How Kenneth Starr's law partner covertly worked for six years to trap
 President Clinton in a sex scandal.
 
 BY MURRAY WAAS

 WASHINGTON -- Richard Porter, a law partner in Whitewater independent
 counsel Kenneth Starr's private practice, provided advice and shared
 information with a covert investigation of President Clinton's sex life
 conducted between 1992 and 1994.  In addition, Porter has been involved
 in a wide variety of efforts to damage the Clinton presidency, including
 "opposition research" for the Bush campaign in 1992, the "Troopergate"
 scandal, the Paula Jones case and the Linda Tripp tapes getting into the
 hands of Starr's staff last winter. These revelations raise new
 questions about whether Starr's inquiry has actually been independent
 from parallel efforts by conservative partisans to discredit the
 president.

 Porter, a partner of Starr's at the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis
 and a former senior aide to President George Bush, worked in the spring
 of 1994 to find competent legal counsel to represent Jones in her sexual
 harassment lawsuit against Clinton, according to two attorneys who
 worked on the case.

 In addition, as the New York Times has reported, Porter is one of three
 conservative attorneys who secretly assisted Tripp in obtaining legal
 counsel, and in bringing her tapes and other information about Monica
 Lewinsky to the attention of the independent counsel's office. The
 information about Porter's role in the earlier investigation of the
 president's sexual conduct and in assisting Jones in finding legal
 counsel has not been previously reported.

 The private investigation of Clinton's sexual conduct was initiated
 during the 1992 presidential campaign and privately financed by Peter W.
 Smith, a Chicago businessman and conservative activist and a major
 fund-raiser for House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  Porter's role in these
 various endeavors has been a particularly sensitive and contentious
 issue both for Starr and for Porter's employer, Kirkland & Ellis. During
 his tenure as Whitewater independent counsel, Starr has been under
 constant attack from partisans of the president, who have criticized
 Starr because he has been a part-time prosecutor and some of his law
 firm's clients have been adversaries of the president.  Earlier this
 year, the law firm began an internal investigation into whether Porter
 had worked on the Jones sexual harassment case without the approval of
 the firm's other partners. To date, the firm has declined to comment
 about that inquiry.

 At the time that Porter first began assisting Smith, he was directing an
 "opposition research" effort against Clinton for the Bush reelection
 campaign.  Sources say that Porter continued to advise Smith regarding
 the private investigation of Clinton after Porter became a partner at
 Kirkland & Ellis, practicing from its Chicago office. Through his
 attorney, E. Mark Braden, Smith declined to comment. Porter did not
 return phone calls seeking his comment.

 Smith spent at least $80,000 from September 1992 to March 1994 to fund
 a private investigation of the president's sexual conduct. Much of that
 money was ultimately spent to publicize the allegations of four Arkansas
 state troopers, who had served on the personal security detail of
 Clinton when he was governor, that Clinton carried on numerous
 extramarital affairs with their assistance.  Indeed, it was Smith who
 first introduced the troopers to reporter David Brock, who published the
 first story about their allegations in the American Spectator in January
 1994. Smith also paid some of Brock's expenses for researching the
 article, according to Brock.

 Smith was assisted in his efforts to promote the so-called Troopergate
 story by a Republican consultant, Eddie Mahe, a longtime friend and
 advisor to Gingrich. In an interview with Salon in April, Mahe said that
 Smith had paid him $25,000 in consulting fees over a two-year period for
 providing advice about how best to publicize the troopers' allegations:
 "I evaluated what they came up with to see if there was any way that the
 establishment press might be attracted to the story," Mahe said.

 In March 1994, Smith also made $21,000 in payments to two of the
 troopers and one of their attorneys. Roger Perry, one of the troopers,
 said that he had requested the money from Smith after he lost a
 part-time job as a result of having spoken to the press about Clinton's
 indiscretions.

 Two people involved in Smith's investigative effort of the president
 said that Porter provided advice about how Smith might financially
 assist the troopers if they were fired from their state jobs for
 speaking out about what they knew about Clinton.  The American Spectator
 article by Brock indirectly led to the Jones lawsuit. The Spectator
 first described an encounter between Clinton and a woman identified
 only as "Paula" at the Excelsior Hotel in Little Rock, Ark., in May
 1991. Angered over the article, Jones sued the president and one of the
 troopers.

 Two lawyers who have played a role in the Jones lawsuit have told Salon
 that in the spring of 1994, Porter was one of numerous attorneys who
 worked behind the scenes to help Jones obtain legal counsel to sue the
 president. Porter's assistance came at a crucial juncture for Jones'
 legal battle against the president. The statute of limitations was
 quickly approaching, and Jones did not have adequate legal counsel to
 pursue her claim.

 During the Jones case, attorneys for Clinton subpoenaed Kirkland &
 Ellis in an attempt to find out more about Porter's possible role in the
 case. Kirkland & Ellis fought to quash the subpoena, according to
 attorneys involved in the Jones case. But the question became moot last
 March when a federal judge dismissed the case.

 And on Sunday, the New York Times alleged that Porter was one of three
 conservative attorneys who assisted Linda Tripp in finding legal
 counsel, and also in bringing her tapes of her conversations with Monica
 Lewinsky to the attention of Starr.  The Times alleged that one of the
 attorneys, Jerome Marcus, provided the first tip to Starr's office about
 the president's relationship with Lewinsky. According to the Times
 account, Marcus contacted Starr's office about the Lewinsky allegations
 at least a week before Tripp contacted prosecutors. Yet, in his
 impeachment referral to Congress, Starr asserted that it was Tripp who
 first contacted his office about Lewinsky.  Tripp ally Lucianne Goldberg
 told the Times that Marcus was used as a "cutout" to obscure Porter's
 role in helping Tripp, because of Porter's close ties to Starr.

 Charles G. Bakaly III, a spokesman for the Office of the Independent
 Counsel, said in a statement that although his office received a
 "heads-up call that some information may be coming or may be out there,"
 the information provided at that time was at best "vague" and "sketchy."
 Therefore, he asserted, it was too insignificant to have mentioned in
 the impeachment report to Congress.

 In private comments, Starr had much harsher things to say about the
 Times account:  "Did Sidney Blumenthal get a job at the Times?" Starr
 commented, according to two people who heard the comments. Blumenthal is
 an advisor to the president who has spearheaded a public relations
 effort to discredit Starr and his investigation.
 
 
 
 Mistakes Were Made
 
 A close reading of the Starr Report shows that  the independent counsel
 cut several legal corners too many when laying his impeachment trap.
 
 BY GENE LYONS

 Rep. Henry Hyde assures the American people that the impeachment
 inquiry of President Clinton will demonstrate that "no person is above
 the law, nor beneath the law." In the next breath, however, Hyde insists
 that there will be "no investigation of the investigation" -- no
 inquiry, that is, into the motives and methods of independent counsel
 Kenneth Starr. These goals are in hopeless conflict. If Clinton can't
 question how Starr's evidence against him was gathered, he'll have been
 denied what the Constitution defines as "due process of law," his basic
 right as an American citizen.

 In an editorial, the New York Times also endorses the idea that the
 president has fewer rights than the rest of us. The Starr Report buried
 Monica Lewinsky's testimony that Clinton never asked her to lie, nor did
 he promise her anything to keep their affair a secret. Starr's decision
 to ignore these valuable bits of exculpatory evidence are dismissed as
 "legal klutziness," by the Times, which concludes that this "does not
 add up to prosecutorial misconduct. The impeachment process is not
 governed by the rules of criminal law."

 Klutziness implies clumsiness. Are we to believe Starr left out
 Monica's direct denial of the central premise of his investigation by
 some sort of clumsy accident? In probing Clinton's sex life, the Times
 says, Starr was merely following orders, "as an officer of the court,
 operating under Justice Department aegis and the supervision of three
 federal judges."

 But what if Starr obtained his authority to investigate the Lewinsky
 matter by illegitimate means? What if corners were cut, falsehoods
 disseminated and laws broken in a manner decidedly more sinister than
 klutzy? Would that matter? Because the evidence of all of this is there,
 much of it in the Starr Report itself, although it does require very
 careful reading to dig it out.

 According to what has been presented to the public, Starr offered four
 main pieces of evidence to Attorney General Janet Reno and the
 three-judge panel in order to get the original OK to expand his
 Whitewater inquiry into the sex scandal. We now know that there is
 something critically wrong with each one of the four pieces:
 
   1. Starr argued that Vernon Jordan's effort to find Monica a job
      resembled his Whitewater "hush money" investigation of Webb
      Hubbell, and therefore represented a possible criminal pattern.
      Trouble is, Starr indicted Hubbell for tax fraud (an indictment
      since dismissed) precisely because he never found real evidence of
      "hush money." Suspicion isn't evidence. If it were, Starr's
      investigation would have no legal boundaries whatsoever. According
      to Brill's Content, the OIC may also have withheld exculpatory
      information from Janet Reno: Specifically, that Jordan's efforts
      began long before Monica was subpoenaed in the Jones case, and that
      Jordan was an old friend of Monica's mother's fiance;, Peter
      Straus, and therefore may easily have had innocent reasons for
      helping Monica find a job.

   2. Linda Tripp's tapes were recorded illegally, hence could probably
      not be used as evidence in an American court. Even more worrying,
      the Starr Report clearly states that two crucial phone
      conversations recorded by Tripp on Thursday, Jan. 15 -- two days
      after the FBI wired her lunch meeting with Monica, and one day
      before Starr received permission to proceed from the three-judge
      panel -- "were made under the supervision of the Office of the
      Independent Counsel." The report says the tapes, designated "Tape
      22," show Monica telling Tripp that she and Clinton [would] tell
      the same story under oath -- a crucial bit of evidence, if true.

      Tripp had previously been told by her lawyer Kirby Behre that
      surreptitiously recording phone calls was a felony in Maryland.
      Granted immunity by Starr on Jan. 12, she was then advised by the
      OIC to do some more taping on Jan. 15. In brief, she was acting as
      the OIC's agent. Did Starr have authority from the judges? He did
      not. Does any federal prosecutor have authority to deputize a
      civilian to violate a state law? Again, no. This is KGB territory.

      So how can Starr's team have been so reckless as to print the
      evidence in their report?  Maybe they were gambling that the report
      would force President Clinton to resign. Also, to put this thing
      together, it's necessary to read footnote 1020, then follow its
      cryptic reference to "T-22" into Volume II, page 262, for the date
      and disclaimer. (I'm indebted to Jack Gillis of the University of
      Southwestern Louisiana for this research.) The issue takes on added
      significance in view of another footnote accusing Tripp of
      doctoring certain tapes and dubbing others.

   3. Then there are the "talking points." Long presented as the "smoking
      gun" that would prove White House malfeasance, this document was
      actually written by Lewinsky herself at Tripp's urging. According
      to Monica's testimony, also discreetly edited in the Starr Report,
      Tripp phoned her on the morning of Jan. 14. Tripp told Monica that
      she was meeting her attorney Kirby Behre later that day, and asked
      for help in composing an affidavit.

      The call was a setup. Unknown to Monica, Tripp had actually fired
      Behre on Jan. 9, and hired conservative lawyer James Moody. After
      sweating over a hot word processor all day, Lewinsky met Tripp
      after work in a Pentagon parking lot and handed her the so-called
      talking points. Their contents reflected Tripp's stated
      incredulity about Kathleen Willey's charges against Clinton. Also
      unknown to Monica, Tripp then took the document directly to Starr.
      The OIC immediately called Assistant Attorney General Eric Holder
      on his cell phone at a the Washington Wizards pro basketball game,
      setting in motion the process that gave Starr his investigative
      authority.

      In short, the talking points never were evidence of anything
      except Tripp's deviousness. Yet for months they were treated like
      the Rosetta Stone. Did Starr ask Tripp to produce better evidence?
      Did he ask her how she got them? He had to. If she lied, that's a
      crime. If she told the truth, yet Starr's team encouraged the
      Justice Department and Janet Reno to believe that the talking
      points were something they weren't, wouldn't that be prosecutorial
      misconduct? Given that Monica would almost certainly have asked
      Tripp on Jan. 15 how the meeting with Kirby Behre went, it's going
      to be really interesting to see which tapes Tripp edited.

   4. In her Jan. 16 letter to the three-judge court, Janet Reno wrote
      that Monica "may have filed" a false affidavit, a statement that
      can mean three things to a lawyer. Either an affidavit may have
      been filed, may be false or both. Why such vagueness?
 
      Because Starr appears to have been making, and losing, another
 calculated gamble.
 
 Lewinsky's lawyer Frank Carter had sent the Jones lawyers a copy of her
 Jan. 7 affidavit on Monday, Jan. 12. Carter informed them that unless he
 heard from them by Jan.  15, he would file a motion to quash her
 subpoena with Judge Susan Webber Wright's court in Little Rock. On Jan.
 16, he sent the Jones lawyers a copy of his motion. That same morning,
 in the apparent belief that Carter had filed with the Little Rock
 court, Starr's newly empowered agents grabbed up Lewinsky, held her for
 11 hours, refused to let her phone attorney Carter, threatened her with
 27 years in jail for breaking federal law and tried to get her to wear a
 wire (she says) into the Oval Office.
 
 But the motion hadn't been filed. An affidavit has no legal force until
 it's stamped by the court. Here's what the Starr Report says: "On
 January 16, 1998, Mr. Carter arranged for the overnight delivery of the
 motion to quash and the accompanying affidavit to Judge Susan Webber
 Wright's law clerk and Paula Jones' attorneys (1027)." Read the
 footnote, and there's another surprise. Starr's team may not have known
 it, but Little Rock courts don't accept faxed motions. The courthouse is
 closed weekends. Monday, Jan.  19, was a federal holiday. Thus the
 footnote: "Although the motion (and affidavit) reached the Judge's
 chambers on January 17, the file stamp date was January 20, 1998."
 
 In picking up Monica, Starr's zealous prosecutors jumped the gun by
 five days; a [probable] mistrial in any federal court in America. Follow
 the document reference in footnote 1027 to document number
 921-DC-0000775, and what do you find? Well, no document.  It's simply
 not there. But the documentary Table of Contents lists the source as the
 Campbell Law Firm, Paula Jones' lawyers. So how does a document
 provided to Starr by the Jones lawyers prove that Monica's affidavit
 reached Judge Wright's chambers on Jan. 17? It doesn't.
 
 We know that Judge Wright saw the Lewinsky affidavit on Jan. 17,
 because Clinton attorney Bob Bennett produced a copy during the
 president's deposition. But how on earth did Starr's prosecutors know on
 Friday, Jan. 16, that Carter had sent it? Much less what was in it? On
 Linda Tripp's and the FBI's tapes, Monica was still saying she'd sign
 nothing until she had a job. (A lie, she's since testified.) That
 leaves only one possible source: the Jones lawyers, a clear violation of
 Judge Wright's stringent gag order, and possible evidence of collusion.
 
 And what was the big hurry on Jan. 16? Why not wait until the affidavit
 was legally filed with the court? Simple: Starr's prosecutors had to
 spring their "impeachment trap" before Clinton testified and before
 Newsweek published, or lose the whole thing. Combine all this with Linda
 Tripp's briefing of the Jones lawyers on Friday, Jan.  16, and what
 emerges is the disturbing impression of a legalized coup attempt. Are
 the American people prepared to countenance that?
 
  










  
  Special Notice!! STR Infofile File format for Articles


 File Format for STReport

                         All articles submitted to
   STReport for publication must be sent in the following format. Please
   use the format requested. Any files received that do not conform will
  not be used. The article must be in an importable word processor format
                      for MS Word and/or WordPerfect .
 
   
   No Indenting on any paragraphs!! 
   No Indenting of any lines or "special gimmicks" 
   No underlining! 
   
Columns shall be achieved through the use of tabs only. Or, columns in
Word or Word Perfect format. Do NOT, under any circumstances, use the
space bar.  MS Word is Preferred.

 Most of all. PLEASE! No ASCII "ART"!! 
   
There is no limits as to size, articles may be split into two if lengthy

Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP, WMF file formats

Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent along with the
article separately

Please use a single font in an article. TTF ARIAL 10pt is preferred.
 (VERY Strong Hint)
 
If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or call.

Many grateful thanks in advance for your enthusiastic co-operation and
input.

Ralph F. Mariano, 
Editor STReport International Online Magazine
rmariano@streport.com
  







  
                         Classics & Gaming  Section
 Editor Dana P. Jacobson
 dpj@streport.com
 
> From the Atari Editor's Desk              "Saying it like it is!"
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""


Time is running short this week to really sit here and reflect on what I
might like to say.  The days just seem to fly by; Halloween is rapidly
approaching!  Seems like yesterday that I was throwing some steaks on the
grill for a July 4th barbecue!

The Republican party is about to make an ass of itself, joining Bill
Clinton in an act of stupidity.  And just to prove how incredibly foolish
the American public is by throwing money away - the most popular costumes 
for Halloween this year are Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky!  Truly
scary, but for kids??  Weird...

Have to disagree with Joe Mirando this week: golf is a terrific game and
a lot of fun.  I wish that I could play more than I do.  It's not just
"chasing a little white ball around" as Joe portrays.  Perhaps for a
beginning player it appears that way, but after a few rounds....  Don't
feel bad, Joe, my wife and countless others agree with you.  Makes the
courses less crowded for the rest of us!  Wanna join me and some friends
for a quick 18 this weekend?  <vbg>

Until next time...



Welcome to your channel Atari Member Update for the month of Oct.

In this Member Update, you'll find:

1. MyMail update
2. The new Infitra Dialer
3. NEWSie v0.92
4. Nview a multiformat picture viewer
5. The Milan Homepage
6. Video software
7. The CAB Internet Overlay module
8. StringServer

1.  M Y M A I L   U P D A T E

MyMail by Erik Hall is now up to v0.69 and here's some update
info sent from him:

- Fixed problems with locked buttons in "Timer dial" window.
- Delete key was not working in object edit fields.
- It is now possible to select next or prev. message
  from a mail read window.
- There is 5 new icons in read mail window.
  Up arrow icon  - selects prev. mail
  Down arrow icon - selects next mail.
  Info icon       - shows info about the mail. (Mailer, from, to, ....)
  Printer icon    - print the mail
  Disk icon       - save mail text to file
- Save mail to text file was not working if ram disk was installed
  Now it works with ram disk.
- Fatal error found in address field
  if no alias file existed the field was cleared at enter.
  This is now fixed.
- A small assembler bug fixed in string copy functions.
- Added save mail as html.
  This function is very simple and
  no special chars are converted in this version.
  There is 2 versions.
  * Save mail as HTML     - Saves/converts one selected mail into one file
                            specified by the user.
  * Save all mail as HTML - Saves/concerts all mail into a directory
                            specified by the user
                            mail 1 is converted to file 1.htm
                            mail 2 to 2.htm and so on.....
                            Then there is a file index.htm created
                            with links to all the html-mail files.
- Bugfixes in editor.
  * Randomly was wrong number of chars copy to clipboard
    This is now fixed.
  * Too slow adding of new line.
    this is now done faster.
  * Randomly was bad chars inserted in text when moving cursor with arrow
    keys.
    This is now fixed.
  * Home key is now working correctly.
  * Ctrl-C, Ctrl-v and Ctrl-x was inserting the control chars in text
    buffer causing strange functionality of the editor.
  * If there was only one cr/lf in text buffer
    and user pressed Delete key then only the cr char was removed.
    This is now fixed.
  * It was possible to delete chars from empty text buffer
    this was causing strange results.
    This is not possible now.
  * Internal fault:
    If block bigger than text buffer was deleted
    then the program crashed.
  * Trying to delete the last char and in text buffer
    and the char is a cr/lf combination only the cr was deleted.

- Bug fixes in filter functions.
- Dialer communication bugfixed.
  KRfree was called randomly with a faulty pointer.
- Added abort function to the dialer function in mymail
  it will only abort mymails communication and will not send any
  abort messages to the sting/stik dialer.
- Internal buffer for clipboard was too small
  this is now 20K
- Bugfixes in "Receive mail details".

My MyMail support page is to be found at:

         http://home.bip.net/atari/mymail/

and the official webpage, made by the author:

         http://www2.tripnet.se/~erikhall/programs/mymail.html

2.  T H E   I N F I T R A   R E M O T E   D I A L E R :

A remote dialer is under construction to use with Infitra as a module
plug-in.
It can also be used without Infitra for other purposes. The dialer is
Freeware and you will find it at my Infitra support webpage.

To use the dialer with the STinG socket there's an environment variable to
include in the DEFAULT.CFG file, the dialer must be set.

        http://home.bip.net/atari/infitra/

        http://www.worldaccess.nl/~koenrad9/index.htm

3.  N E W S i e

Johns Rojewski's NEWSie for email, News and FTP is also updated into
version 0.92, some weeks ago.

Among lots of fixes and so on, here's some of the news:

Bug Fix - Remove extra space following IP address in "helo [nn.nn.nn.nn]"
message
Support for Mail Directories
Expanded MAILBOX.PRG (UTILITY folder) to support mail directories
Support for Case Sensitive/Case Preserving File Systems (Requested
Improvement)
Rework Full/New Groups sort to eliminate 28000 newsgroup limit (Requested
Improvement)
Bug Fix - Window width (w) used instead of window index (wx).  Caused
memory corruption
Bug Fix - Changed 'windows[12].id' to 'wid' in put_html_line() and
put_html_subline()
Bug Fix - Corrected problems with auto-sizing windows on open, added
clipping
Bug Fix - Support saving of windows in 'full-screen' size
Bug Fix - Startup with HTM file broken in 0.90, works again
Bug Fix - Could not delete news article from Overview if file did not
exist
Implement selective Retrieve/Delete of Mail messages (Requested
 Improvement)
Expand support of Status display in window information line (Requested
Improvement)
Support selection/use of Multiple Address Books (*.abk) (Requested
Improvement)
Use AES popup menus for file lists for Address Book, Mailbox, and
Preference selection

        http://home.bip.net/atari/newsie
        http://www.primenet.com/~rojewski/newsie.html

4.  N V I E W

Nview is a multiformat picture viewer for Atari and other systems
such as MS Windows, Linux. Nview can display 58 formats, including
well known Atari formats:
JPEG, TrueVision Targa, RGB Silicon, TIFF Revision 5, Sun Raster Images,
Macintosh Pict, Amiga IFF, Portable Network Graphics, CompuServe GIF,
Sun TAAC file format, Adobe Photoshop Document, MTV / Rayshade,
Windows Icon, Windows Cursor, Photo CD, Degas / Degas Elite, Neochrome,
GFA Raytrace, Spectrum 512, X Windows System window dump, Mac Paint,
Art Director, Digital Research (GEM Paint) and a couple of other formats.

Nview and Nconvert is available as TTP-programs without a shell, but you
can install them in a modern desktop and put them on the desktop to use
with Drag&Drop. The shell is available for MS Windows/Linux and is called
XNview (Extended Nview), this also means that you can read all your
favorite Neochrome and Spectrum 512 pictures from the MS Win.

A GEM-shell would be something, maybe someone can compile a such?
The Nview TTP works fine on the desktop, but the Nconvert takes some
parameters that would be easier with a shell.

The author is a frenchman called Pierre-E Gougelet.

I have written a swedish support page at:

        http://home.bip.net/atari/viewer/

You will find a download link there and some snapshots

5.  M I L A N   -   T H E   H O M E P A G E

The Milan homepage is now available in the english language too.
My swedish contribution will have a face lift next week.

        http://www.milan-computer.de/html_swe/index2.html

        http://www.milan-computer.de/

and my own swedish webpage:

        http://home.bip.net/atari/milan/

The Atari Show at Neuss (Dusseldorf) is held this very weekend under the
theme "The ATARI is back!". This sounds very interesting for the future,
indeed. The Milan "TV-karte" will be showed, the Milan Motherboard will
be sold separately and other related news is to be shown.

6.  V I D E O   A N D   A N I M A T I O N S   S O F T W A R E

M_Player (Falcon030, TT030), MP_STE (Atari ST(F/FM/E) by TELLO
Guillaume and AniPlayer (Falcon030, TT030, Milan) by Didier Mequignon
is updated into v2.95, 2.91 resp 2.03 (Oct 3). AniPlayer also contain a
MagiC Setup program by Joachim Fornallaz for a comfort install of
add-ons etc.
My support page have turned to be a Scandinavian support webpage now,
but you can always download the original multilingual apps from there.
Here's all the addresses you need:

        http://home.bip.net/atari/movie/
        http://perso.wanadoo.fr/gtello/
        http://perso.wanadoo.fr/didierm/
        http://www.stud.ee.ethz.ch/~jfornall/aniplayer.html

7.  T H E   C A B   I N T E R N E T   O V E R L A Y   M O D U L E

The OVL module is up to 1.3011beta and is to use with STiK or STinG.

        http://www.netset.com/~baldrick

8.  S T R I N G S E R V E R

You can use StringServer for different purposes, one of them is that
you can "pass" a URL-address from TextView (In the distribution) to
start or pass it to CAB.

Here:s some excerpts from the StringServer manual by Odd Skancke that
explains its functions and possibilities:

                            ~~~ StringServer ~~~

The StringServer is the program that receives strings from other
applications, checks this string and starts the relevant application
according to the configuration. The StringServer is either loaded as a
application at bootup or installed as an Accessory.

                              ~~~ ConfigSS ~~~

 ConfigSS is the application you use to configure the StringServer. It
let's you edit the configuration, send/receive configuration to/from the
StringServer.

                           ~~~ A bit of history ~~~

 Some two years ago, I (Odd Skancke) was reading newsgroups/my mail using
NEWsie. The Internet was a new experience for me, and I was very curious.
I wanted to look at all the interesting Atari sites, get in touch
with people and so on. After a while, I got really sick with having to
load cab and/or typing in the URL too look at. Same with ftp-sites and
email addresses.  This is GEM, I thought, it should not be necessary to
do that much typing. Then the idea for the StringSevrer started to crawl
into my mind. And now, I don't have to type anything anymore. It's even
simplified my everyday GEM use, as I don't have to drag files all over
the place. I program in ASM under MiNT/Thing/n.aes, and now I can click
any *.s files and view them in my TextView!! textviewer. If I hold shift
down, the StringServer sends the *.s file to QED. When I click the *.s
file with ctrl held down, the StingServer fires up GenST.ttp, and it's
immediately assembled. I think this is great!. Well, I hope you will
like it too... :)
 The StringServer can use environment variables to look for destination
applications. So, while you are in the systems configuration file, you
might as well set up some environment variables to your favorite
programs.  This package was initially developed for use with GEM
Internet clients, although it can be used for anything.

I use it with NEWsie to read mail/news, Airc when IRC'ing and certain
other things. I have the following environment variables set, examples
from my n_aes.cnf. Remember that you can define those variables as you
wish (I hope someone will propose "standard" names soon).

export  BROWSER=e:\kommunik\www\cab2d\cab.app
export  FTP_CLIENT=e:\kommunik\aftp13b1\aftp.prg
export  MAIL_CLIENT=e:\kommunik\stik\newsie\newsie.prg
export  NEWS_CLIENT=e:\mommunik\stik\newsie\newsie.prg
export  IRC_CLIENT=e:\kommunik\stik\atariirc\atarirc.app
<snip>

StringServer is to be found at:

        http://www.bright.net/~atari/html/download.htm

M Y   H O M E P A G E :

My homepage is located at the address below, all other URLs that
you might have is mirror sites

        http://home.bip.net/atari/

Bottnia Internet Provider (BIP) is a swedish provider that gives
free services to the Net.

M Y   E - M A I L   A D D R E S S:


My new e-mail address provided by BIP for Atari related mails is:

        atari@mail.bip.net

If you have my old address in your address book. don't bother, the
old ones atari@ebox.tninet.se or atari@hem1.passagen.se works just
fine, so send me some mails about your summer vacation or your
Atari interests. Its always nice to get in touch with you.

Best Regards

Mille Babic
E-mail: atari@mail.bip.net
WWW: http://home.bip.net/atari/



>In This Week's Gaming Section  -  "Axis & Allies"!!  "WonderSwan"!
 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""     Board Games Come to Life!
                                                         DreamCast News!  And MUCH more!



>From the Editor's Controller  -  Playin' it like it is!
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""  

I've always been a games-player.  Whether it was sports, shooting pool,
playing cards, tilting a pinball machine, board games, or arcade/console
games - I loved them all.  Most games require more than one player, so
even if you're in the mood, you can't always play what you want, when you
want to play it.  I always loved board games (Parcheesi, Monopoly, Risk,
Easy Money, and many others).  Well, more and more board games are being
made available on PCs and game consoles.  For people like me, this is
terrific!  Included in this week's issue you'll find news of just some of
the latest games to be arriving.  Retro-gaming is here to stay!

Until next time...



>Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile  -  The Latest Gaming News!
 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



Sega Moves Forward to Produce Dreamcast Machine


Japanese game maker Sega Enterprises Ltd said Tuesday that Namco Ltd
would develop game software for its new home-use game machine
Dreamcast, which is scheduled to hit the Japanese market on Nov. 27.

``I am counting on Namco (to attract a wider a audience for our new game
machine),'' Sega president Shoichiro Irimajiri told a news conference.

Irimajiri said the reason Sega's previous game machine did not attract
as many customers as its rivals was because it did not attract as
varied a user group.

Sega also announced it would tie up with Web TV Networks, a Microsoft
Corp subsidiary, to offer Internet functions on the Dreamcast game
machine.

Customers of the U.S.-based Web TV will be able to access the Internet
using read-only-memory compact discs, Sega said.

They will also be able to play with other Dreamcast users via the
Internet, the company said.

Sega announced its tie-up with parent Microsoft Corp in May.

Sega on Tuesday also introduced a line of game software compatible with
the new game machine.

Dreamcast offers high graphics capacity and a 64-channel sound system
and is based on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system.

It will retail for $250, Sega announced.



Seven Additional Video Game Publishers Pledge Support for Sega's Dreamcast


The list of third party video game publishers supporting Sega's(R)
Dreamcast(TM), the ultimate gaming machine, continues to grow.

Sega of America today announced that seven additional video game
publishers are officially supporting the Dreamcast platform. The
companies include some of the industry's most prolific publishers --
Accolade, Capcom, Hasbro Interactive, Konami(R), Mindscape, Take 2 and
THQ.

The Dreamcast publishers announced today join an elite group of
companies that pledged their support for the system at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo in May. Those companies include Acclaim, GT
Interactive Software, Interplay, Microprose (a division of Hasbro
Interactive) and Midway.

These companies hold a special place in the world of interactive
entertainment, representing 11 of the top 25 PC and video game
publishers in the world today based on overall sales.

All 12 of the announced publishers are currently developing games for
Dreamcast in the genres they know best. Dreamcast launches November 27
in Japan and next fall in North America and Europe.

Dreamcast gives developers the freedom to design video games without
limits. The gaming-specific architecture of the system provides 128-bit
3D graphic performance, 64 channels of sound and a blazing-fast CPU.
Dreamcast will also open doors for publishers to create games that
expand far beyond the past definition of console gameplay.

It is the first console to feature multiplayer network gaming
capabilities. In addition, the system features a Visual Memory unit,
a portable memory card with a built in LCD screen, allowing game
designers to create titles that can literally travel outside the
Dreamcast console.

``The announcement of these important video game publishers is yet
another milestone we have reached in building toward the North American
launch of Dreamcast,'' said Bernard Stolar, president and COO, Sega of
America. ``We are confident that all major third party publishers will
support Dreamcast.''



Bandai, SCE To Sell New Hand-held Game Machines


TOKYO, Oct. 8 (Kyodo) -- Bandai Co. and Sony Computer Entertainment
(Japan) Inc. separately announced Thursday that they will introduce
new hand-held computer game machines within the next six months.

Bandai's WonderSwan, due to be released next March, is 7 by 7 by 12 
centimeters, smaller than Nintendo Co.'s best-selling Game Boy, and
weighs 110 grams, 50 grams lighter than the Game Boy. Its images are in
black and white.

Bandai will offer the machine for 4,800 yen, with first-year sales
targeted at 4 million to 4.5 million units.

SCE will put its PocketStation on sale Dec. 23, using games from the 
company's popular PlayStation home-use machine. The new machine is 6 by
6 by 4 centimeters and will be priced at 3,000 yen.

To meet the two rivals, Nintendo will begin marketing a color-screen
version of the Game Boy for 8,900 yen on Oct. 21.



Sony Computer To Launch PDA Game Tool On Dec 23


Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, a unit of electronics giant Sony Corp,
said today it plans to launch a small personal digital assistant (PDA)
game tool, ''PocketStation'' in Japan on December 23.

Sony Computer said in a statement the game tool, which can be used as
memory card to save Sony's PlayStation video games, will be priced at
3,000 yen, with an initial output of one million units per month.

Sony said 31 titles compatible with the PocketStation were expected to
be released by early next year by several software manufacturers,
including itself.

PocketStation carries a programmable 32-bit RISC processor together with
liquid crystal display, speaker and bi- directional infrared
communication capability.

With its clock and calendar function, users can use applications
utilizing flow of time or change of season with appropriate software,
not only with the new PDA tool, but also with the PlayStation console
when the tool is attached to the memory card slot, the statement said.

Application software can be downloaded into the PocketStation through the
memory card slot for the PlayStation console.

The Sony's announcement came ahead of the three-day Tokyo Game Show,
scheduled to start on Friday.



Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces Destruction of
Counterfeit PlayStation Software


Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today, in conjunction with
the IDSA and U.S. Customs Service officials, the destruction of nearly
40,000 counterfeit PlayStation(R) software discs seized in Miami,
Florida.

A U.S. Customs Service inspection discovered two shipments of the
counterfeit PlayStation software en route from Taiwan and Singapore. The
shipments, with a retail value of more than $1.5 million, were destined
for Paraguay, a major outlet for counterfeit videogames in Latin America.

Sony Computer Entertainment America officials flew to Miami to observe
U.S. Customs inspectors destroying the counterfeit discs, which will
then be recycled by GreenDisk. The counterfeit software seized was
comprised of forty-four different first and third party PlayStation
software titles, including such hits as Parappa The Rapper(tm), Rally
Cross(tm) and NBA Shoot Out 98(tm).

``We applaud the diligent work of the U.S. Customs Service who has
demonstrated tremendous success in both identifying counterfeit
PlayStation software and thwarting the efforts of counterfeiters,''
said Kaz Hirai, executive vice president and chief operating officer,
Sony Computer Entertainment America. ``With the assistance of the U.S.
Customs Service and the IDSA, we aim to protect the entire gaming
industry, particularly the first and third-party software developers.
Counterfeiters cast a shadow over the entire industry by making it
difficult for software developers and manufacturers to benefit from the
hard work that goes into creating quality, cutting-edge games.''

According to the IDSA, U.S. videogame and PC game companies lost more
than $3 billion worldwide in 1997 to pirates who copied and distributed
games without permission, not including losses caused by Internet piracy.

``U.S. Customs is a key line of defense in the fight to prevent pirate
software entering the United States from Asia, Latin America and Eastern
Europe,'' said Douglas Lowenstein, President of the Interactive Digital
Software Association, the U.S. trade body representing the $5.6 billion
U.S. video and PC games industry. ``As our industry battles international
piracy, we rely heavily upon customs officials around the world to seize
pirated goods. The Miami Customs office has struck a blow against the
international game pirate network and helps our industry send a message
that the United States is committed to protecting intellectual property
rights of game software companies.''

As the videogame demographic continues to expand making interactive
entertainment a mass-market entertainment option similar to television,
music or movies, the fight against production and sale of counterfeit
video game products will remain a significant focus for industry leaders.



Hasbro Interactive Brings Everyone's Favorite The Game of LIFE to
Computer and Video Screens


Leading family entertainment software publisher Hasbro Interactive
brings another all-time favorite board game to life on the PC and
PlayStation game console.  The Game of LIFE puts players behind the
wheel on a richly animated 3D road of life's little ups and downs.  Set
to the tune of a catchy soundtrack that travels in time with the player,
this new age version of the classic board game will keep friends and
family members laughing and playing for hours.

``The Game of LIFE has been a centerpiece for families everywhere for
decades,'' says Hasbro Interactive president, Tom Dusenberry.  ``We've
taken everything people love about the classic board game and added new
twists and features to bring that endearing nostalgia to life.''

At the beginning of the game, players must choose either college or
career. They then hit the road to see what life will bring.  Win the
lottery, buy stock or insurance, take a vacation, bid on artwork, swap
salaries with another player -- every game of life is different!  But
the goal is always the same -- retire wealthy, because whoever has the
most cash at the end of the game wins!

Starting in the 1950s, players cruise through five decades, where the
music, car models and themes change to match the style of the decade.
With each spin, the screen changes to a uniquely animated  ``car
camera'' view of the board, allowing players to feel as if they really
are driving down the road of life.

The Game of LIFE  CD-ROM can be played in two ways, Classic Board Game
or Enhanced Game.  Both have as the ultimate goal to retire with the
most money.  Classic Board Game plays true to all the rules of the
original board game.  The Enhanced Game replaces the accumulation of
LIFE tiles (which in classic mode are redeemed at the end of the game
for money) with a variety of different ``LIFE's Little Games.''  Each
time a player lands on a LIFE space, such as ``Get Married,'' ``Buy a
House,'' or ``Baby Girl,'' they have a chance to play one of eight
little games, where they can spin to win more money or exact revenge on
other players.

A host voice narrates the road trip, while rich animation sequences
accompany every move on the board and hilarious cartoon panels explain
the result of each move.  Players can choose to play the game from a
``bird's eye view'' of the 3D board, or zoom in on their location for
a better look at what life has in store for them.

Up to six players at a time can hit the road of life in both modes of
play. The Game of LIFE is Network and Internet playable over
Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone(TM) at www.zone.com
( http://www.zone.com ).

The Game of Life PC CD-ROM can be played on Windows 95 and Windows 98
systems and is available in stores at the suggested retail price of
$29.95. The game will also be available for the PlayStation game
console in late October at a suggested retail price of $29.95.



Hasbro Interactive Brings Kid's Favorite Toys and Games to Life


Leading family and children's interactive games publisher Hasbro
Interactive delivers fun to the youngest computer users with the release
of the My Little Pony(R), Operation(R) and Candy Land(R) CD-ROM games
for the PC.

Hasbro Interactive is shipping its first game for girls based on the
popular My Little Pony toy brand.  In the My Little Pony(R) CD-ROM game,
pre-school girls make friends, play games and take care of their very
own My Little Pony characters.  When a new pony has been born in the
magical world of Ponyland, players name her, keep track of her birthday,
brush her mane, grow food for her, feed her, and put her to bed when
she is sleepy. The goal is to give the pony enough confidence to cross
the Rainbow Bridge to venture away from her home and go on her very own
adventures.

The My Little Pony CD-ROM is full of activities and games for players to
enjoy with the help of ponies like Sweet Berry(TM), Light Heart(TM),
Morning Glory(TM), Sundance(TM) and Ivy(TM).  Girls can play dress up or
give their pony a new hair-do at Ivy's Beauty Salon; play a dancing
memory game at Sundance's Dance Studio; and create their very own fun,
printable projects in the Schoolhouse.  In Light Heart's Game Cottage,
girls can play Tic-Tac-Hoof, a pony-style version of Tic-Tac-Toe; test
their wits at the Switch Puzzle; color in the Pony Books; bake a cake
and decorate it in Sweet Berry's Kitchen; print cut-outs to use away
from the computer or watch fun home videos of the ponies.

The My Little Pony CD-ROM game is for players ages 3 to 7 and is playable
on Windows 95 and is Windows 98 compatible.  It is available for a
suggested retail price of $29.95.

In the Operation(R) CD-ROM game, it's surgery like never before!  Kids
choose one of five crazy emergency rooms like Main Hospital, Haunted
Hospital, Rain Forest Hospital, Space Hospital and Dino Hospital to try
to prove how steady their hands are!

Each ward is equipped with an unusual clientele in need and has its very
own resident doctor to help guide kids through the game.  In the Haunted
Hospital, players operate on monster patients in the company of Dr.
Klaus Von Kookenheimer; at the Space Hospital players join Chill Jones in
operating on martians and other spacey patients; and jungle veterinarian
Maxine Harmony will help players operate on animal patients in the Rain
Forest Hospital.

In Classic Operation, players operate in the ``traditional'' way, using
virtual tweezers to remove out-of-place objects from the patients'
bodies. For a whole new way to perform surgery, players can select
other fun games where the object is to help a stranded frog get out of
a patient's throat, to swallow nasty germs by jumping on them, or to
blast away gas bubbles with special stomach medicine.

Operation is equipped with a print feature so kids can save pictures of
their patients to share with friends and family.  For kids ages 4 to 8,
Operation is playable on Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems and is
available at a suggested retail price of $29.95.

Kids' sweet favorite the Candy Land board game is coming to life in 3D
on the computer.  In the Candy Land(R) CD-ROM game, kids click on the
gum-ball machine and they're off on a fun-filled journey through the
Gumdrop Mountains, Peppermint Forrest, Lollipop Woods, Ice Cream Sea
and Molasses Swamp.  The game captures the classic fun of the Candy
Land game, but on the PC kids get a unique first-person view as they
move along the Candy Land board -- trying to be the first to make it to
the Candy Castle and become the Hero of Candy Land.

Along the way, players are invited to participate in fun activities with
friendly characters like Princess Lolly, Plumpy, Mr. Mint, Lord Licorice,
Gramma Nutt, Jolly, Queen Frostine and Glumpy.  Kids can make music on
Mr. Mint's unusual pipe organ; plant candy seeds and help them grow in
Gramma Nutt's garden or make a luscious ice cream sundae with Queen
Frostine.

Candy Land is for ages 3 to 6 and is playable on Windows 95 and Windows
98 systems.  It is now available for a suggested retail price of $29.95.



Hasbro Interactive Ships Highly Anticipated WWII Strategy: Axis & Allies


BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the spring of 1942 and the
world is at war.  The two Axis powers, Germany and Japan, and the
Allies, England, the Soviet Union and the United States, are in a
struggle for world supremacy.  In the highly anticipated CD-ROM version
of the most revered world war II strategy board game of all time,
Axis & Allies, the military and economic destiny of the powers is now
in the hands of the computer player.

"We've worked closely with the board game's creator Larry Harris to
ensure that the PC version is as challenging and rewarding as the
original," said Hasbro Interactive's president Tom Dusenberry.  "The
original game has maintained a very dedicated and loyal following and
we believe these fans will be thrilled with playing their favorite game
on CD-ROM."

The Axis & Allies CD-ROM is the ultimate WWII strategy game.  You and
your opponents control the two Axis powers and the three Allies
challenging their expansion through strategic and tactical maneuvering.
Players must choose their battles carefully, move troops and equipment
thoughtfully throughout the world and plan strategically in order to
insure victory. Faithful to the rules of the best-selling board game,
the CD-ROM version is a superbly designed and executed counterpart for
the Windows 95 environment.  Authentic WWII stock footage, stills and
sound effects make strategic bombing raids, submarine attacks,
battleship salvos and anti aircraft barrages seem like the real thing.

Axis & Allies players can customize every aspect of the game from the 
intelligence of their computer opponents, to the cost, attack and
defense ability of each available unit.  State-of-the-art graphics make
for smooth and fast navigation, and even the most experienced Axis &
Allies players will be tested by the CD-ROM's challenging computer
opponents.  As in the board game, each turn is made up of six action
sequences - developing weapons/purchasing units, combat movement,
combat, non-combat movement, placing new units on the map and
collecting income.  Each step is important in waging a winning conquest
and players must choose their steps carefully if they hope to win the
war.

The Axis & Allies PC CD-ROM features multi-player options for up to
five players, including LAN, modem-to-modem, serial or Internet play at
Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone www.zone.com.

Axis & Allies is playable on Windows 95 and available for a suggested
retail price of $39.95.  Visit the official Axis & Allies Web site at
www.axisandallies.com for more information about the game, to interact
with other Axis & Allies players and to take part in a fully
interactive, online battle against players from around the world.



Accolade Ships Test Drive 5 for the PlayStation Game Console


Accolade, a leading software publisher and developer of video games,
announced that its Test Drive(R) 5 racing game began shipping yesterday
for the PlayStation(R) game console.

Pitting supercars of the present against muscle cars of the past, the
game features more than 28 licensed cars, 18 courses in real world
locations and branching technology. A version for personal computers
will be available in November of this year.

``We are excited to have Test Drive 5 out on store shelves and
available to gamers,'' said Slade Anderson, producer of Test Drive 5.
``The hot licensed cars racing through real world locations gives users
an incredible racing experience.''

The game features such licensed supercars as the 1998 Dodge(R) Viper,
1998 Chevrolet(R) Corvette(R), 1998 Aston Martin Vantage, 1998 TVR
Cerbera, 1998 Jaguar XKR, 1998 Saleen Mustang S351-R, 1997 Chevrolet(R)
Camaro(R) SS(TM) LT4(TM), and the 1998 Nissan(R) Skyline.

The muscle cars in Test Drive 5 include: the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427SC,
1967 Pontiac GTO, 1968 1/2 Ford Mustang 428CJ, 1969 Chevrolet(R) Camaro
ZL-1(TM), 1969 Chevrolet(R) Corvette ZL-1(TM), 1970 Chevrolet(R)
Chevelle(R) SS LS-6, 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda and the 1969 Dodge(R)
Charger.

Additionally, 12 ``super-charged enhanced'' cars and ``secret'' cars are
included in Test Drive 5, producing a total of 40 cars accessible to the
player.

Test Drive 5 lets users race in traffic with high-intensity police chases
across exotic locations throughout the world, such as Moscow, Russia;
Honolulu; Blue Ridge Parkway, N.C.; Tokyo, Japan; Edinburgh, Scotland;
Sydney, Australia; Munich,Germany; Keswick, England; Kyoto, Japan; San
Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Bern, Switzerland.

Circuit track courses include: Cheddar Gorge, England; Newcastle,
England; Maui, Hawaii; Jarash, Jordan; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and
Courmayeur, Italy. Most of the game's 18 courses are reversible and
can be driven at night, producing a total of 31 unique driving
experiences. A drag racing option is available to users as well.
Players also have the ability to play as the police and race after
speeding cars.

Test Drive 5 features a new 3D engine developed by driving game experts,
Pitbull Syndicate, that gives users a more lifelike feel of racing.
MultiDynamic Environment Mapping recreates the look and feel of
traveling under trees and bridges by adding multiple reflections and
shadows to the vehicles. Branching technology is also included and
allows multiple paths, off-course driving and short-cuts through
streets and mountains.

Test Drive 5 also offers high resolution graphics, making it one of
the few console racing games to possess 512 x 240 graphics running at
more than 30 frames per second.

The Test Drive 5 soundtrack features songs from Wax Trax! Records'
industrial rock band KMFDM; gold-selling alternative band Gravity Kills
of TVT Records; Geffen recording artist Pitchshifter; futuristic rock
artist Fear Factory and Holland's mix-master Junkie XL, both of Road
Runner Records.

The game offers both horizontal and vertical split screen modes on
circuit tracks allowing exciting two-player action. Test Drive 5
supports the Sony Dual Shock(R) Analog Controller.

Test Drive 5 is currently available at an estimated street price of
$49.95.



Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. to Ship Space Station: Silicon
Valley Exclusively for the Nintendo 64


Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced today that Space Station:
Silicon Valley, for the Nintendo 64 has begun manufacturing, and is
expected to ship to retailers worldwide in the month of October (the
product will be available at retail in the United States on Oct. 23,
1998). Space Station: Silicon Valley, was developed by DMA Design, Ltd.
a subsidiary of the Gremlin Group, who most recently developed
Take-Two's worldwide best seller Grand Theft Auto.

Touted as a ``stellar title'' by Gamefan Online, Space Station: Silicon
Valley, has been enthusiastically received by the videogame community.
The game has been described as ``genre-busting,'' ``totally fresh and
original,'' and ``addictive and extremely fun.'' Electronic Gaming
Monthly stated it ``could very well be the sleeper hit of the year.''
IGN64.com noted, ``This is what videogames should be.''

In Space Station: Silicon Valley, gamers must save humanity from its
doom when a mysterious space station suddenly reappears on a collision
course with Earth. During the adventure, players take control of over 40
outrageous, humorously mutated animals as they solve puzzles and unlock
the secrets of the 30 levels spread over four richly detailed
environments.

Space Station: Silicon Valley, marks the first title Take-Two has
published under its own label for the Nintendo 64 system. Previously,
the Company acted as an exclusive distributor for Gametek, Inc.'s Wheel
of Fortune and Jeopardy! for the Nintendo 64. Space Station: Silicon
Valley, is available exclusively for the Nintendo 64.

``Space Station: Silicon Valley is quite unlike anything ever seen on
the Nintendo 64,'' stated Sam Houser, Vice-President of Worldwide
Product Development. ``The unique storyline and game structure gives
gamers the ability to take control of dozens of characters while
offering gameplay that is diverse, action-packed and downright
hilarious, making for a gaming experience unmatched on any system.''

Nintendo of America Chairman, Howard Lincoln, noted ``We are pleased to
have Space Station: Silicon Valley exclusively available for the
Nintendo 64. Take-Two is introducing a truly original game, which is a
strong addition to an outstanding Nintendo fall lineup.''



Classic '80s Blockbuster Compilation, Activision Classics, Hits Sony
PlayStation at a Value Price


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision will deliver
dozens of the most popular games from the '80s onto the next-generation
PlayStation game console with the release of Activision Classics the
week of October 5, 1998.  At a groundbreaking price of about a dollar
per game, this collection of 30 legendary Atari 2600 games includes
Pitfall!, River Raid and Kaboom! -- some of the absolute best titles
from computer gaming history. Activision Classics will be available at
retail outlets throughout the United States and Canada and will carry
a suggested retail price of $29.95.

``In the early 1980s, Activision created some of the most fun and best
remembered games for the Atari 2600,'' said Eric Johnson, senior vice
president, North American marketing, Activision, Inc.  ``Old favorites
such as Pitfall! and Kaboom!, which captured the hearts of gamers of
years past, now will have the chance to appeal to the new generation of
console players.''

Due to platform-perfect technology, all the games featured in Activision
Classics will look and play exactly as they did on the original Atari
2600 console.  The compilation is comprised of such legendary titles as
Pitfall!, a revolutionary video game that established a new genre of
adventure gameplay by incorporating never-before-seen elements like vine
swinging, pit hopping, log jumping and crocodile avoiding; River Raid,
in which players jet down the ``River of No Return'' using a B1
StratoWing Assault Jet to break the enemy blockade and halt advancing
troops; Kaboom!, in which players must use their stamina, reflexes and
concentration to douse rapidly dropping bombs before they explode; and
H.E.R.O., featuring the exploits of R. Hero, who players must maneuver
through a tricky maze of mine shafts filled with lava rivers, vile
vermin and creepy critters to rescue trapped miners.

Activision Classics also includes such nostalgic favorites as Chopper
Command, Grand Prix, Boxing, Crackpots, Fishing Derby, Freeway, Frost
Bite, Sea Quest, Sky Jinx and Spider Fighter.



Fasten Your Seat Belt! GT Interactive Revs Up Car Combat Games With
Launch of 'Rogue Trip' for PlayStation-R Game Console


Unleashing another critically acclaimed game from its internal studios,
GT Interactive Software Corp. announces the release of its new car
combat game, Rogue Trip for PlayStation. Designed by its SingleTrac
development studio -- the creators of the million-selling hit car combat
game series -- Rogue Trip is being supported by a multi-million dollar
marketing campaign that includes a humorous new TV spot, extensive
print advertising, cross-promotions and aggressive online outreach.

``Rogue Trip is the game fans of car combat have been waiting for,''
said Holly Newman, vice president of Marketing for GT Interactive. ``Our
SingleTrac studio has once again created the dynamic, original
entertainment experience they are experts at and we believe Rogue Trip
has the potential to become a cornerstone property and dominate its
category this holiday season.''

GT Interactive is supporting Rogue Trip with a multi-tiered,
multi-million dollar marketing program that includes a national
television campaign airing now through the holiday season;
cross-promotions with Dragon Optical and other apparel companies;
extensive print advertising including four-page `mini-magazine' inserts;
integrated Internet support; customized pre-sell programs as well as
point-of-purchase initiatives.

Developed by GT Interactive's Salt Lake City-based SingleTrac development
studio, Rogue Trip is set in a dark, post-apocalyptic future, where
players are sent on an all-out rampage of wanton destruction and pure
mayhem to famous vacation spots around the world in search of a coveted
``photo opportunity.'' Rogue Trip also unveils SingleTrac's new
techn
logies, including Dynamic Interactive Fodder, Pyro-Physics, and
Genetic AI, all designed to provide Rogue Trip with unprecedented levels
of interactivity and realism.

Rogue Trip has already garnered critical acclaim from leading industry
publications:

   * ``If you thought it couldn't get any better, you were wrong. Rogue 
      Trip is one of the best reasons we can think of to own a
     PlayStation...go buy it now!'' September 1998, Tips & Tricks;
   * ``Its tongue-in-cheek delivery and over-the-top action make this
     one helluva enjoyable ride.'' GameFan, July 1998;
   * ``Rogue Trip plays like a dream...very playable as well as
     completely addictive.'' Electronic Gaming Monthly, November 1998.



Cyrix MediaGX Processor Selected to Power New Game: Site4


RICHARDSON, TEXAS (Oct. 5) BUSINESS WIRE - Oct. 5, 1998 - Cyrix
Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Semiconductor
Corporation, announced today that Atari Games Corporation has designed
the MMX-enhanced MediaGX processor into a new video arcade game, Site4,
released this month. The MediaGX processor, which played a key role in
enabling the sub-$1,000 consumer PC market, delivers the power of an
x86-based platform to the arcade gaming industry, providing exceptional
performance and versatility.

Atari Games, a subsidiary of Midway Games Inc., has been a
revolutionary leader in the arcade industry for more than two decades.
Atari Games selected the MediaGX processor because it provides a
highly-integrated system-level solution enabling optimum game
performance at low-cost.

"The MediaGX processor allows us to cut costs at the system level while 
delivering graphics that are rich and detailed," said Mary Fujihara,
vice president of marketing for Atari Games. "The powerful yet
inexpensive MediaGX processor provides compelling innovation and
stunning visuals for our new game, Site 4, while allowing us to deliver
a product to the arcade marketplace that is an exceptional value and
return on investment."

The Cyrix MediaGX processor provides an innovative system-level
solution that lowers system cost by integrating graphics, audio, memory
controller and the PCI interface onto the processor, reducing the
number of separate components. This system-level integration allows
manufacturers to bring high-quality products to market quickly and
inexpensively.

"The Atari Site 4 coin-operated video game provides this competitive
market with a next-generation game at a compelling price," said Mike
Bereziuk, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for
Cyrix's parent National Semiconductor. "Site4 is an excellent example
of how the MediaGX processor platform can cost effectively bring x86
processing into innovative consumer entertainment products. Integrated
processor technology is the wave of the future for high-impact gaming
platforms as well as Information Appliances, such as set-top boxes, web
browsers and Windows Based Terminals."



3DO to License Engine for Requiem: Avenging Angel


The 3DO Company today announced plans to license the engine for its
highly anticipated game, Requiem: Avenging Angel(TM), which is slated
for release in January 1999. The Requiem Engine is a state-of-the-art
foundation for the development of next-generation, first-person action
games for the PC.

Trip Hawkins, chairman and CEO, said, ``Many brilliant engineers have
spent three years developing this engine and have taken full advantage
of the newest PC hardware capabilities. The outstanding quality of
Requiem: Avenging Angel, and the critical acclaim that is building for
it, is validation that our engine is first-rate. The Requiem Engine
will allow the best new games to be developed and we look forward to
working with other developers to make our engine a force in the market.

``The Requiem Engine has a notable pedigree, having been developed at
3DO's Cyclone Studios' division, which last year won numerous awards
including 'action game of the year,' for its debut PC game, Uprising.
Cyclone has a strong culture of 3D action gamers, and 3DO has a long
history of expertise in 3D graphics.'' Added Hawkins, ``Cyclone
co-founder Ron Little led the development of the Requiem Engine, and
industry legend Bill Budge is at Cyclone, where he is the driving force
behind 3D technology for 3DO as a whole. Requiem: Avenging Angel serves
notice that we're taking it to the next step in the marketplace, and
the Requiem Engine is what makes it possible.''

From the development team, Cyclone Studios' General Manager, Helmut
Kobler added, ``In Requiem: Avenging Angel, we focused on giving players
a more realistic experience in an incredibly fast-paced first-person
game. Three key technologies combine to give the player a rich visual
experience not seen before. The custom engine features refined portal
technology that uses visible surface determination to enable a
substantially higher frame rate. Additionally, we used 16-bit color and
created a stunning lighting system featuring the first-ever use of
real-time character shadows accurately mapped to architecture.

``It all adds up to a break-neck frame rate of 60 frames-per-second that
moves fluidly and smoothly allowing players a fantastic gaming
experience. Players will love the rich colors and the astounding detail
of shadows that are so life-like and subtle, they even ripple up a
staircase. We designed our game to look great today on current PCs
without 3D support, and adapt and expand with the player's next system.
The custom engine in Requiem: Avenging Angel is one of the first to be
fully optimized for the Voodoo2 3D card.''









                           PEOPLE... ARE TALKING

Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com



ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine          The wires are a hummin'!


Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I'll tell you right off the bat that this
week's column is going to be a short one. I've been putting in extra
hours at my "real" job, and it's catching up with me.

While it's true that I enjoy writing this column, it's also true that I
need time for other things... sleep being primary among them, along with
time to eat, some time with my wife and best of all, time alone. I'm one
of those people who NEED to be alone for a while every so often. With me
it seems to be more and more often that I feel the need to leave everyone
and everything behind and enter a peaceful state of vegetation for as
long as I can. If you ask me, that's one of the primary reasons that
people have such a hard time dealing with their lives today... they have
forgotten the art of "vegging out". It's an art form that needs to be
practiced every so often in order to be good at it, and by the time you
actually NEED to do it, you're so out of practice that it's actually a
chore (which defeats the whole purpose of the art form in the first
place!).

Some tell me that golf is the best way to relax. I tried golf once.
Chasing that little ball around the course drove me nuts. I did alright
for a beginner (or so I was told), but the game itself held no allure for
me. I guess it just wasn't my cup of meat (don't be afraid to show your
age by emailing me to say you know what song that phrase came from, by
the way). My apologies to those of you who abstain from ingesting animal
flesh for the turn of phrase, but I don't believe that we fought our way
to the top of the food chain to become vegetarians, so just deal with it.
<grin>
 
Anyway, with the quickly approaching arrival of a new production machine
at work, and the just-as-quickly-approaching job of interfacing it with
a computer (a PC, unfortunately), it seems that I'm only going to get
busier over the next few months. I just over-saw the installation of the
new electrical lines and the necessary fail-safes such, so all I need
now is the machinery itself. It's not due to arrive for another two
weeks, but I'll have to use that time to get ahead of the production
requirements we'll have while the machine is being installed and
modified to our specifications. If this sounds like fun... I must have
worded it incorrectly. <grin>

Well, let's get on with the reason for this column:  All the news,
hints, tips, and info available about our favorite machines...


From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================

Odd Skancke tells us:

"The StringServer is now awailable in a "Public Beta" version at Lonny
Pursell's download area, http://www.bright.net/~atari/html/download.htm
Check it out!!"

Terry May tells Odd:

"I did [check it out], but unless I'm missing something, it offers
nothing more than what John Eidsvoog's oldie but goodie Applier does.
And Applier doesn't have to be in memory, and multitasking makes no
difference.

I'm not knocking you or your program.  I'm just wondering if maybe I'm
missing something.

For those that want to check out Applier, it can be found at my web site:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Sector/9449/"

Pascal Ricard tells Odd:

"Very good !

By the way, what software support your server at the moment, except for
your text viewer and FireNews (If I recall, it does)?"

And then, Pascal tells Terry:

"StringServer allow you to click on a string and pass this string to the
server to launch an application. The application have to support this
protocol. Could be interesting to have this feature in Okami."

Terry tells Pascal:

"I guess the difference between it and Applier is that Applier only works
by acting as an installed application, whereas StringServer can take
strings from within programs.  But as you said, it doesn't do you any
good if the application doesn't support it."

Mario Becroft asks:

"So just what does the stringserver do?"

Odd replies:

"I think that FireNews supports it. I've not tested FireNews yet, so I
can't tell. AtarIrc supports it and a program called Farmer. Farmer is a
TosWin "clone", which is used to run TOS programs in windows under MiNT.

 I hope more programs will support this, since it's very easy to do.
Read the SUPPORT.TXT in the archive to find out how.

 Well, there are some nice uses for it other than the "String-serving"
feature. I've installed it as a viewer for all programs in Thing, so
that when a file is opened in thing, it gets sent to the stringserver.
This allows me to sent the file to different applicationds depending on
the keyboard status (shift, control, alt). Like, when I click on a .s
file, it goes to a viewer (textview, for example). With shift held down,
it goes to QED, and with control held down, GenST.ttp does its work. Same
with picture files. If I want to view the picture, I just click on it. If
I want to process the picture, I hold shift down, and then some big heavy
image processor is loaded.

I hope that more programs will be supporting this, since supporting it
is very easy for programmers to do.

Our old friend Rob Mahlert posts:

"I remember seeing a message on a web page to e-mail ICQ. So they
would release the rights so an Atari user could write an ICQ program for
the TOS. What was the "official" response from ICQ?

There are other programs like ICQ out, has anyone tried to get the rights
for one of them?"

Chris Good tells Rob:

"There wasn't any reply as far as I know. I think ICQ is being developed
for MINT/LINUX users."

Pascal Nowak tells Rob:

"The official answer by mirabilis was no!

I've just started to make a GEM ICQ clone for STING & MiNTnet."

Jeff Jewell asks for help with his ST's AUTO folder:

"I don't remember my STs as well as I thought...

After getting back from WOA '98, I tried to install some new stuff in my
auto folder on my C:\ drive.  The computer boots, gets to two bombs, and
I end up looking at a desktop with a mouse that moves but can't click on
anything.

I think I just need to get the ST to bypass the AUTO folder, but I can't
remember how to do that, and I couldn't put my hands on the right
manual...

Any quick help for a guy who should have known better?"

Tom Carman tells Jeff:

"If you are using TOS 2.06 or higher, after the Atari logo appears (which
is almost immediately) press and hold the Control key. This should allow
the computer to boot from the hard drive but bypass the AUTO folder. I
can't remember if this works on earlier versions of TOS, but I believe
so."

Paul Nurminen posts this about NEWSie:

"I just noticed that despite having all LOGging functions of NEWSie de-
activated in version .92, NEWSie will still (occasionally) create a LOG
file in my WORK directory.  After seeing this, I ran Diamond Edge to
check for lost clusters etc, but none appeared.  I do however, remember
NEWSie version .88 also creating this LOG file from time to time (even
with LOGging de- activated), and when I ran Diamond Back III for a
routine backup of that partition, the program couldn't copy that LOG file
- as if there was something wrong with the file itself.  It was deletable
though.

But so far, with version .92 of NEWSie, I haven't experienced any lost
clusters or other HD errors.  And my STinG (.STX) files haven't become
corrupted yet.  And the correct article number appears to be saved when
downloading newsgroups for offline reading.

I also haven't experienced any lockup of NEWSie after reading e-mail or
newsgroup articles.  But then I always "disconnect from server" and quit
the program (and re-run it) before trying to read any newsgroup articles
that were downloaded for OFFLINE reading.

For the record, I'm running NEWSie .92 on a Falcon030 (standard with
14megs RAM under MagiC 5.11)."

John Rojewski tells Paul:

"Yes, turning off the LOG options does not stop the creation of a LOG
file, or writing to it.  You should not have LOST Clusters on a normal
basis.  When NEWSie quits, it closes the LOG file and everything should
be fine.  When NEWSie bombs, or when your system locks up while NEWSie is
running, the LOG file is not correctly closed, and some LOG records are
not written to disk.

LOST CLUSTERS means: allocated, by not found in any FAT entry.  This can
happen with buffered files, typically used in C programs, when there is
some problem closing the file.

If you attempt to copy the LOG file while NEWSie is running, there could
be some problems with software not being able to copy a currently open
file.  (i.e. there is no 'end-of-file', the file is still being
created.)"

Paul also posts this about WDialog:

"Well, I remember right after I got the commercial version of CAB from
Systems For Tomorrow (version 2.5) I installed WDIALOG so that I would be
able to use GEMjing, since at the time, I hadn't yet started using MagiC
- I was still running TOS 4.04 on my Falcon.

Anyway, WDIALOG made all the CAB 2.5 icons look like the icons from the
early version of CAB (1.5).  As a result, I thought my 2.5 had somehow
reverted back to some sort of demo version or something.  That is, until
I found a little blurb in the CAB manual about older versions of WDIALOG
causing this problem with CAB.  But, regardless of which version of
WDIALOG I use now, it still does this to the CAB 2.5 icons.  But, since I
started using MagiC 5, I haven't even loaded WDIALOG, and I don't feel
I'm missing anything.

As far as what WDIALOG actually does, I've never been 100% clear on that
either.  I know it's supposed to allow more customization of printer
drivers, and adds some other system extensions to TOS, but other than
that, your guess is as good as mine."

Michael Clemmetsen tells Paul:

"I'd like to add my name to the list of those who are confused about
WDialog.

I've seen posts here which indicate that you still need WDialog even if
you have Magic installed. Is this true? I thought WDialog simply provided
MagiC-compatible AES-extensions to those OSes that did not have them."

Now Paul asks about MagiC:

"I just had something rather bizarre happen with MagiC 5 and my boot
(C:\) partition...

I don't recall doing anything unusual, but after a re-boot, everything
seemed to be loading in the normal way, but right _before_ MagiC finished
loading MAGXDESK, the file selector popped up, in the C:\GEMSYS\GEMDESK
directory, asking which program I wanted to run (?!).  And if I hit
CANCEL, the file selector would just continue to prompt me for a file to
run.  If I hit OK, the same thing would happen.  If I selected a program,
then hit OK, depending on the program, I would either get an error
message (ie. program exception error - which is equivalent to 2 bombs in
TOS), or the file selector would just come up again.

Despite turning everything off for several minutes and cold-booting, the
same thing kept happening.  So, I re-copied my C:\ partition from a
(very) recent backup, and re-booted - however, the same thing happened
again!!!  At this point, I was starting to worry a bit, to say the
least!!!

So, I wiped my C:\ partition (an activity that doesn't exactly make one
feel comfortable!), and re-copied it from an older backup.  And when I
re-booted, everything worked ok...

<wheeeeeeeeeew!>

What the $%@^# is going on here?!?!?!

No programs crashed prior to this strange behavior, and there were no
problems with the hard drive partition.  There were no new AUTO programs
or ACC installed either.  I changed NOTHING before this happened.

I'm running MagiC 5.11 on a 14meg "standard" Falcon030."

Pascal Ricard tells Paul:

"It looks like there was something wrong with your desktop. For example,
if I rename magxdesk.app to apx the file selector will be prompted."

Roger Cain tells Paul:

"I've had this. Forget how it all came about but the problem will be that
Magic does not know what to run after initialising.

Check your MAGX.INF is readable and make sure that the path to the
desktop is not corrupted. If you want to re-install anything then try all
the MAGXDESK components.

You could try selecting MAGXDESK.APP if it gives you the file selector
again as this (or Thing or Jinnee) is the sort of program it's looking
for."

Paul tells Pascal and Roger:

"Before I recopied the whole C:\ partition from a backup, I of course,
first tried selecting and running MAGXDESK.APP, but that didn't work (it
gave me an error message).  Then, I tried copying all the MagiC-related
stuff, including the entire GEMSYS, GEMDESK, and MAGIC directories and
all included files, as well as MAGX.INF from a recent backup.  This
didn't solve the problem either as the file selector still came up at the
end of the bootup cycle.

I then copied (from a backup) my AUTO folder and ACCs.  Problem still
there.

So, I recopied (from a backup) the entire C:\ partition.  Problem still
there.

That's when I went to a slightly earlier backup of C:\, and it finally
worked.  So whatever corrupted the original MagiC file(s) was also in the
most recent backup.  Anyway, all is well now, and I'm certainly glad I
had a second backup!    :~)

And if this should happen again, at least now I'm a little more
"informed" about what's going on..."

The old SwampDog himself, Guy Harrison, tells Paul:

"MagiC can't load application id zero (ie the desktop application). It is
prompting you to select one (although other apps might run).

I use Ease. If something happens to corrupt one of its critical files
Ease will die leaving MagiC no choice but to bring up this file selector.
When this happens to me I simply point it at the original MagxDesk
program and use that temporarily while I locate the corruption and fix
it."

Joshua Kaijankoski tells us:

"I desperately need some sort of graphics card for my TT that is
compatible with Magic and most applications. Could somebody please sell
me one or give me some info on where to get one. I'd appreciate it a
lot."

Brian Becroft tells Joshua:

"This is NOT an official announcement, but I want you to know that Mario
is now in the circuit design stage of making a graphics card/accelerator
which will work on the TT030. It will be made initially to work on the
ST/STE with the idea of bringing the machine into the 'modern world' so
to speak. You will then be able to plug a SVGA monitor into it and use
the internet and have decent graphics. With the new CPU it will be faster
than the TT030 also.

TT030 owners will get more than the usual 16 colours for a change - and
the full screen being used for a change!! Not to mention photographic
quality graphics... CPU upgrade to boot...

So if you can wait or spread the word to other TT030 etc owners we would
like to know how many would buy this upgrade and how much you would pay.

I mean, if you want to pay, I'm sure Mario will upgrade the CPU to a
68060 if you want. I can't wait for him to finish it!

Other serious suggestions are welcome.

I'm using his PC mouse adapter and I'm most impressed. Especially using
the Genius Net Mouse with the double click and left-click-and-hold on the
middle rocker-button. I didn't realize how it makes the computer easy to
use, you don't realize it 'til you try it!"

Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next time
around and always be ready to listen to what they are saying when...

PEOPLE ARE TALKING


  









                            EDITORIAL QUICKIES

                               " Wyatt Earp"


 It's 1880, the decade of gunslingers and gentlemen. This is a story of
 one such young man that wanted more than anything to be the fastest and
 most respected gunslinger in the west.

 The place was Dodge City, Kansas in the Sawdust Saloon. The young man
 walked into the Sawdust Saloon and, to his surprise, saw Bat Masterson
 sitting at a table playing poker. The young man walked up to Bat and
 said, "Mr. Masterson, I would like to be a gunslinger just like you.
 Could you give me some tips?" Bat Masterson put his cards down, looked
 up at the boy and said, "Son, I don't usually give out tips like this
 cause it could someday be detrimental to my health, but step back and
 let me take a look at you."

 The boy stepped back and Mr. Masterson said, "You look good. You're
 wearing black, you've got two ivory handled guns with waxed holsters,
 and you look like a gunslinger. But what's more important, son, is: Can
 you shoot?"

 The young man, happy to show how good he was, quickly drew his pistol
 from his right holster and without aiming shot the cuff link off of the
 piano player's right sleeve.

 Bat Masterson said, "That's good shooting son, but can you shoot with
 your left hand?"

 Before Masterson could even finish, the boy had already drawn the
 pistol from his left holster and shot the cuff link off of the piano
 player's left shirt sleeve. Very proud of himself the young man blew the
 smoke away from his six shooter and holstered his gun. "How was that?"
 the boy asked Masterson.

 Bat Masterson smiled and looked up and the boy and said, "That was
 pretty good shooting son. I couldn't do better than that myself, but I
 do have one good tip for you."

 "What's that?" the boy asked.

 "I suggest that you go to the kitchen and ask the cook for a large can
 of lard.  Then take both guns of yours and stick them down deep in the
 lard."

 Puzzled the young gunslinger asked Masterson why he should do that.

 Masterson put his cards down again, leaned back in his chair, and said,
 "Well son, when Mr. Earp gets done playing the piano over there, he's
 going to take those two guns of yours and. . . "

 The boy didn't wait for the rest of the answer.
 
  







  

                     STReport International Magazine 
                  ICQ#:1170279 [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport
                          http://www.streport.com

                Every Week; OVER 850,000 Readers WORLDWIDE 

  All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions
  of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions
 and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the
 editors/staff of STReport International 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, Bits & Bytes, Casts
   & Blasts are copyright and trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing
  Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot
    be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information
            contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.


                  STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE"
                             October 09, 1998 

        Since 1987 Copyright 1998 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1433

