The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group

The Status Register - January, 2000


This newsletter will never appear on CUCUG.ORG before the monthly CUCUG meeting it is intended to announce. This is in deference to actual CUCUG members. They get each edition hot off the presses. If you'd like to join our group, you can get the pertinent facts by looking in the "Information About CUCUG" page. If you'd care to look at prior editions of the newsletter, they may be found via the Status Register Newsletter page.
News     Common     Mac     Amiga     CUCUG

January 2000


To move quickly to an article of your choice, use the search feature of your reader or the hypertext directory above. Enjoy.

January News:

The January Meeting

The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, January 20th, at 7:00 pm, at the Bresnan Community Center. Directions to the Bresnan are on the end of this newsletter.

The January 20 meeting will be a split SIG meeting. For the Mac SIG, Charlie and Jack Melby will be doing a presentation on Applescript. For the PC/Amiga SIGs, Bill Zwicky will be showing UAE.

ToC

Welcome New Members

We'd like to welcome our newest members, joining us in the last month: George G. Slayton (C64), Joan Marie Poletti (PowerMac), Ben Braendle (C64, A500/600/1000/1200/2000/3000/4000), Richard DeKneef (C64/128, A500/1000/2000/4000).

We'd also like to thanks renewing members Emil Cobb, Jerry A. Feltner, Kevin Hisel, Richard Rollins, Ed Serbe, Dave Witt, Anderson Yau, Leroy J. Dehoff, Roman K. Konsewicz, Christopher David Faircloth, Joseph W. Solinski, Sidney D. Talmud, Selena Kay Douglass, Mark Landman, Daryl B. Brandel, Jack E. Erwin.

We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to the group.

ToC

From the Desk of the President

Happy New Year!

All of us here at CUCUG sincerely wish you and your family the best for the coming year. CUCUG members have been the most fiercely loyal group of computer users that it has been our pleasure to asssociate with over the years. We would like to extend our warmest appreciation with a hearty "Thank You!!" for all the support you have extended to us for so long.

As you may know, January 1, 2000 marked the passing of more than just the 1990's here at CUCUG. The Amiga Web Directory (operated expertly and professionally for so many years by our Chief Webmaster Kevin Hisel), was retired. These events truly mark the passing of an era.

Unfortunately, the Amiga has finally been unable to survive the curse of poor management. As with all things in life, the demise of one thing gives rise to another, however. The forest fire clears the way for new growth as evidenced by the re-birth of Yellowstone. The volcano clears a path for new beginnings as on the slopes of Mount St. Helens. So, as most of you have done, we too have been forced to move on to other computing platforms. Not by choice, but of necessity. Consequently, our focus as a group is shifting as well. We will now be adding support for Macintosh and Windows-based computing platforms. This is a natural progression, as many of our more staunch Amiga members over the last few years have been "dual users". In other words, when the Amiga first started to "slip away" many of our members added a Mac or PC as a second computing platform to accomplish things the Amiga couldn't do well, or even at all. Even in the halcyon days of the AWD, the vast majority of "hits" on the web site were generated by browsers on platforms other than the Amiga. This foretold our current situation even as we were still singing the Amiga's praise.

While it's true the AWD isn't around any longer and our focus has shifted, we still are die-hard computer "power-users" and "abusers"! We are still taking our machines to the limits in many different applications and bringing those unique experiences back to CUCUG in the various programs and guest speakers we present each month. All of these events will continue to be reported in-depth each month by our award-winning publication "The Status Register", so poignantly and professionally tended to by our excellent Newsletter Editor, Kevin Hopkins.

We believe CUCUG will still be able to provide value to both our local and Web-based members going forward into the new century. We will touch on computing's "hot spots" with timely demos, reviews and commentary from computer "geeks" you have come to know and love through the years. CUCUG may be changing, but we're sure not going away!!

We now ask you, our valued members, to help us transition into the true User's Group of the next century, by reaffirming your support. Without it, we would wither and die. With your input, comments and financial support, there is no limit to the many good things we can continue to achieve for YOU, our membership. And who knows, in light of recent events, the Amiga may yet rise again!

Please take a moment to renew your CUCUG membership today. It doesn't take a lot of time or money to do and the benefits are real. To easily and quickly renew your membership using any major credit card, please visit our secure online membership application page: http://www.cucug.org/cucugapp.html We thank you in advance for your continued support, as we bring the best in computing to you.

Sincerely,

Jim Lewis
President
Corporate Agent
WinSig Chairman

www.cucug.org
NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com

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CUCUG Retires Amiga Web Directory

The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group
912 Stratford Dr.
Champaign, IL 61821

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 1, 2000 - The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group (CUCUG) announced today that it has retired its popular, award-winning Amiga Web Directory (AWD) web site.

Citing continuing declines in the Amiga marketplace and Gateway's failure to deliver new Amiga computer systems, CUCUG reluctantly decided to discontinue its popular web site link directory and news service on January 1, 2000. It was felt that while CUCUG could continue with the AWD for several months, it was better to retire now rather than allow the site to slowly decline with the market. CUCUG is hopeful that the latest owners of the Amiga can turn this market around for the developers and users who have held on throughout all the past ownership changes and other difficulties the Amiga has faced.

For over five years, the Amiga Web Directory served as one of the most-visited Amiga-oriented web sites on the Internet. Its carefully cataloged listings of Amiga web sites was the most-respected collection of its kind. Each site in the AWD's listings was reviewed by the CUCUG webmaster to ensure quality and Amiga orientation. Site descriptions were carefully prepared by hand, resulting in accuracy not possible on other machine- driven sites or those which allow site owners to write their own descriptions.

The AWD's Amiga news pages became one of the most imitated features in the Amiga web community. Dozens of Amiga news sites were inspired by the success of the Amiga Web Directory's hugely popular news pages.

A well-known offshoot of the Amiga Web Directory was "Agnes" the Amiga web searching service. Agnes was also a cartoon character which personalized the searching service. In addition to the over-2000 Amiga sites cataloged in the Amiga Web Directory, Agnes could search the general Internet for Amiga content, newsgroup messages, CUCUG Status Register newsletters and other Amiga-oriented materials.

The Amiga Web Directory was one of the first member-supported Amiga web sites. Amiga enthusiasts joined the CUCUG organization to show their support for the efforts of the group. These memberships covered the costs associated with running the popular web service and other CUCUG activities. CUCUG is very grateful to its members' support which it has received over the years. The group also acknowledges the many Amiga-oriented companies which have given assistance.

CUCUG, which has been supporting local computer users in the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois area since 1983 will now focus its efforts on local user group activities.

###

"The Amiga Web Directory", the Amiga Web Directory logo, "Agnes" and the Agnes character are service marks of the Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group, Inc. All of the textual descriptions associated with the links shown as well as the collection of links are property of CUCUG. Copying or unauthorized mirroring of material from the Amiga Web Directory is prohibited.

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CUCUG's Mac Wed Directory Retirement Announcement

Unlike many other platforms the Macintosh is once again growing and thriving in a PC dominant world. Since this directory began in '96 we've seen some dark times and I hope and feel that this site has been a benefit to those who were looking for help when many were writing the Mac off. Although CUCUG still supports the Macintosh as a platform with a strong group of members; as the Macintosh Web Directory webmaster, I felt that it's in CUCUG's best interest to retire this site. I've singlehandedly attempted to maintain this site since the beginning and have reached a point where the time is just not there to keep a quality site up that best reflects what CUCUG is all about and that is top notch help and support.

I've appreciated all of the mail and comments over the years and wish that I could continue the site and improve upon it. There were some nice additions in the pipeline that reflected many of the comments people have requested. If time became available in the future the MWD could possibly come out of retirement but with so many other strong sites available, there really isn't a perceived need in the community. A simple visit to any of the popular search engines such as Yahoo!, Hotbot, and many others will reveal this. The Macintosh is a great platform and I will remain a user as well as resource for others in the years to come.

See ya around the web!

-Jim Huls -former Macintosh Web Directory webmaster

###

"The Macinotsh Web Directory" and the Macinotsh Web Directory logo are service marks of the Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group, Inc. All of the textual descriptions associated with the links shown as well as the collection of links are property of CUCUG. Copying or unauthorized mirroring of material from the Macintosh Web Directory is prohibited.

ToC

Amiga Sold To Amino

Amino Development Buys Amiga Name, Inventory From Gateway

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 31 -- Amino Development Corp., a privately held company based in Maple Valley, Washington, has purchased from Gateway its Amiga trademarks and Amiga computer systems. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

According to Peter Ashkin, Gateway senior vice president, Gateway chose to sell the name after deciding to fold Amiga's software engineering function into Gateway's product development. This merger of development activities is part of Gateway's overall strategy to develop and market the coming generation of "Internet appliances".

"Amiga, as a personal computer brand, has a loyal following of fans around the world," Ashkin said. "Under Gateway's wing, Amiga morphed into a software development company working on a new Internet appliance operating environment software. Now that we're bringing that development work into Gateway product development, it made sense to find a buyer for Amiga."

"Yee-haw " said Bill McEwen, president and CEO of Amino. "This is a very exciting day, and now an even more exciting tomorrow. Now we can finish the job that was started 15 years ago."

The transaction, effective immediately, includes the transfer of all Internet domain names related to Amiga which Gateway had held. Gateway retains ownership of all patents acquired when it bought Amiga in 1997.

ToC

Welcome to Tomorrow

From: "fleecy moss" (fleecy@earthlink.net)
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 14:57:40 -0500

It was supposed to come out yesterday, so everyone would have another reason to celebrate on NYE, but in typical Gateway fashion, they even screwed that up ;-)

We will prepare a press release shortly, but the investment round, buyout, and dealing with Gateway has left both Bill and myself knackered, and our families seriously neglected over the holiday.

Please excuse us if we take some time out to recover and be in arse kicking form for the next year.

We'd like to thank everyone who has stood by the Amiga and whose individual efforts have contributed to ensuring that the candle flame has never gone out, from developers, to users, to just everyday ppl building their websites.

As the native Americans believe, humans cannot own anything, they are just caretakers. We plan on taking really good care of the Amiga, and taking our place in the community.

Welcome to Tomorrow.

ToC

More on the Buyout

From: "fleecy moss" (fleecy@earthlink.net)
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000

We got everything but the patents, for which we have a licence.

We aren't going to make the mistakes that other owners have made in the past re information released. We will do it slowly, and when items are absolutely guaranteed.

We have more than the backing we need, and more keeps turning up at our door everyday, giving us a lot of confidence that we are doing the right thing.

Everything in its right time and place. Just be aware, the Amiga purchase was only a small part of what we are doing. This is much bigger than just the creation of an A5000 or a PPC Amiga. The community is at the head of everything we will be doing, but there will be a lot coming behind it. The best thing you can do for us is to continue to be an Amigan, because without that, we wouldn't be here now.

As we stated about 4 months ago, we want the community to own as much of Amiga as possible. As we had to go the traditional VC route, we cannot be as flexible as we had intended, but we fully intend to do as much as we can to allow Amigans to own some of the company. We have bought everything but the patents, to which we have a licence. We have been busy developing plans not just for systems, but for concepts that define a new relationship between people and computers. Indeed the word computer is is outdated, being just a tool to get into the digital universe of unlimited possibilities. In pushing for this, we have gathered a lot of partners who have read our plans and become very excited as well. This isn't just about moving the AmigaOS to PPC - it is far beyond that.

We have a carefully scripted and timed strategy for release of information. We have consulted with many of the journalists in the community to ensure that we don't make the same mistakes made in the past re release of information, promises without results etc. We know that sometimes this will lead to gaps of weeks in which no information is available but we have a solution for that as well. As grounded in the community as we are, we know the pitfalls and will do our best to ensure we don't fall into them.

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Amiga Partners With Tao Group

Amiga Incorporated has entered into a strategic relationship with Tao Group for the New Amiga

Las Vegas, January 8, 2000 - Amiga Incorporated, a privately held company based in Maple Valley, WA, has entered into a strategic relationship with the Tao Group as the new content platform foundation partner for the new Amiga. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bill McEwen, Amiga President/CEO, said that the company selected Tao as the foundation partner for the new Amiga after reviewing numerous other potential partners.

"After extensive research trawling the markets we found that Tao had the greatest similarities and strengths with our vision, and the capabilities to get the job done". McEwen said. "Amiga with Tao together will bring a new level of capabilities, portability and scalability never available before."

"Tao has its roots in the Amiga so this is particularly satisfying for us" said Francis Charig, Chairman and CEO of Tao Group. "What makes this relationship so exciting to Tao is the relationship we can enjoy with Amiga and the Amiga Community. The world has changed radically in the last few years and there is a vacuum in terms of content and software environments that meets the needs of the mass market. The skill sets of the Amiga community combined with the power and flexibility of Tao's software infrastructure means that the New Amiga can create the most compelling content for the emerging digital services and content markets."

ABOUT AMIGA

Amiga Incorporated is dedicated to the development, design, and implementation of components, services, and models that support the digital experience of tomorrow. Amiga lead the world into the multi-media experience in the early 80's, and will lead it into the Digital content universe of the future.

ABOUT TAO

Tao Group is an intellectual property generator and software company specializing in technologies for home and mobile networks. Incorporated in 1992, the Company provides leading edge products for the emerging markets of intelligent consumer devices. The company's philosophy is based on providing powerful frameworks for use right across the range of networked appliances from smart phones to digital television into which Tao's clients can build in their own branding and incorporate their own added value. Tao's clients include blue chip technology corporations in the United States, Japan and Europe. Motorola and Sony are investors in Tao Group. Tao is headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, with representation in Japan and the US, and its staff includes more than fifty world-class software engineers. Tao is a Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 Winner and has won a series of innovation awards for its operating system and Java-based engine.

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A-OK for Y2K

TidBITS#511/03-Jan-00

The world did not end at the stroke of midnight on 01-Jan-00 - nor did the world's computer systems come crashing to a halt, even in regions that had taken Y2K-preparedness lightly. It's tempting to laugh off Y2K hysteria now, but according to estimates, between $300 and $600 billion was spent worldwide on addressing Y2K-related computer problems. The fact that 01-Jan-00 came and went without significant problems is indicative primarily of the effort put into ensuring that Y2K would not cause troubles, not that concerns were unjustified. Those who spent the last few years slaving over old code and testing systems deserve a lot of credit for ensuring that New Year's Eve could be a time of celebration, rather than just a really dark night.

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IBM Ships ViaVoice Speech Recognition

TidBITS#509/13-Dec-99

IBM has shipped ViaVoice for Macintosh, the first continuous speech recognition program available for the Mac OS. (IBM announced the product last July at Macworld.) The $80 ViaVoice includes a noise-cancelling headset microphone and requires a PowerPC G3 or G4 Macintosh introduced after August 1998 (233 MHz or faster), Mac OS 8.5.1 or later, 48 MB of RAM, and 200 MB of disk space. ViaVoice needs to be trained to an individual user's voice profile, but thereafter users can dictate text into its SpeakPad application, then transfer the spoken text to directly supported programs or another application via the clipboard.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05484

Longtime TidBITS contributor Glenn Fleishman (glenn@glenns.org) has described his ongoing difficulties with ViaVoice in TidBITS Talk; possible early adopters might wish to read his experiences. Glenn did discover the lone Macintosh ViaVoice support person happened to be an Italian in Scotland. As Glenn put it, "So I'm on the phone to New York, transferred to Scotland, talking to an Italian person about standard English voice recognition. (The next line should be, "and a priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into my office.")" [ACE]

http://www.ibm.com/software/speech/mac/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkmsg=5277

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Free SoundJam 1.5 Update Improves MP3 Encoding

TidBITS#509/13-Dec-99

Casady & Greene has released SoundJam MP 1.5, a free update to the company's popular MP3 player and encoder. SoundJam 1.5 offers numerous major improvements, with a focus on encoding capabilities, including variable bitrate (VBR) encoding (see "Making MP3s, Part 2" in TidBITS-505_ for details), a "Faster" encoding mode, the option to play the converted track during encoding for real-time feedback on conversion quality, batch conversion of CDs, and better Internet streaming performance. SoundJam, which retails for $40 (electronic download) or $50 (physical format) requires at least a PowerPC 603 running at 100 MHz with Mac OS 7.6.1 or later. The update is a 1.6 MB download. [ACE]

http://www.soundjam.com/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05648

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CorelDraw 8 LE for Free

CNET | DOWNLOAD DISPATCH (Mac Edition)
January 11, 2000, Vol. 5, No. 2

CORELDRAW 8 LE
File size: 55MB
License: Freeware
Minimum requirements: PowerPC, Mac OS 8.1

Now available as a free download, this high-quality illustration program from Corel features Web-savvy editing tools, professional color management capabilities, real-time image effects, compatibility with Photoshop plug-ins, and more. If you're looking for a solid graphics suite that won't hurt your wallet, then CorelDraw 8 LE is definitely worth downloading. A sweet suite:

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dYBEhAEYowEmABum

Find all of our latest picks here:

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dYBEhAEYowAgYYuA

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DropZip It To your PC Friends

CNET | DOWNLOAD DISPATCH (Mac Edition)
January 11, 2000, Vol. 5, No. 2

ALADDIN DROPZIP
Version: 5.5
File size: 1.9MB
License: Shareware ($20)
Minimum requirements: System 7.5.3

Want to compress your files using the PC-friendly ZIP format? This basic system utility from the developers of Stuffit Expander lets you easily create ZIP archives by dragging and dropping files onto DropZip's application icon. Biplatform bliss:

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dYBEhAEYowEmguug

Find all the latest utilities here:

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dYBEhAEYowghEYuo

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Minor Y2K Fix for Excel 98

TidBITS#511/03-Jan-00

Microsoft Corporation has released a minor update to Excel 98 for Macintosh to address a problem exporting date information to text files using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Dates with four-digit years will be exported using two-digit years, meaning century information about the dates is lost. Depending on how the data is subsequently used, this may cause date problems: for instance, Excel 98 assumes two-digit years 00 to 29 are in the 21st century, so any dates pointing to the years 1900 through 1929 would be misinterpreted by Excel if they were exported to a text file using VBA, and re- imported into Excel 98. Other applications may interpret two digit years as being in the 20th century, while some use varying "date windows" for interpreting two-digit years. (See "Parsing Like It's 1999" in TidBITS-475_ for more details.) This issue applies only to dates with four-digit years exported to text files using VBA: no other instance of saving or exporting Excel data is affected. Microsoft's Excel 98 Y2K Update is available for English language versions of Office 98, either as a new part of its Mac OS 9 Updater for Office 98 released earlier this month, or separately as an 818K download for those who have already installed the Mac OS 9 update. Microsoft says versions for non-English versions of Office 98 should be forthcoming. [GD]

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05342
http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/downloads/OS9.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/downloads/Excel98Y2K/Excel98Y2K_2.asp

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Internet Explorer 4.51 & Outlook Express 5.01 Fix Problems

by Geoff Duncan (geoff@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#511/03-Jan-00

Microsoft Corporation has released Internet Explorer 4.51 and Outlook Express 5.01, which address issues with Web site and email attachment security, as well as JavaScript problems that occur using the two products in combination. The two updates are available together as an 11.4 MB download, or separately (6.4 MB and 9.4 MB, respectively) if you only use one or the other. Microsoft has published a brief FAQ on these releases.

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/download/
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/download/en/iefaqEN.asp

In a nutshell, Internet Explorer 4.51 includes new SSL version 3 security certificates from VeriSign. Some certificates which originally shipped with Internet Explorer 4.5 expire 01-Jan-00, at which point it becomes impossible for Explorer to establish secure connections to some Web sites (such as online merchants or financial services). Both Internet Explorer 4.51 and Outlook Express 5.01 offer improved support for version 3 certificates that should allow automatic updating in the future. Installing Explorer 4.51 is merely a matter of drag & drop in the Finder, though a few people have had troubles; see TidBITS Talk for details and fixes. Netscape browsers earlier than version 4.06 may also have the same problem with certificate expiration.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=889

Outlook Express 5.01 patches a security loophole first reported in mid-November whereby attachments could automatically be downloaded to a user's hard disk by being embedded in a specifically composed MIME HTML (MHTML) message. These items would appear in a user's Download folder without the user's knowledge; if a user launched one of these items and it happened to be a malicious application, damage could occur. Outlook Express 5.01 protects users by not downloading any material embedded in an MHTML message that can't be rendered as part of the message. Outlook Express 5.01 ships with an updated JavaScript shared library that's also used by Internet Explorer; the version that shipped with Outlook Express 5.0 could cause Internet Explorer to have problems with certain secure Web sites. This problem only impacted users running both Internet Explorer 4.5 and Outlook Express 5.0 on the same Macintosh. Be careful using Outlook Express's drag & drop installation feature: it's all too easy to delete your existing mail database if you simply replace your existing Outlook Express folder.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05651

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Windows 2000 arrives early

CNET | NEWS.COM DISPATCH, Friday, January 14, 2000

Major PC makers will begin selling Windows 2000 systems on Jan. 24, nearly three weeks before Microsoft formally unveils the new, much-delayed operating system.

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dhuYKuuBYwEmBAuY

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Gates Steps Aside As CEO of Microsoft

CNET | NEWS.COM DISPATCH, Friday, January 14, 2000

In a surprise announcement, Bill Gates says he will resign as Microsoft's CEO, handing over the reins to president and longtime friend Steve Ballmer and fill the newly created post of "chief software architect." Gates will remain as Chairman of the Board. Its leader may be stepping aside, but his company's aggressive record leads many to believe that the move is part of a grand strategy to revitalize.

http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dhuYKuuBYwEmBguh

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AOL Buying Time Warner

TidBITS#512/10-Jan-00

In a joint announcement on 10-Jan- 00, America Online and Time Warner announced that AOL, the world's largest Internet provider, will be buying Time Warner, the world's largest media company, for $160 billion in stock. Appropriately enough, the deal is the largest corporate merger to date, creating a $350 billion company, and was announced exactly ten years after Time, Inc., merged with Warner Brothers to create what was then the world's largest media conglomerate. The new company will be called AOL Time Warner and AOL shareholders will control 55 percent of the company. AOL's Steve Case will serve as chairman of the board, while Time Warner's Gerald Levin will serve as CEO. Although it's too early to speculate about the long-term effects of this merger, it creates a monolithic, one-stop media empire combining a vast range of print publishing, news, film, and television properties with the Internet and interactive technologies. The deal will also enable AOL to provide online services via Time Warner's cable television network, which reaches approximately 20 percent of homes in the U.S. [GD]

http://www.corp.aol.com/cgi/announce-pr.html
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dYKBgYmgBwEBBuuY

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Common Ground:

Macintosh-Windows Translation Dictionary

by Adam C. Engst (ace@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#509/13-Dec-99

It's been hard keeping this one under wraps, but for almost a year and a half now, I've been working on a truly neat project that's also been one of the hardest things I've ever done and, I hope, one of the most useful. Together with David Pogue (who you may know as the author of "Macs for Dummies" and the Desktop Critic column in Macworld magazine each month), I've written a new book called "Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook" (ISBN 1-56592-539-4, O'Reilly, 1999). The book lists for $29.95, but is readily available for less from most booksellers, including Amazon, with whom TidBITS has an affiliate program.

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/platforms/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1565925394/tidbitselectro00A/

Understanding the Concept

The book is essentially a translation dictionary, much like you'd use when travelling to look up a word in your native language to learn the corresponding word and pronunciation in some other language. You could also liken it to a language phrasebook that would tell you how to say, "Waiter! There's a dragon in my soup!" in another tongue. In this case, though, the languages in question are those of the Mac OS and Windows 95/98.

The translation dictionary approach is an unusual one for a book, but it fits perfectly with its target audience. Imagine that you're an experienced Macintosh user who has to start using Windows at work. You're neither stupid nor a novice, so straining useful information out of an introductory Windows book would be tedious at best. And if you're like the rest of us, you just want to get some work done without spending a lot of time reading. For instance, you might want to make an alias on a Windows machine and not even know that the Windows equivalent is called a shortcut. Look up "alias" under A in Crossing Platforms, and it will promptly identify the Windows equivalent as a shortcut, tell you how to make one, and explain the differences between Macintosh aliases and Windows shortcuts.

Alternatively, imagine that you've finally convinced a Windows- using friend or family member to buy a new iMac (joining the hundreds of thousands of other Windows users who've done so). You've set yourself up for Macintosh tech support for life, but what do you do when your new convert asks about the Macintosh equivalent to protocol components in the Windows Network control panel? You can quickly flip to the Windows side of the book, look up Network control panel under N, and see what the Macintosh equivalent is (and once you've been tipped off, explain how to set up the AppleTalk and TCP/IP control panels on the Mac). Or, of course, you could encourage your friend to get their own copy of the book so they can translate from Windows to the Mac on their own.

The Goals

I wanted to write this book for a couple of reasons. First, despite misinformed comments about how Windows 95 was "just as good as" the Mac and some superficial similarities, the Mac OS and Windows are quite different, especially at a deep conceptual level. When I needed to use Windows to write about Windows versions of Internet programs, I found these conceptual differences quite annoying - I had come to Windows with the impression it would work more or less as I expected a Mac to work, and I was quickly disabused of that notion. So my first goal was to help Mac users avoid the frustrations I went through with things like trying to make my PC stop asking me to login at every startup.

Second, while working on Cary Lu's "The Race for Bandwidth" with Steve Manes, a columnist for Forbes who concentrates primarily on the PC world, I had numerous long discussions with Steve about things that bugged him about the Mac OS, coming at it as a PC user. I could generally fix his problem and explain why the Mac OS worked as it did, but I started to see how a PC user could find the Mac OS frustrating as well, and I tried in the book to explain the Mac so that Windows users will see the power, consistency, and flexibility of the Mac OS.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05099

These two mindsets - a Mac user having to use Windows and a Windows user trying to learn the Mac - proved to be the focus of the discussions David and I had while working out the design of the book. And when I was writing each alphabetical chapter, I had to keep reminding myself which mindset I needed to use for each entry. Luckily, as the reader, all you need to know is which half of the book to use. If you're a Mac user learning Windows, use the first half. If you're a Windows user learning to use the Mac OS, stick with the second half.

Sample Material & Reviews

To get more of a feel for the book, you can read the A chapters on O'Reilly's Web site. If you're interested in reviewing the book, interviewing me or David about it, or inquiring about discounts on bulk purchases (for departments whose Macs have been taken away, for instance), send me email at (ace@tidbits.com).

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/platforms/chapter/

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The Macintosh Section:

Jobs's Macworld SF 2000 Keynote Announcements

by TidBITS Staff (editors@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#512/10-Jan-00

At his keynote address at Macworld Expo San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the wraps off a host of free Macintosh-centric Internet services that turns Apple into a content provider and supplements Mac OS technologies on user's desktops with Internet- based server technologies provided by Apple. Jobs also highlighted record Macintosh sales - 1.35 million systems during the last fiscal quarter - and research showing significant portions of iMac and iBook buyers are new Apple customers.

http://www.apple.com/

Apple also announced a multi-year partnership with (and $200 million investment in) EarthLink Networks to provide Internet access for Macintosh users. EarthLink will be the default ISP for all new Macs and Apple will reap a cut from every Macintosh user who signs up with EarthLink.

http://www.earthlink.net/

Probably the biggest surprise of the keynote was a development time line and preview of Mac OS X. According to Apple's plan, Mac OS X will be released in January 2001, with a final beta sent to developers during spring 2000, and pre-order sales beginning summer 2000. The real treat was a demonstration of Mac OS X's new interface, Aqua, which nearly had Jobs salivating over his keyboard. Sporting translucent buttons and a sparse overall look, the interface has already provoked debate about its merits in TidBITS Talk. (We'll be publishing a more complete look at Aqua in a future TidBITS issue.)

http://www.apple.com/macosx/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=901

Steve Jobs also dropped the word "Interim" from his title, finally cementing his long de-facto status as CEO of both Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs is retaining the title of iCEO at Apple - claiming the I now stands for Internet - perhaps as a nod to the iMacs and iBooks that have rejuvenated the company.

http://www.pixar.com/

Missing from the show was the heavily rumored replacement for the eight-month-old bronze keyboard PowerBook G3; it's worth remembering Apple has a long history of adversarial relationships with rumor-mongers and has even been known to spread misinformation. Since rumors of forthcoming hardware tend to have the effect of dampening current sales, which no company wants, we doubt that Apple seeded the new PowerBook rumors intentionally and instead was merely the victim of misinformed speculation. A note in TidBITS Talk also commented that one reason for the lack of new hardware might have been to help resellers, since Apple has to stop producing older models and clear out inventory when they roll out new hardware. Introducing a new model at Macworld Expo in January means that resellers can be left with no inventory at the worst possible time - the holiday buying season.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=899

ToC

Eudora 4.3 Public Beta Adds Free Usage Modes

by Adam Engst (ace@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#509/13-Dec-99

Qualcomm has released a public beta of Eudora 4.3 (limited to 250,000 users who fill out a survey), adding a few new features and eliminating the previous split between the free Eudora Light and the commercial Eudora Pro (see our "Eudora Pro 4.2" series for details on Eudora Pro's features). Although we normally don't report on beta software, the changes appearing in the next revision of Eudora mark an interesting shift from the way Eudora has been distributed in the past, and how it's dealing with pressures from free email clients such as Microsoft Outlook Express.

http://www.eudora.com/survey/beta_survey.html
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbser=1147

Once Eudora 4.3 is finally released in a few months, users will be able to select any of three operating modes - Light, Paid, and Sponsored - by choosing Payment & Registration from the Help menu. Paid mode isn't currently available in the beta since Qualcomm hasn't gotten the registration system online yet, and Light mode switches back to Sponsored mode after a restart in 4.3b10 - that will be fixed in the next beta.

  • Light mode is essentially an upgrade to the current Eudora Light, offering a reduced feature set for free.
  • Paid mode moves along the same lines as Eudora Pro, providing Eudora's full feature set for $50 (with a $10 rebate). Paid mode in the release version of 4.3 will be free to owners of Eudora Pro 4.2.
  • Sponsored mode, which is new to Eudora 4.3, combines the free price of Light mode with the full feature set of Paid mode, giving you the full power of Eudora Pro for no payment. The catch is that a 144 by 144 pixel advertising box displays a series of static ads that are visible at all times while you're in Eudora. Sponsored mode will be the default for the free downloadable version.

    The addition of Sponsored mode is bound to raise controversy, since it is one of the first mainstream examples of advertising appearing outside of Web browsers. However, Sherlock has always displayed banner ads, and Sherlock 2 displays only ads from Apple or Apple partners - neither version offers a way to opt-out of the advertising, no matter how much money you pay Apple. Plus, Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0.1 for Windows reportedly displays advertising for users reading mail downloaded from Microsoft's advertising-supported Hotmail service.

    Overall, though, I think this foray into advertising-supported software makes sense in a software industry increasingly driven by free software. Sponsored mode is merely an addition for Qualcomm - Eudora 4.3 still offers the equivalent of Eudora Pro and a significantly upgraded Eudora Light. So Eudora Pro 4.2 users gain a few new features for free. Eudora Light users gain a major upgrade for free. And if a new user doesn't feel like paying for Eudora but still wants all the features, Sponsored mode is there. After testing Eudora in Sponsored mode, I didn't find the ads particularly annoying - especially in comparison with many Web sites, because Qualcomm isn't accepting ads with animation or sound.

    Other New Developments

    The main new feature in Eudora 4.3 is a History address book to which Eudora automatically adds the addresses of people whose address you type or to whose messages you reply. Names in the History address book work just like other nicknames you create, which simplifies sending mail to someone with whom you're having a discussion, but who otherwise isn't in your Address Book. Also new is a Link History window that tracks all the URLs you've visited, along with a variety of minor tweaks and bug fixes, including an indicator of the number of selected messages in the Size box and an undocumented feature that lets Eudora read and write specific settings to Internet Config even if connection to Internet Config is turned off. Just replace the setting with < < < < ICP > > > > (that's ICP surrounded by two double angle brackets on each side, which you get with Option-Backslash and Shift-Option-Backslash). This feature is useful for automatically switching SMTP server settings in Eudora when you switch locations with the Location Manager. Qualcomm also plans to add tools to import mail and addresses from other email programs before Eudora 4.3's official release in the first quarter of 2000.

    System requirements for the Eudora 4.3 public beta include a PowerPC-based Mac (68K support is still under consideration) with 1,800K of RAM running System 7.1.2 or later with the Text Encoding Converter. The download weighs in at 5.9 MB for the Mac (or 7.5 MB for Windows, if you also use Eudora there). Note that this beta software: you use it at your own risk and with the understanding that you'll report problems to Qualcomm. In the interests of disclosure, also note that I wrote "Eudora for 4.2 Windows & Macintosh" from Peachpit Press.

    http://www.tidbits.com/eudora/
    http://www.peachpit.com/books/catalog/K5846.html

    ToC

    Digital Camera Buying Guidelines, Part 2

    by Arthur H. Bleich (arthur@dpcorner.com)

    Is it finally time to buy a digital camera? The digital camera market is already several years old, early adopters are now old pros, and more people consider the switch to digital photography every day. In part one of this article, I asserted that this year really is the year to buy a digital camera, whether it's your first or a successor to an earlier model, and I offered a checklist of features that you should look for in the current crop. In part two, it's time to pull away the curtain and give you my list of best picks for beginners for this year.

    If you want to see pictures of the digital cameras described below and check out a comparison chart that lists their features, click on over to my site, the Digital PhotoCorner.

    http://www.dpcorner.com/

    The "Model A" of Digital Cameras

    The Fuji MX-1200 is the first-ever blister-packed digital camera, but don't let plain- clothes packaging put you off; this camera will deliver excellent pictures. Even though it doesn't have autofocus, its f-4.5 to f-11 lens (38 mm equivalent) will keep objects sharp over a large range and its top shutter speed of 1/750 second will stop most action. When you want to get in really close (like up to 4 inches), flip a switch to Macro mode. It has excellent low-light capabilities, a manual mode to control white balance and exposure compensation, five flash modes, and has about the easiest menu of any digital camera I've ever used. It's ready to go in about 2 seconds after you turn it on, and you can click off shots every 3 to 4 seconds. It's a good-looking digital camera, too, and will take 32 MB SmartMedia memory cards (4 MB included). The MX-1200 marks a defining moment in the history of digital cameras. Street price: about $250.

    http://www.fujifilm.com/

    The Low Light Champion

    The Olympus D-450 Zoom has a 3x optical zoom lens, autofocus, and a fast shot-to-shot time of about one second thanks to its big buffer that stores shots as they're being processed. It includes a whole slew of features including video out, two light metering modes, and a choice of three ISO ratings: 160, 320, and 640. I've shot pictures with this digital camera at night where the camera recorded details I couldn't even see. It can also store uncompressed TIFF images, has a fast sequence mode of up to 2 frames per second, 5 flash modes, shutter speeds of 1/2 to 1/1000 second, and a fast f-2.8/f-8 lens which is needle-sharp. Olympus is one of the most experienced optical houses in the world and has been in the forefront of photographic innovation (including digital photography) for more than 80 years. A nice feature is that distances can be pre-set to capture fast action so the camera isn't slowed down by having to focus. If big prints are what you're looking for, this camera will deliver. Included are Adobe's PhotoDeluxe, Enroute Quick Stitch Panorama software, and an 8 MB Smart Media memory card. Street price: about $390.

    http://www.olympusamerica.com/product.asp?c=63&s=12&p=16&product=379

    Finally, Big Yellow Scores!

    The Kodak DC240 Zoom is one of the first Kodak digital cameras I found to be just right: solid and well built. Its shot-to-shot time is fast for the first two images, and then slows to a still-creditable four seconds or so between shots. But its simple and elegant controls and menus are where this charcoal and silver beauty excels. If you can't figure them out in less than five minutes, give up on digital cameras. In essence, Kodak has reverted to their roots in that you need only to push a few buttons and the camera does the rest. The LCD monitor is a bit grainy in low light and a tad jerky when you move it quickly from one scene to another, but since you're not shooting movies, it's tolerable. It has a 3x optical zoom, an aperture range of f-2.8 to f-16, shutter speeds of 1/2 to 1/755 second, and four flash modes. It also comes with four AA alkaline batteries so you can get going right away, while the included charger juices up the four NiMH rechargeable batteries that also come standard. Also supplied: an 8 MB Compact Flash memory card and Adobe's PhotoDeluxe and PageMill. For video out you can toggle between NTSC or PAL and, along with its standard serial port, the DC240 Zoom features USB. Street price: about $395.

    http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/cameras/dc240/

    A Voyeur's Dream Cam

    The Minolta Dimage EX1500 Zoom costs more than the others and will take you longer to learn to use, but it has one feature no other digital camera in the world (that I know of) offers: the entire lens assembly can be detached from the camera body and placed in any imaginable position you desire. A five foot optional cable allows you to hold the LCD monitor in a comfortable position while poking the lens around a corner, over a fence, or even into a hole in the ground. I found it great for cat photography; the small handheld lens part becomes very non- threatening and allows for some unusual angles. It does have a few quirks: the lens cuts slightly into the optical viewfinder's field of view at its widest setting; you have to open the battery compartment to insert or remove the memory card; and its LCD monitor is jerky when you move the camera to frame your scenes - all annoying, but not fatal. With a 3x optical zoom, f-3.5 lens, 1/4000 second shutter speed, five flash modes, a burst rate of up to 7.5 frames per second at high resolution, and its detachable lens feature, this is a one-of-a-kind digital camera. Street price: about $550.

    http://minoltausa.com/mainframe.asp?productID=200&whichProductSection=1&whichSection=2

    The Scrunch Eliminator

    The Canon PowerShot A50 Zoom has a unique optical 2.5x zoom which, at its widest setting, it is the equivalent of a 28 mm lens on a 35 mm camera. Although most people crave more telephoto power, it's the wide end of the zoom that produces the most visually interesting shots, with great depth of field and dramatic spatial relationships between objects in the foreground and background. You can also get more of a crowd into the picture at close quarters without having them scrunch together. In its miniature brushed duraluminum case, it looks like it was designed not only to see, but to be seen. It has an f-2.6 lens, shutter speeds from 2 to 1/750 second, four flash modes, and is able to capture uncompressed images if you need the highest quality. It has an interesting feature that forces the camera to shoot at the slowest speed commensurate with good exposure which, among other things, will let you pan with a moving subject or object to keep them sharp while blurring the background. If you choose this digital camera, plan on spending another $80 or so for a kit containing a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and a charger/AC power combination because it comes with only a disposable battery. Street price: about $325.

    http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/a50/main.html

    Hi-Res & Smokin' Fast

    The Toshiba PDR-M4 is the only 2.1 megapixel digital camera in this group. Alas, it doesn't have an optical zoom lens but it does have 2x digital one (which, unfortunately, lowers resolution when used). Nevertheless it's a speed demon: two seconds from power-on to ready, less than a second between shots, a burst-rate - at its highest resolution - of four shots in two seconds, and some super-slow shutter speeds (up to eight seconds) to allow great, special effects night photography. It's a mini-camera (the most compact of the group) and if you have big hands you'll have to adjust somewhat, but that's a small price to pay for the quality of images you'll get. The camera includes a Lithium-Ion battery which can be charged in-camera or with an optional external charger. (Put a spare battery on your shopping list, though, to have as a backup.) With an aperture of f-3.2 or f-8, a normal shutter speed range of between 1/4 and 1/1000 second, 4-inch macro capabilities, five flash modes, NTSC video out, and an 8 MB SmartMedia memory card included, this is quite a package for the price. It comes with both serial and USB. If you need super-high resolution and speed, and can forego the zoom lens, this little jewel could be a good choice. Street price: about $400.

    http://www.toshiba.com/taisisd/dsc/products/cameras/pdrm4/index3.htm

    A Digital Tomorrow Today

    All of the cameras above are good values with outstanding features and realistic prices: the flexibility of digital photography has finally come down to earth for a wide range of consumers.

    [Arthur H. Bleich is a photographer, writer, and educator who lives in Miami. He has done assignments for major publications both in the U.S. and abroad and is currently Contributing Editor of Digital Camera Magazine.]

    [Source: TidBITS#509 / 13-Dec-99. TidBITS address is http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/default.html.]

    ToC

    PRAM Got Ya Down?

    by Adam C. Engst (ace@tidbits.com)
    TidBITS#506/15-Nov-99

    Our goal with last week's quiz was mostly educational, since we expected that most people would know the answer. We weren't disappointed, with 93 percent of the more than 1,700 people taking the quiz choosing the correct answer of Command-Option-P-R to zap the PRAM. The fact that such an easy quiz garnered that much attention would seem to indicate that people like quizzes to have an educational bent rather than just testing knowledge of Macintosh trivia, so we'll try to follow that path with future quizzes.

    Zapping the PRAM is a relatively obscure trick that many Macintosh users don't know, but it works on every Macintosh and can be useful for solving strange problems ranging from an inability to start up at all to the Mac displaying the wrong font in places like the Get Info windows. To zap the PRAM, make sure Caps Lock is turned off, then restart the Mac and hold down Command-Option-P-R at startup, making sure to hold the keys down until your Mac restarts itself twice. Be aware that zapping the PRAM on the PowerBook 190, 1400, 2400, 3400, 5300, and original G3 also resets the Power Manager. On PCI Power Macs, hold down Command-Option-P-R as soon as you press the Power key to turn on the Mac to clear the Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) that stores display information on those Macs. Finally, if you were wondering, the keystroke for zapping the PRAM remains the same on the iMac and other new Macs that use USB keyboards.

    A number of people in TidBITS Talk recommended MicroMat's free TechTool or commercial TechTool Pro as an alternative method of resetting the PRAM. These programs offer three advantages over the standard method. First, they clear all the information from PRAM, more than the standard method does. Second, they enable you to save the contents of PRAM and, if the PRAM doesn't turn out to be the problem, restore it rather than reset all your settings. Third and finally, they can automatically save and restore your Mac's manufacture date and hours of use, both of which are stored in the PRAM and are lost with the standard method.

    http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=846
    http://www.micromat.com/

    Keep in mind that zapping the PRAM does reset some settings, including those below, so you will need to use various control panels to turn on AppleTalk, change your mouse speed, reset your beep sound, and more.

    You might find these articles from Apple's Tech Info Library of interest - for more information, search the Tech Info Library on "PRAM."

    http://til.info.apple.com/
    http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n2238
    http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n16473
    http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n14449

    ToC

    The Amiga Section:

    EXECUTIVE UPDATE - January 3, 2000

    YeeHaw and welcome to the year 2000.

    I want to make something very clear from the beginning we have been told, that Amiga was purchased by Gateway because of the Patents, and that there were not even aware of the Amiga installed base, or the people.

    Gateway purchased Amiga because of Patents, we purchased Amiga because of the People.

    Without the people standing behind, developing, creating, purchasing and continuing to believe in the Amiga there never would have been anything for Gateway to purchase. We recognize this, and it is because of you, and what you have continued to accomplish with Amiga that we have purchased the company.

    I want to make sure that everyone knows and understands what this all means to you the true Amigans.

    Here is what was acquired from Gateway:

    1. All trademarks logo's etc.
    2. All existing inventory of Amiga International
    3. All existing licenses.
    4. License to All Amiga patents (Gateway still owns the patents, but we are able to use them).
    5. All web sites, and registered domain names.
    6. The Amiga OS and all that is associated with the OS.
    7. The Amiga operation as it exists today.

    Specific details of the developer system, the OS partners and how one can begin developing will be released in the next couple of weeks.

    We will be making an announcement on January 8th, 2000 with one of our partners at CES in Las Vegas, and more details will follow that release.

    Fleecy, Myself, Petro, and the rest of the team are not going to make promises and create presentations and demos. We are going to deliver products, services, and the rest of the world will know what you have already known.

    We will be officially changing the name of Amino Development Corporation to the Amiga Corporation this week, and we will let everyone know of this change shortly once it is officially completed.

    I want to thank all of you for your continued support we will make Amiga what it should have been, and more importantly what it will be.

    Keeping the faith,

    Bill McEwen President/CEO
    Amino Development Corporation

    ToC

    Amiga reborn via Tao alliance

    By Junko Yoshida
    EE Times
    (01/13/00, 6:24 p.m. EST)

    LAS VEGAS - The cult-classic Amiga desktop is poised for yet another resurrection, this time with the aid of a software company touting a new approach to cross-platform support.

    The Amiga company now regrouping under former Gateway marketing executive Bill McEwen has entered a strategic partnership with Tao Group (Reading, U.K.), a real-time operating system and software tools company. Tao will bring a new level of multmedia, Java and systems software support to Amiga, which debuted in 1982 as a games platform and won a loyal following among multimedia developers but failed to win a broad market under a succession of corporate owners.

    What Tao stands to gain in return, by tapping Amiga's wealth of content and its broad development base, is a strategic foothold for its cross-platform technology.

    At the recent Consumer Electronics Show here, Tao launched a suite of multimedia software tool kits and engines called 'intent.' Fleecy Moss, vice president of product development at Amiga, said the company intends to use the intent product as a foundation for the construction of a digital environment.

    Tao Group chairman and CEO Francis Charig told EE Times that Tao "will provide a new software infrastructure on top of which the Amiga community can build world-class content."

    McEwen said Amiga selected Tao as "the foundation partner for new Amiga" after "extensive research trawling the markets."

    Tangled trail

    Charig made no secret that Tao Group had helped put together the funding that had enabled Amino Development Corp., a startup headed by McEwen, to buy the rights to Amiga from Gateway late last year. Gateway acquired Amiga in 1997 with hopes of reviving it but failed. McEwen is now giving it a shot and has rechristened his startup Amiga to put the respected brand back out front.

    Amiga's Moss described Tao as "a whisper among the OS community for a few years now, just hints of something special going on." Amiga chose Tao as its partner, Moss said, because the OS company "provides not just an excellent multimedia layer but one of the most advanced transparent network and almost organic parallel computing paradigms in the world. Amiga was always about excellence through simplicity, and Tao's is the only product we found that is also cut from the same cloth."

    Tao, meanwhile, will troll for presence among the still-vital Amiga content-development community, which continued to crank out titles even after Amiga hardware production ceased. At film, TV and games studios worldwide, developers have been creating programs by using Amiga emulators running on top of personal computers.

    "Amiga has never been about a particular platform," said Charig. "It's about a community of highly regarded people dedicated to creating high-quality multimedia."

    The size of the Amiga community is unknown. "Estimates vary from 50,000 to 500,000," Moss said, "but since we announced the buyout, many of the ones who left are begging us to provide them with a reason to return."

    The more strongly the Amiga community unites to embrace the Tao-Amiga partnership, the easier it will be for Tao to realize its vision of cross-platform multimedia content for connected digital devices. According to Charig, the goal for Tao and many of its software licensees in the consumer electronics industry is "to help portable, quality multimedia content that can be delivered across networks, running on various low-end devices [including] cell phones, digital cameras, handhelds, game consoles, set-tops and digital TVs."

    Charig added that the Amiga community "long ago accepted that it was time to move on to a new generation of operating system."

    Both companies declined to comment on details of their product plans or to offer a timetable for introduction. "The important thing is to get the development systems out into the market," Amiga's Moss said. "We have a detailed projection of where, when, who and how, but we want to break with t radition by only announcing product when it is on the table in front of us."

    Missing elements

    At a time when the Linux operating system is gaining momentum worldwide and Sun Microsystems' Java technology is proliferating in embedded systems, the Tao partnership will bring Amiga two crucial elements missing from the current Amiga OS: genuine systems portability and a Java strategy.

    Tao's intent tool kits, serving as a content foundation, include an object-based deterministic operating system called Elate and a run-time engine that can run within a host OS. The company also offers its own clean room implementation of the Java Virtual Machine and Java libraries, both of which have been rewritten from scratch in Tao's portable machine code. Application programming interfaces offered by the company include Criterion's Renderware 3-D libraries.

    Tao expects consumer electronics companies to implement its high-performance, small-footprint Java in digital devices, and it's betting that multimedia content developers and network service providers will license the whole foundation for content development. Consumer companies can use the intent tools to develop unique interfaces for their digital products, Charig said.

    He said he's confident that Tao's content foundation and its strategic alliance with Amiga will give "hundreds of thousands of Java developers the confidence that Java can perform very fast and that the output can be very interesting."

    Amiga's Moss noted that while digital convergence has been misperceived as "PC-TVs and talking toasters, it is far more than that . . . it is about providing entry into the digital content universe.

    "That requires hardware, connectivity and usability. Hardware and connectivity are close to being where they need to be. Usability is at the state of using a stick to goad an ox in a certain direction. Amiga intends to concentrate on integrating hardware and connectivity and making people feel alive inside the universe of zeros and ones."

    Tao claims it does not expect consumer electronics manufacturers to switch to Elate from the operating systems they've grown accustomed to using. "We have to be realistic about this," said Charig. "The CE companies can always use just a run-time engine of Elate that can work within a host operating system."

    What separates Tao's intent multimedia software tool kits from its competitors' products is that intent's binary portable tools can run independently of the microprocessor architectures and operating systems used in embedded systems.

    The tools also can be dynamically or statically loaded into the run-time environment. The fine-grained object-based run-time engine and "dynamic binding" technology mean that only those tools needed to run the application can be loaded. That results in a smaller memory footprint, suiting Tao's content foundation for embedded applications that require an intuitive user interface and high-performance multimedia at a lower cost.

    The tool kit's binary portability hinges on Tao's translation technology. "We've created a specification for an imaginary CPU" called the Virtual Processor (VP), explained technology director Chris Hinsley. Using a VP model, VP code can be translated to target native code during load time or run-time.

    Hinsley, who earned respect as a games developer in the 1980s before he joined Tao, turned his own handcrafted operating system and object-based development approach into a deterministic operating system called Taos in the early 1990s. That OS, which leveraged an early incarnation of the VP model, was to become Elate.

    Hinsley noted that several chip vendors have come to Tao asking permission to build chips based on the VP spec. "We've always told them, 'Please don't do this,' because building a VP silicon defeats the whole purpose of a virtual processor itself," he said.

    Work is now proceeding on VP2, the second-generation virtual processor. Hinsley and Tao's engineers have developed an assembler, disassembler, C/C++ compiler and Java just-in-time (JIT) compiler.

    The VP-to-native translator technology also extends into the Java technology space. Java byte code is first converted to VP code. Then a Tao translator translates the code from the VP format to the appropriate native code for execution. Translation can occur in just-in-time fashion, according to Hinsley. Whereas conventional Java programs must be interpreted by JVM, in Tao's environment the Java code is translated on the fly to native code before execution, speeding application run-time performance.

    Tao is one of three companies that have developed embedded virtual machine technologies compliant with Sun's Java platforms for embedded devices. The others are Insignia Solutions (Fremont, Calif.) and Access (Tokyo).

    Processors supported by Tao's intent content foundation include the 386 and 486; Motorola's M-core, Coldfire and PowerPC; Hitachi's SH-3 and SH-4; STMicroelectronics' ST40; the ARM 6, 7 and 9 and the StrongARM; MIPS' R3000, R4000 and R5000; and NEC's V850. The software suite is also available as a binary portable content engine on Windows, Windows CE, Windows NT, Linux, QnX4 and OS-9000. Ports to EPOC and iTRON-based operating systems are in the offing, according to Charig.

    In illustrating the efficiency of the company's software implementation, Hinsley noted that Tao was able to implement full Personal Java in native code on the ARM processor in 2 Mbytes of ROM. Included in the memory were a full operating system; necessary device drivers and full 2-D graphics engine; the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT); the Java core library; a JIT compiler, a garbage collector; and a translator for VP binary.

    The intent offering has been incorporated into Motorola's Timeport P1088 dual-band GSM smart phone.

    ToC

    Setting some things straight

    From: "fleecy moss" (fleecy@earthlink.net)
    Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 11:19:45 -0500

    In my trawling around the community hangouts, I have come across several misconceptions, rumours, and a lot of confusion. Whilst I can't hope to answer everything, here are some things I want to set straight.

    0. Amiga will build a digital content universe. Digital content means
       anything composed of 0 and 1 - applications, video, audio, games,
       emails, whatever. We will focus on 2 markets, the pathfinder market,
       for digital adventurers, power users, gamers, content creators, DTPers,
       artists, video people and those who refuse to define a computer as a
       digital appliance. Our second market will concentrate on the Domestic
       Digital Habitat (DDH).
    
    1. If you are a personal computer person, there will be a personal computer
       second wave Amiga.
    
    2. We will support classic development in so much as we want to help users
       and developers transition to a new machine. That will be the total
       extent of our support for the classic machine. If this involves further
       AmigaOS releases, then so be it.
    
    3. We are targetting x86 and PPC for the first consumer release of
       Pathfinder products (if you are a personal computer person, this means
       you).
    
    4. We will do everything in our power (that doesn't bankrupt us or
       interfere with our primary goals) to ensure classic Amiga software runs
       on the new machine in some form or another. The new Amiga product
       family (formerly called AQUA) will run natively and hosted. This is to
       create a large market fast for Amiga developers to profit from. For the
       first pathfinder release it will run hosted to see this market grow
       fast. We see one of our core duties as serving the developers.
    
    6. We are talking to the Phoenix Consortium about common interests.
    
    7. We have been contacted by QNX but currently have no plans to work with
       them.
    
    8. We will develop Amiga products for another market, the Domestic Digital
       Habitat (DDH) market. This markets will be kept separate but products
       will work together if the installer so desires it.
    
    9. There will be a new website and it will be public shortly. It has been
       tested on all browsers, Amiga and non Amiga, and given the compatibility
       problems between the implementations of open standards, our best effort
       has been made. The site will grow quickly and more information will be
       added. We want it to become a village where all Amigans can come to
       voice their opinions, chat, and travel off to different parts of the
       Amiga universe.
    
    a. A developer support manager has been selected and they are working on
       implementing the developer support program. This will be in place before
       the developer boxes are released.
    
    b. The developer boxes are specced out, we have contacted several whitebox
       manufacturers and we are building the distribution.
    
    c. Amiga will not provide dates until we have a product. We will share
       timelines, but will not attach dates to them. Enough damage has already
       been done.
    
    d. We have had acceptances from 75% of our development team and their names
       and roles will be announced once we get back from training (before the
       end of the month).

    This mail can be redistributed without modification within the community. As further questions and issues come up, we will attempt to answer them.

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    LHA 2.1 and LZXr 1.21 Y2K bug!

    Amiga News Network, 02-Jan-2000 01:41 GMT
    Contributed by Lorens Johansson

    LHA 2.1 and LZXr 1.21 seems to mess up the years under listings! LHA 1.50 doesn't seem to have this bug!

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    The CUCUG Section:

    December General Meeting

    reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)

    The December 16, 1999 General meeting began with the traditional introduction of club officers.

    President Jim Lewis opened the floor to Questions and Answers, the first coming from Edwin Hadley. Ed asked about how to do Ethernet. A discussion followed.

    Quentin Barnes asked about PCI USB cards. He talked the sound on his card being choppy. The discussion targeted his USB driver software as a possible source of the problem. Another suspect was game sprocket sounds.

    Someone asked if there is a difference between the different Mac processors and the stability of OS9. The discussion that followed implicated motherboard issues as more of a telling factor.

    Quentin Barnes donated a BeOS demo CD for x86 machines to the club. Quentin said Be boots from the CD and does nothing to your hard drive. Thanks Quentin. Be stock closed at 37 9/16, Quentin said. It went up 49% today. Rich Hall asked when his next program for the club will be, what company it'll be on, and could he give us 30 days notice so we can buy stock in it.

    Kevin Hisel reported there was no news on the Amiga this month.

    Richard Rollins read a question submitted by Selena Douglass concerning Virtual PC's ability to run Microsoft Publisher. In the discussion that followed, the determining factors boiled down to memory, horsepower, and disk space. Microsoft Publisher is a memory hog so it needs ton of memory. You need a machine that can push the emulation up to acceptable speeds. Disk space is also a major necessity for any Microsoft product. Efficient they ain't.

    President Lewis then addressed the election of CUCUG officers. He opened the floor for further nominations. As there were none, Mike Latinovich moved, Ed Hadley seconding, that the nominations be closed. The slate of current officers, running unopposed, were elected by acclamation.

    President Lewis then spoke a little about the history of the club. He asked for particular acknowledgement of Kevin Hisel in helping to insure the financial security of the club into the future. Kevin received a round of appreciative applause.

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    December Board Meeting

    reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)

    The December meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, December 21, 1999, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were Jim Lewis, Dave Witt, Richard Hall, Anderson Yau, Kevin Hopkins, Emil Cobb, and Kevin Hisel.

    Jim Lewis: Jim said that the Mac SIG's networked gaming demo went pretty well at the last meeting, despite the fact that the game that had been brought in was only licensed for two machines and thus didn't come up on the other two Mac Richard Rollins had networked together. Jim questioned the reputed ease of networking Macintoshs together. He said there looked to be a lot of running around between machines. Jim, a Windows user, said it seems to be just a different set of issues from those Windows people have to deal with. Jim said it was interesting to watch Marathon 2 in action.

    Jim discussed the progress being made on our classified ad. Kevin Hisel said we should address our style of doing thing in the ad. The ability to come to a meeting and be able to ask questions and get answers is a real selling point.

    With the termination of the print newsletter, there was a discussion as to what format the electronic newsletter should take © text, PDF, HTML, etc. With the proliferation of platforms within the group, the general feeling of the Board was to use KISS © Keep It Simple Stupid. No firm decision was settled upon, nor requests for expensive software packages to produce the newsletter made.

    Dave Witt: Dave said that his guest Ron Keller liked the last meeting. Dave discussed "networking skills." He reported that the WinSIG webpages are ready to be posted. He also spoke about compiling a public domain CD of software to reinvigorate CUCUG's dormant PD Library disk sales.

    Richard Hall: Rich reported on the number of people who renewed their membership at the last meeting. He then gave a financial review of the last three years.

    Anderson Yau: Anderson questioned how the tax situation came about and how it was handled.

    Kevin Hopkins: Kevin delivered the mail and an updated copy of the database to Kevin Hisel, for his and the President's use.

    Kevin reported on the production and distribution of the membership cards for 2000.

    Kevin said as the newsletter form had already been covered, he'd skip to his next agenda item. He requested that the President draft a membership renewal letter for our web©based members. Jim said he would do so.

    Lastly, Kevin asked Dave Witt about PC©orient material for the newsletter. Kevin gave Dave the general types of thing he looks for, but as to the actual topics of interest he will leave that to those that use them.

    Emil Cobb: Emil reported that attendance was up at our last meeting.

    Kevin Hisel: Kevin read the text of his AWD retirement press release. He also read an Onion article from the Newsweek magazine with Charlie Brown on the cover.

    After the official meeting the general discussion turned to MP3s. Someone mentioned that there was a $37 adapter for the Playstation so that you can play MP3 and VCDs through your home stereo. D'Music has also released an MP3 player for $300 that will play MP3s from a CD in ISO©9660 format.

    Dave Witt related a problem he was having with his DVD player overheating and dying as a result. He found out that you cannot stack any other components on top of a DVD player, especially inside of an entertainment center console, or you'll have problems.

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    The Back Page:

    The CUCUG is a not-for-profit corporation, originally organized in 1983 to support and advance the knowledge of area Commodore computer users. We've grown since then.

    Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters (398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis. The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of Centennial High School.

    Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year.

    Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by the postal service or email at the member's choice. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.

    This newsletter was prepared with PageStream 2.22 on an Amiga 3000 25/100 and output to an HP Laserjet IIP plus. Pagestream was donated to CUCUG by Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation.

    For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):

       President/WinSIG:   Jim Lewis         359-1342           NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
       Vice-President:     Emil Cobb         398-0149            e-cobb@uiuc.edu
       Secretary/Editor:   Kevin Hopkins     356-5026               kh2@uiuc.edu
       Treasurer:          Richard Hall      344-8687            rjhall1@uiuc.edu
       Corporate Agent:    Jim Lewis         359-1342           NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
       Advisor & Mac SIG:  Richard Rollins   469-2616
       Webmaster:          Kevin Hisel       406-948-1999           khisel @ cucug.org
       Mac SIG Co-Chair:   John Melby        352-3638          jbmelby@cucug.org
       Mac SIG Co-Chair:   Charles Melby     352-3638         charlesm@cucug.org
    
    

    Visit our web site at http://www.cucug.org/

    CUCUG
    912 Stratford Dr.
    Champaign, IL
    61821

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