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Volume 4, Issue 01 Atari Online News, Etc. January 4, 2002 Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2002 All Rights Reserved Atari Online News, Etc. A-ONE Online Magazine Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor Atari Online News, Etc. Staff Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking" Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile" Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips" Rob Mahlert -- Web site Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame" With Contributions by: To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe, log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org and click on "Subscriptions". OR subscribe to A-ONE by sending a message to: dpj@atarinews.org and your address will be added to the distribution list. To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to subscribe from. To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the following sites: http://people.delphiforums.com/dpj/a-one.htm http://www.icwhen.com/aone/ http://a1mag.atari.org Now available: http://www.atarinews.org Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi! http://forums.delphiforums.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari =~=~=~= A-ONE #0401 01/04/02 ~ MacWorld Rumors Flying ~ People Are Talking! ~ Apple To Go Intel?! ~ New Worm For New Year! ~ XP: Not For All AOLers ~ The Yahoo Saga! ~ AOL Claims IM Flaw Fix ~ Anti-Spam Law Upheld! ~ BSA Piracy Amnesty! ~ AOL IM Whistle-blower! ~ How To Protect Your PC ~ Happy New Year!!! -* Hackers Try Home Computers! *- -* States Protest Microsoft's Stalling *- -* Microsoft Request For Delay To Be Heard! *- =~=~=~= ->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, I was hoping for a slow news week and I got it! First of the year, on vacation - who really wanted to "work" this week? Not me! Let me repeat my sentiments from last week - Happy New Year everybody! I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve and the new year is starting out well for you all! It's been a fairly quiet week here for the most part. We got some things done that we wanted to do, visited family and friends, and even had time to enjoy some of our holiday "goodies" along the way! I ended the week off today with something job-related, but it was well worth taking the little time to attend. The hospital that I work at was receiving an accommodation for our support of a special needs program that is based at one of the local high schools, but affiliated with a number of the local high schools. My department is one of two who utilizes a good number of special needs kids to perform similar tasks as my regular staff to gain real life work experience to help enable these kids to be able to out in the real world, get jobs, and become better self-sufficient. Over the years, we've also hired some of these kids as permanent employees - a positive statement of the success of this program. It's been a terrific program that I'm really proud to be a part. And, the program sponsors surprised me with a personal gift in appreciation, which I thought was nice. It was a great way to start the new year off! So here we are, with our first issue of 2002! I can't believe that Joe and I have been at it with A-ONE for three years already, starting our fourth. It's been a wild ride that just keeps on goin'! Thanks again to all of you who keep reading and supporting our efforts! Until next time... =~=~=~= PEOPLE ARE TALKING compiled by Joe Mirando joe@atarinews.org Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I trust that you had a happy and safe New Year's celebration. As for myself, I celebrated quietly, just as I have most years. This year was a bit different though. This year, Jupiter was at opposition on New Year's Eve. Opposition is when the earth is directly between the sun and whatever planet we happen to be talking about. In ancient times great import was often placed upon these events. Since Jupiter won't be at opposition on New Year's Eve again until I'm 124 years old, I decided to take a look this time. <grin> The view, even in a small telescope, was very nice. Of course, it's not exactly what you see in all the news bytes, but it's more real somehow. Knowing that the image you are seeing is not digitally mastered or enhanced, and not the product of a billion dollar space project. As a magician would say, it's all done with mirrors! Anyway, I hope you had an enjoyable and safe holiday. Now let's get on with the news and stuff from the UseNet. From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup ==================================== Ken Kosut asks about printing with NVDI: "I am having some problems printing a file with NVDI 5. Prior to this, I was using SpeedoGDOS/ATARIWORKS with no problems. It is my understanding that NVDI 5 replaces SpeedoGDOS. So I took SpeedoGDOS out. When I boot ATARIWORKS it prompts me for GDOS. (Unable to print because GDOS is not loaded) So I put GDOS 1.x in. I boot ATARIWORKS, but now it says, program will not work in low resolution. I set the resolution in MAGIC. I do not think it is low. If I reinstall SpeedoGDOS, it will look for EXTEND.SYS According to the NVDI manual, EXTEND.SYS doesn't seem to be needed. Only ASSIGN.SYS And how do I actually print the file? Do I use the print command in ATARIWORKS, or do I drag the .STW file over the printer icon in MAGIC? When I drag the file over the icon, it starts but then says program terminated. I know I have NVDI setup properly. I went through it very carefully. Thanks for any light shed on this matter." Peter Schneider tells Ken: "To be more precise: The GDOS part of NVDI may replace the GDOS part of Speedo. If you installed NVDI properly, there should be a NVDICONF.ACC (or CPX) to configure NVDI. This ACC or CPX can switch on/out GDOS. A whatever GDOS program must have run from the AUTO folder (e.g. SPDGDOS.PRG, NVDI.PRG, AMCGDOS.PRG...), if any of your programs is to print via GDOS. That's [Speedo looking for EXTEND.SYS] quite normal for EXTEND.SYS is an 'extension' to the usual ASSIGN.SYS, but EXTEND.SYS is needed by Speedo only. I don't think Magic's printer icon is dedicated to printing non-ASCII files. Correct me if I'm wrong. You should use AtariWorks's printer dialog. There should be an ASCII file NVDI.INF that shows the font paths to the system." Harry Sideras adds: "I only used Speedo for a very short while and can't remember it tbh, and I've never used Atariworks, so none of this may be very helpful, but... Did you use Magic with Atariworks before? What resolution are you running in? What is showing in your new Assign.sys file for the driver? Is it the new NVDI driver for your printer? Is the path ok? Have you pointed Atariworks printer driver to point at the new NVDI printer driver? (Not sure if AW needs to do this, but it was a problem I had with Papyrus at one time). Ken tells Harry: "No, I've never used MagiC with AtariWorks before. The resolution is 640 x 400 interlaced. What is showing in your new Assign.sys file for the driver? Path = F:\GEMSYS - (this might be the problem, I'll have to check) 01p - 10p Screen.sys files 21 PCL.sys 22 ESCP2.sys 23 CANON.sys 24 MACPRN.sys 25 PIN.sys 26 ATARILS.sys 31 META.sys 61 MEMORY.sys 81 NTOFFICE.sys 91 IMG.sys Is it the new NVDI driver for your printer? Is the path ok? Well, I just want to print to a dot matrix, so I wish to use 25 PIN.sys Will double check path. I can't point to a driver in Atariworks. SpeedoGDOS came with a printer driver utility which allowed me to choose printers." Peter Schneider tells Ken: "My AtariWorks permits me to print via the 21 and 23 devices only, my ASSIGN.SYS reading like this: ... 21 PCL.SYS ; Seitendrucker PRES9.FNT PRES10.FNT PRES12.FNT 22 PIN.SYS ; 24-Nadel-Drucker 23 IMG.SYS ; 300 dpi IMGs 31 META.SYS ; METAFILE-Output 41 IMG.SYS ... My AtariWorks prompts me for a GDOS printing device (21-30), when I ask it to print, all devices except 21 and 23 being disabled. I recommend you to put WDIALOG.PRG into your AUTO folder and to make it run as one of the last ones. At least with PAPILLON that helps when printing via GDOS." Peter West adds: "When you click Print in Works you should get a dialog to select available printers that NVDI knows about. In my case I have 21 for my PCL.SYS and 25 for PIN.SYS available. 21 is set as my default printer in NVDI.INF. In your cases it should be 25, presumably. Do you have the font paths set correctly in NVDI.INF? Do you have the various fonts available on the screen? Do you have the correct *.SYS files in your GEMSYS folder and does NVDI.INF have the correct path to it?" Don Wolfe asks about one of the web browsers available: "I've been playing around with WENSUITE 330b, its working pretty good but any URL that has pictures on it, they look weak not close to the quality that CAB 2.7 puts out on my TT030. Am I doing something wrong or is the Prg just weak in that area ?? Also having a problem with the dialer, it is reluctant to turn the modem dial tone on, after banging on the "Connect Button" several times it will dial out and connect.. Any thoughts on this program ???" Edward Baiz tells Don: "I have used this program before. It is ok, but needs an upgrade. Highwire, when it comes out, will surpass any browser on the Atari. Goto: http://highwire.atari-users.net and take a look...." Martin Byttebier adds: "Wensuite is far better then Adamas and it's incredibly fast. Where Cab takes almost two minutes to load a page with 13 mid-size progressive jpg's Wensuite does the same job in 20 sec. My guess is that to get that speed they had to make a compromise between speed and display quality. It's a pity the development of Wensuite is put on ice." Since HighWire was mentioned, Martin Tarenskeen posts: "But we have to be patient. There is still a lot of work to be done if we want all the good things we already have with CAB plus Javascript and more but without the crashes we know from Adamas. But there are some really good and dedicated Atarians involved in the project so it might really happen..." Derek Hunt adds: "The words "surpass any browser on the ATARI" surely is not a nice thing for the majority of us. We are ATARIANS but at the lower level as ST users. As I read it Highwire is aimed at those with Mega, Falcons and clones. Rather similar to what happened to some of our last mags. We were lucky that CAB and STiK authors thought of the whole ATARIAN community when producing their programmes. > But there are some really good and dedicated Atarians involved in the project so it might really happen... < The last sentence above says it all "there are some really good and dedicated Atarians involved" and some very good and loyal Atarians who could lose out." Martin Tarenskeen interjects a bit of reality: "It's a good thing that someone with a humble Atari ST is able to be part of the Internet using programs like STiK, CAB, and NEWSie. But there are restrictions when you only have 1, 2, maybe 4 MB, a little hard disk, a slow serial port and a 8MHz 68000 processor running TOS 1.0. It's amazing what such a machine can still do - but some things simply are not possible with it." Rob Mahlert adds: "HighWire is still in planning. But it has NOT been discussed to aim for the higher end of the Atari Line. This is not official, but some of the talk was to have it work on the ST's as a basic browser. But the more cpu intense "add-ons" (when and if) would be for the upper end." Mark Duckworth voices his opinion: "I think that there should be development efforts aimed for the higher end machines. The Atari ST could never ever hope to run Java, but does that mean we shouldn't have it? Of course not. It sounds as though the Highwire team is doing _exactly_ what they should be. Making a basic browser that outpaces cab, with plug-in modules to use the higher horsepower and ram of falcons, TTs, and the likes." Jean-Luc Ceccoli asks about his favorite desktop: "Is Thing 1.27 still under development, or has it been abandoned? Is the address gryf@hrzpub.tu-darmstadt.de still valid? How can I register Thing?" Martin Byttebeir tells Jean-Luc: "Yes and no. The guy who develops Thing has said to me he certainly will release Thing 1.30 but he hasn't told me when. I've seen Thing 1.29 working and I must say it looks nice. One can have background pictures in the windows just like Jinnee and the most important the long file name restriction is gone. I believe the current version of Thing can't handle names longer then 32 chars. However I'm afraid v1.30 will be the last one." Thomas Andersson asks about emulating an Atari: "I would like to ask you knowledgable persons for some advice.. What would you reccomend as the best Atari ST emulator for the PC? I used to have a Atari ST2 (I think, a pizza box thingy) and I loved playing Ultima III on it, now I'd like to do that again! (this will be the main usage of the emulation, playing old Atari games). So, what would be best, where can I get it, what do I need??" James Haslam tells Thomas: "From personal experience I would recommend Steem. Get it from http://steem.atari.org , however you will also need a TOS image file (scanned from a real Atari - ie TOS v1.0, v1.2, v1.4, 1.6x or v2.0x)." Edward Baiz adds his opinion: "For me, I like Pacifist. Get it at: http://www.pacifist.fatal-design.com/" John Whitelock adds: "I have been using Gemulator for some years now - I don't play any games tho'. I use it extensively for LDW Power, ST Writer, Marcel, Gfa Draft, - all while running Neodesk3.2 - without any problems at all. And for my use it seems much smoother and faster than the other emulators, including STeem. I do run STeem under Linux though as the only other emulator for Linux is STonX, but Gemulator is still the one to beat." Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING =~=~=~= ->In This Week's Gaming Section - No Gaming News This Week! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" ->From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" I haven't had much to say in my gaming comments for quite a long time! In fact, I still don't but I did want to make a couple of observations. Firstly, I picked up the Harry Potter game for the PC and PlayStation 1 for my wife for Christmas. I got her hooked on the Harry Potter books after I read one to see what the excitement was all about. We've both read them all now. So she wanted the games. She's still playing the PS1 version and I've completed the PC version. I must say that this was one of the most enjoyable games I've played in quite some time. It follows a lot of the storyline very well. The interaction with characters is terrific, the challenges are good, and the frustration is there on occasion! The one thing I found fault with in this game is the game controls. It's done with the mouse and arrow keys. No joystick support. Try to fly a broom playing Quidditch and catch the Snitch! And there are at least four scenes in which you have to fly the broom: Quidditch training, a Quidditch match (more if you choose!), catch Draco Malfoy after he stole a Remembrall, and to catch the Winged Key. But, persistence paid off after many hours of trying! I'm surprised that I actually finished the game. However, I didn't find all of the secret passages and obtain all of the hidden surprises, so I'm going back for another round! If you're a Harry Potter fan, I'd recommend getting the game for any of the systems available. The second thing is that I've been really disappointed the past few weeks with the amount (or lack thereof) of console gaming news online. I usually find a ton of news among the various news services that I visit. But lately it seems the type of news has changed. Either that or because of the holidays, there just isn't any news out there. I don't know. I would have thought that there would be a ton of news over the holidays pertaining to the new games out - especially with two new systems being released. I'll keep looking, but I just wanted to ask that if any of you know of any good console gaming news sites, drop me a line. Meanwhile, I'll just hope that the "lack" of news is temporary and I'll keep checking my sources. Until next time... =~=~=~= A-ONE's Headline News The Latest in Computer Technology News Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson States Urge Judge Reject Microsoft Delay Nine states opposed to a proposed settlement of the Microsoft Corp. antitrust case asked a federal judge on Monday to reject the company's request for a delay in hearings on alternative sanctions. Microsoft sought a four-month delay of the hearings earlier this month, saying the states opposed to the settlement plan were seeking a ``dramatic expansion" of possible remedies. But the nine dissenting states told U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that Microsoft had plenty of warning they would likely seek broad conduct remedies. ``This motion is little more than a recycling of Microsoft's previously rejected arguments for delay," the non-settling states said in their court filing. Kollar-Kotelly is expected to rule quickly on the request. Under the current timetable, Kollar-Kotelly plans to have remedy hearings start on March 11. At about the same time, there would be separate hearings into whether the proposed settlement is in the public interest. The U.S. Justice Department and another nine of the 18 states in the landmark case have agreed to a settlement that would, among other things, require Microsoft to take steps to give computer makers more freedom to feature rival software on their machines. But the dissenting states say the settlement as currently written contains too many loopholes and have proposed tougher sanctions against Microsoft for violating antitrust law. Those states want Kollar-Kotelly to order Microsoft to sell a cheaper, stripped-down version of its Windows operating system and do more to reveal the workings of Windows to competitors. The case was filed back in May of 1998 and arose out of concern Microsoft was attempting to thwart competition by integrating its Web browser into Windows. An appeals court in June upheld the original trial court's ruling that the company had illegally maintained its monopoly in personal computer operating systems. ``That Microsoft stands to benefit from delay is obvious," said the filing from California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts. Minnesota, Utah, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. ``It is no surprise that Microsoft would like to continue to delay the proceeding that most threatens to deprive it of the ability to engage in the practices condemned as unlawful by the Court of Appeals," those states said. But Microsoft said it needs more time to prepare for the remedy hearings. Company spokesman Jim Desler said the non-settling states had launched what amounted to an entirely new case against Microsoft, even as it began implementing parts of the proposed settlement. ``Microsoft can hardly be accused of delay, we're already implementing a tough settlement that goes beyond the liability found by the appeals court," Desler said. But the non-settling states said many of the settlement's key provisions will be ineffective for up to a year. ``We have proposed reasonable remedies and the judge has set a reasonable schedule," Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said in a statement. ``Let's get on to the conclusion of this case so we can prevent further harm to competition and consumers." Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin have agreed to join the settlement announced between Microsoft and the Justice Department in November. Microsoft Judge Sets January 7 Hearing A federal judge on Wednesday scheduled a hearing for Monday on whether to grant Microsoft Corp.'s request to delay hearings on what antitrust remedy should be imposed on the company. In a motion filed Dec. 21 with U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, Microsoft had argued that it needed more time to prepare because nine states in the case were seeking a ``dramatic expansion" of possible sanctions. The nine states that have rejected a proposed settlement reached between the company, the U.S. Justice Department, and nine other states, have argued against any delay. Under the original timetable, laid out by the judge three months ago, the remedy hearings were set to begin March 11. Tunney Act hearings into whether the proposed settlement is in the public interest are due to be held around the same time. The timing of these separate hearings could be crucial to the outcome of the case that is approaching its fourth year. Legal experts have said approval of the settlement, far in advance of hearings on further remedies, would make the dissenting states' effort much more difficult. An appeals court in June upheld findings that the company violated antitrust law by illegally maintaining its monopoly in personal computer operating systems. But it rejected breaking up the company as a remedy for the illegal acts. The proposed settlement would require Microsoft to take steps to give computer makers more freedom to feature rival software on their machines and share parts of the inner workings of Windows with other software makers. But the nine dissenting state attorneys general say the settlement is inadequate, and have asked Kollar-Kotelly for tougher sanctions against the company for illegally maintaining its monopoly in personal computer operating systems. These states want Kollar-Kotelly to order Microsoft to sell a cheaper, stripped-down version of its Windows operating system and give competitors access to the inner workings of the Internet Explorer browser. In addition, the hold-out states want the judge to ensure that Microsoft Office, the popular business software, will be compatible with other software platforms. Microsoft has told Kollar-Kotelly that the schedule ``should be amended in view of the non-settling states' dramatic expansion of the scope of the litigation beyond what the court reasonably could have anticipated three months ago." But the hold-out states urged the judge in a filing Monday not to delay the remedy hearings, saying Microsoft had plenty of warning they would likely seek broad conduct remedies. Apple Promises New Products Will Best Rumors Tight-lipped Apple Computer Inc. has stirred up a storm of speculation about new products ahead of its major trade show next week by promising to top the best that Internet rumor sites have dreamed up. Frustrated and excited fans wonder if Apple is manipulating rumor-mongers it has often ignored, as well as whether the company on Jan. 7 can surprise the faithful, many of whom were disappointed by the relatively light set of product announcements at the mid-2001 show. The Apple Web site, http://www.apple.com, has teased for days that great things are in store, promising Wednesday a Macworld San Francisco show, ``Beyond the rumor sites. Way beyond." The main speculation ahead of the show on sites like http://www.appleinsider.com is that Chief Executive Steve Jobs will announced flat-panel LCD screens and a new design for the low-end iMac desktop personal computer introduced in 1998. There was the same speculation ahead of the mid-2001 show. Jobs has pushed his keynote ahead by a day to Tuesday and now plans to speak for a full two hours, increasing interest. Apple rumor and news sites serve a huge audience of Macintosh enthusiasts hungry for gossip about the latest sensation by the company known for both its inventiveness and secretiveness. In the past year, the sites have often managed to guess at the broad outline of upcoming product launches, including the October launch of the iPod, a portable, digital music player. Some expect Apple to announce its next-generation G5 microchip, although http://www.thinksecret.com predicts just an upgrade to the G4 chip that would handily surpasses the clock speed barrier of 1 gigahertz, or 1 billion cycles per second. A faster chip on the high-end desktop and a new iMac would complement the make-over of Apple's notebook line last year. Apple, which declined to comment on the products, has begun dropping big hints ahead of launches. ``This one really takes the cake," said Mac Observer, www.macobserver.com, commenting that the company had been stepping up the hype for its events for six months. ``The rumors are flying and Apple has all but ensured that they will continue to do so." Apple launched its first consumer device in nearly a decade with the iPod and Jobs said he was considering developing a Windows version of the device. The iPod links to the Macintosh through the iTunes software. That is based on Apple's cross-platform QuickTime media player, which would allow Apple to port the iPod to Windows, said financial analyst David Bailey of Gerard Klauer Mattison. Apple might also extend its vision of the personal computer as the hub of the ``digital lifestyle" by introducing a consumer device for video, Bailey speculated. He raised Apple to Outperform from Neutral Wednesday, forecasting that Mac fans would buy new gear with the maturation of OS X, the new operating system announced last year, new desktop computers and a higher profile for Apple thanks to its new retail stores. But with the threat education spending could dip in the weak economy, hurting a key Apple market, and the product transitions in store, Bailey reduced his earnings per share forecast for fiscal 2002 by 3 cents to 52 cents, compared with Apple's 2001 loss of 27 cents, which was driven by a first- quarter loss of 73 cents per share. Apple, one of the first to feel the chill of the cooling economy in late 2000, suffered with the rest of the personal computer industry in 2001, repeatedly cutting its sales forecast. But the stock fared well, rising 45 percent and attracting investors with a horde of cash worth more than half the current stock price and a strong brand name. It also introduced OS X, the most substantial upgrade to its operating system since it introduced the Macintosh in 1984 and began touting the personal computer as the digital hub. Certainly Apple fans are salivating, even if they are wary of the hype. ``I hope I fall out of my chair and knock myself out," wrote "Antman" on a MacObserver forum. ``Ok ... maybe not that last part, but Apple has its work cut out." Rumors Swirl Ahead of Macworld 2002: A Move to Intel? As Macworld Expo 2002 approaches, the rumors swirling around Apple Computer's upcoming product announcements have taken on an almost National Enquirer-style frenzy. And Apple's famed marketing honchos, who combine the spirits of Man Ray and P.T. Barnum, are doing top-notch work in encouraging such activity. On Friday, three days before Apple CEO Steve Jobs gives his keynote speech, Apple's Web site flashed the message: "To go where no PC has gone before." Most analysts agree that Jobs will announce an updated iMac with a flat-panel screen, following the revelation last month that the company began purchasing 15-inch LCD screens in bulk from a Taiwanese company. Giga Information Group vice president and research fellow Rob Enderle told NewsFactor that the product launch of the updated iMac is "a given." A new PDA, called the iWalk by sources close to Apple, also seems likely, although such a device might be a Palm variant, Enderle said. Already, the Apple Web site boasts beta versions of a Palm Desktop that works with Apple's UNIX-based OS X operating system. Enderle also said he expects software vendors will announce updated versions of their products as they show increasing support for Apple's new OS. The launch of a Windows driver to operate Apple's new iPod is expected to be among the announcements. Announcing new software, however, is par for the course at Macworld, according to Enderle. "It would be more unusual for people not to be talking about it," he said. Many other rumors, such as the possibility of a new G5 chip and an updated iPod, have been circulating in the last several weeks. There also has been speculation that Apple may introduce a digital camera, its first since the ill-fated Quicktake, which, like the Newton PDA, may have been too far ahead of its time. Enderle said that such a camera might be an Apple-branded product produced by another vendor. He added that people can expect more products along these lines as Apple makes a strong push to become a broader consumer player in the marketplace. According to Enderle, Apple recently has been in talks with Sony, and the companies may announce an alliance in the future. "In many ways, Sony is the Wintel version of Apple, go[ing], with the exception of the education market, after pretty much the same market segments," said Enderle. "Both offer a high coolness factor and unique aspects of usability. They are mirror images of each other." There have even been reports that Sony might buy out Apple, but Enderle told NewsFactor that such an announcement is unlikely. Perhaps the most compelling buzz surrounding the upcoming show, however, is the possibility that Apple might move its platform from the Motorola PowerPC chip to Intel chips. Although Enderle does not expect Jobs will surprise attendees with such an announcement, switching to Intel could transform Apple's position in the marketplace by removing the cost disadvantages it presently faces relative to other PC makers. Moving to Intel "would bring Apple nearly identical economies of scale," Enderle said. "The new OS is relatively portable since the UNIX kernel [on which it is based] has been traditionally put on Intel." If Apple were to make the switch, it could start seeing many more converts, Enderle added. "Their case design is second to none," he said. "I know people who buy used Power Macs, pull the Mac stuff out and put Intel stuff in." AOL Claims Fix for Instant Messenger Security Flaw AOL announced Thursday that a security flaw in its popular Instant Messenger (AIM) software has been repaired. The hole allegedly could have allowed hackers to take control of a victim's computer remotely. Company spokesman Andrew Weinstein told news sources that to the best of AOL's knowledge, the flaw had never been accessed by hackers. A group of volunteer "security researchers" claimed Wednesday that they had discovered the security vulnerability in the Windows versions of the AIM application. The group, calling itself "w00w00" and led by Utah State University student Matt Conover, found a buffer overflow that allowed hackers "remote penetration of the victim's system without any indication as to who performed the attack." Moreover, the victim of the attack had no means to prevent it. Once the hacker accessed the victim's computer remotely, he or she would have the ability to turn the machine into a so-called "zombie." AOL's Andrew Weinstein acknowledged the problem Wednesday and confirmed to news sources that a resolution problem would be deployed, adding that the company has no knowledge of the flaw impacting any of its users. Weinstein said that AOL would encourage software programmers detecting any future vulnerabilities to bring them to the company's attention before releasing any applications that demonstrate the resultant security flaws. But in his advisory, Conover countered AOL's argument. "Whether or not security research teams release information on vulnerabilities, it doesn't change the fact that the vendor produced insecure software," said Conover. "Blaming security research teams for releasing [such] information is a cop-out." John Pescatore, research director for Internet security at Gartner, told NewsFactor that the saddest part of this latest discovery is that buffer overflow is "the world's oldest security flaw." Pescatore said that the same basic security flaw plagued Microsoft's Windows XP two weeks ago, and has been a continual problem for both companies. Said Pescatore: "In the consumer space, AOL and Microsoft have the same constant rate of security problems. You'd think their software guys would stop this [buffer overflow] vulnerability already." Pescatore noted that the recent vulnerabilities exploited in both AIM and Windows XP have to do with the plug-and-play aspects of both applications. "What we've seen is vendors rushing to jam as many features as possible into their programs and not doing the necessary security testing to determine what security flaws exist. The security problems are getting worse, not better, despite the adverse publicity Microsoft and other major vendors have received over the past eighteen months over such issues, Pescatore added. "The bottom line is that these guys are not cleaning up their acts, and we can probably expect some type of government regulation in the future," Pescatore said. Pescatore pointed out that government regulation is the reason cars come equipped with seatbelts and airbags today, and the reason Firestone was required to recall tires on Ford Explorer SUVs. "You wouldn't let Firestone tell its customers, 'Here's a patch you can put on your tires,'" Pescatore said. "But how do you put seatbelts on software?" he asked. Utah Student Defends Handling of AIM Security Flaw Brushing back criticism, a 19-year-old Utah college student said on Thursday he revealed a security flaw in AOL's popular instant messaging service because when he tried to tell the media giant privately, he was ignored. ``We never expected it to get this much attention," said Matt Conover, the college student and one of the founders of w00w00, which bills itself as the world's largest non-profit security team with more than 30 members in about nine countries. The security flaw identified by the group, which issued a report to security mailing lists, could allow a hacker to take control of computers through an advanced game-playing feature in certain versions of the AOL's Instant Messenger, or AIM. The problem results when the application is flooded with more code than it can handle, triggering a so-called ``buffer overflow" error and allowing extraneous code to be executed. There are about 100 million registered AIM users, 29 million of which are active users, according to an industry report. W00w00 revealed the flaw Wednesday morning on a security e-mail list and America Online had a fix ready by Thursday morning, prompting Conover to ``commend AOL's quick response." But Andrew Weinstein, a spokesman for AOL, the Internet unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., criticized the group for failing to give AOL more time to evaluate and fix the flaw before announcing it to the public. ``Most software companies would strongly encourage programmers not to do that until they have notified the software company," he said. The company fixed the problem on its AIM server so users did not have to download a patch for their own computers or change their settings, according to Weinstein. ``It was resolved within 24 hours. We heard no reports from users that anyone was affected by it," he said. Conover said he sent an e-mail around Dec. 25 to several AOL e-mail addresses, including one listed on the AIM web site for reporting bugs. He waited a week and when he heard nothing from AOL he announced the flaw and released a ``proof of concept" to demonstrate the vulnerability, he said. ``No matter how long we waited we weren't going to hear back from them," said Conover, who studies computer science and math at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. ``I now have contacts at AOL." Another security expert called w00w00 ``irresponsible" for releasing a demonstration of the exploit before giving AOL time to act, but said it was prudent to announce the flaw to warn users before a malicious hacker could take advantage of it. ``AOL makes it extremely difficult to get a hold of anybody for anything to do with security," said Russ Cooper, surgeon general of TruSecure Corp. who runs the NTBugTraq e-mail list on which the AIM flaw was announced. However, another expert said demonstrations of flaws are usually necessary to prove that the problem is legitimate. ``Unless you can produce an exploit the company will say it's a theoretical threat," said Nicholas Weaver, a computer science graduate student at University of California Berkeley. Conover and Weaver criticized software companies for writing programs that are heavy on features and rushed to market, and thus less secure -- a complaint routinely leveled against Microsoft. ``There needs to be more due diligence for the software engineering and development cycle," said Conover. ``There isn't enough attention (paid) to developing the product. It goes into meeting deadlines and adding features." New Worm Plagues Holiday E-Mail Antivirus experts are hoping to stave off the spread of a destructive new computer worm called Maldal.D, also known as ZaCker, which may be lurking in the backlogs of holiday break e-mail. A variant of the Maldal worm discovered last month, Maldal.D is similar to a spate of recent computer viruses in its capability to delete antivirus, firewall and other "critical system files," senior director of Symantec Security Response Sharon Ruckman told NewsFactor. Rated a three out of five threat, according to Ruckman, Maldal.D is not yet widespread on home or business PCs, to which she credits solid security practices and the updating of antivirus definitions before workers started opening e-mail. Still, the mass-mailing and destructive abilities of Maldal.D has caused concern as home and business users began the new year poring through their e-mail. "Look at your own practices," she said. "Sometimes you just want to get through [e-mail] as quickly as possible." Like most others, the worm spreads itself through Outlook e-mail and address books and contains e-mail messages such as "Test this game," "Surprise!!!," "Send it to everybody you love," "1+1=3" and "See this file," among others. Ruckman said the worm, e-mailed with an attachment, sends itself with the regular subject line of the infected PC. When it relaunches as programmed, the subject is changed to ZaCker. Definitions for the virus -- the fingerprints used by virus fighters to tag Internet threats -- were added December 29th. The best defense against Maldal.D is to update antivirus protection, according to Ruckman. In addition to spreading, the Maldal.D worm raises concern because of a payload that deletes files, according to Symantec. "The worm will do major damage on the machine by deleting a lot of files with extensions such as .INI, .PHP, .EXE, .COM, .MPEG, .DAT, .ZIP, .TXT, .EXE, .XLS, .DOC and .JPG," stated a Symantec advisory. Ruckman said the worm can also delete antivirus, firewall and other "critical system files." "If you become infected, you may not be able to use your system," she said. Those destructive and disabling capabilities are the latest trend among virus writers, who are increasingly targeting virus defense and other security programs, as well as files whose deletion will crash the system. "We've been seeing the deletion of files, and specifically the deletion of antivirus files, in the last couple of months," Ruckman said, adding that the Goner worm of last month was among the more successful at doing this. "We've seen much more variants or new worms that have picked up that code and are trying to do the same thing," she said. In addition to the mass-mailing attack on computer systems, Ruckman told NewsFactor that the latest worm marks another trend in the antivirus community -- time off from school equals "script-kiddie" trouble. "During the holidays and summer, when they're not in school, you see a higher tendency for these types of things," she said. Hackers Turn to Home Computers Computer hackers, once satisfied to test their skills on large companies, are turning their sights on home computers that are faster, more powerful and less secure than ever before. The hackers can steal your identity, destroy your data or use your computer to launch attacks on Web sites or your friends. ``Home machines weren't very interesting targets a few years ago," said Mikko Hypponen of antivirus company F-Secure in Finland. ``That's all changed now." Experts attribute the threat to several factors: -Many home computers are now as powerful as business computers, with enough memory and processing power to make them alluring staging areas for wide-scale Internet attacks that affect other computers. -A growing number are connected directly to the Internet through high-speed DSL and cable lines that remain open all the time. Computers that are left on around the clock are vulnerable. -Unlike businesses with permanent security staff, most home users are slow to secure their computers with the latest antivirus and firewall software and to plug security holes by downloading the necessary fixes from software makers such as Microsoft. -Many home users are unaware of Internet threats and are too willing to click on unsolicited e-mails that might be infected with malicious programs. ``Home users have generally been the least prepared to defend against attacks," Carnegie Mellon University's CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) Coordination Center warns. ``In many cases, these machines are then used by intruders to launch attacks against other organizations." Viruses and worms - which are viruses that don't need human intervention to multiply - make up a large part of the new threats to home computers. In the past year, users' computers have been infected with malicious programs with catchy names like Code Red, Nimda, SirCam, Anna Kournikova and others that could be spread through Internet e-mail or surfing. Antivirus firm Message Labs reported that it detected one virus per 370 e-mails in 2001, double the rate of the previous year. The potential damage from hackers is also growing. Several years ago, virus writers were content to simply destroy data on a computer. Now they can imbed malicious programs that spy on users or steal their identity, use personal computers to attack other systems and use your e-mail address book to unwittingly infect the computers of friends. Even the most savvy users have been victimized. An FBI cybercrime researcher's computer infected with the SirCam program sent out official documents that spread the virus - to the bureau's embarrassment The federal government is trying to better educate and insulate home users, hoping it will slow the spread of Internet viruses or worms that could slow the entire Internet and its e-commerce. The outbreak of the Code Red Internet worm last summer sparked an unprecedented show of force from government and private industry. ``We've never seen a virus before that would not affect end-user machines at all, it just jumped from one Web server to another," Hypponen said. ``It really made Code Red more like a weapon than anything else." Although home computers were not affected, the message government and private security experts want home users to take from that threat is that computer maintenance needs to become as routine as locking your house and car. Home users need to routinely update their antivirus and Internet firewall software against the latest threats and check for software fixes that software makers provide for free. ``If you've got a system out on the Net and it's not patched, there's a very high degree of likelihood that literally in a matter of hours you'll be popped," warned Amit Yoran of computer security firm Riptech. New technologies will be at risk to hacking this year, Yoran cautioned. Wireless networking, which is now so cheap and easy to use that consumer models are growing popular, is especially vulnerable. ``The standard itself is insecure," Yoran said. In a large-scale test of urban wireless networks done by Riptech, experts couldn't find a corporate network they couldn't break into. ``What we're faced with is widespread adoption (of wireless networks) throughout corporate America and throughout consumer markets and people haven't really thought through how to protect," he said. With more and faster computers on the horizon and no sign of hackers giving up their pursuits, home users will have to take security more seriously. ``They think if they don't have any secrets, they aren't a target," Hypponen said. ``But it's not like that at all." Tips to Protect Home Computers By being diligent about computer security and following some simple tips, you can better protect yourself from the things that go bump on the Internet. -Use strong passwords. Choose passwords that are difficult or impossible to guess. Mix up letters and numbers in your passwords, and use a different password for each account. Never write your password down on a piece of paper. -Make regular backups of critical data. Backups must be made at least once each day. Larger organizations should perform a full backup weekly and incremental backups every day. At least once a month the backup media should be verified. -Buy and use virus protection software. That means three things: having it on your computer, checking daily for new virus signature updates, and then scanning all the files on your computer periodically. -Use a firewall program as a gatekeeper between your computer and the Internet. Firewalls are usually software products. They are essential for those who keep their computers online through the popular DSL and cable modem connections but they are also valuable for those who dial in. -Do not open e-mail attachments from strangers, regardless of how enticing the subject line or attachment may be. Be suspicious of any unexpected e-mail attachment from someone you do know because it may have been sent without that person's knowledge from an infected machine. -If you get an e-mail that warns about a virus, visit an antivirus company Web site first to check whether it is a hoax. Do not forward virus hoax e-mails. -Regularly download security patches from your software vendors, especially from your operating system vendor, such as Microsoft. California Court Upholds State's 'Anti-Spam' Law A California appeals court has upheld a state ``anti-spam" law protecting consumers from junk e-mail, a decision activists hailed on Friday as an important step toward regulating commercial pitches made through the Internet. In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the state appeals court said California may require Internet "spammers" to identify e-mails as advertisements and provide ways for recipients to get off e-mail lists. ``This says that the Internet is not a lawless Wild West," John Mozena, a spokesman for the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, said on Friday. ``The court said that when real people are engaged in real business using the Internet, they have to follow fundamental tenets of ethical business practices," he said. The appeals court ruling, issued on Wednesday, marked the first higher court decision on the validity of California's 1998 law. California is one of 18 U.S. states to have laws regulating unwanted commercial e-mail, and similar legislation has been proposed in the U.S. Congress. Defendants in the California case -- two Silicon Valley companies charged with ``spamming" a Sonoma County man -- argued that the state's law should be found unconstitutional because it interfered with interstate commerce. That interpretation had been upheld by a San Francisco Superior Court judge in 2000. But the state appeals court panel disagreed, saying the legislation clearly was aimed at individuals and entities that do business in California, use equipment located in the state and send unsolicited e-mail ads to California residents. ``We find that California has a substantial legitimate interest in protecting its citizens from the harmful effects of deceptive unsolicited commercial e-mail," Justice Paul Haerle wrote in the court's opinion. Haerle said ``spam" clearly costs California consumers both time as they read and delete the e-mail advertisements and potentially money in the form of higher Internet service fees charged to defray the costs of the spam traffic. Lawyers for the defendants, Friendfinders Inc. and Conru Interactive, criticized the decision as adding a new layer of regulation to business conducted over the Internet. But they said they did not intend to appeal the decision, preferring to go to trial to defend the companies against charges that they violated the 1998 law. Some AOL Members Hit Wall With XP A technical glitch is preventing some people who use Microsoft's Windows XP operating system from connecting to America Online's high-speed cable service, an AOL spokesman said Thursday. The glitch has affected a "very small number" of AOL members who are accessing the Internet through the Time Warner Cable service with computers running Windows XP, said AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein. "We are currently working with Microsoft to quickly address the issue," he said. The glitch will be fixed within the next two weeks, according to Weinstein. In the meantime, AOL has implemented a different configuration to restore connections for cable users affected by the problem. Weinstein would not say whether the glitch was an issue with Windows XP, AOL or Time Warner Cable. A Microsoft representative was not immediately available for comment. Over the past few months, AOL has been introducing its high-speed access in cities served by Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable network. AOL and Time Warner Cable are business divisions of media giant AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner has touted its ability to sell AOL with its cable service subscriptions. AOL executives have noted that the company's acquisition of Time Warner gives it a powerful means for selling broadband versions of its online service to connected households. Microsoft unveiled Windows XP, its controversial new operating system, in October. One AOL user near Tampa, Fla., who asked not to be named, said the connection worked when he tried connecting through a computer running Windows Me. "AOL tech support representatives told me numerous people were having this problem," the AOL customer added. Group Offers Amnesty to Software Pirates The Business Software Alliance, the main software trade group enforcing license and copyright restrictions, is offering a limited amnesty program this month to businesses using illegally copied software. Under the program, businesses can conduct a software audit and begin paying proper license fees for all applications in use without the threat of penalties for past use, which can run as high as $150,000 for each incident of copyright infringement. According to a recent BSA study, one out of every four copies of software used in the United States is illegal, which translates to an annual loss to software makers of $2.6 billion. Violations most typically consist of copying software from one business PC to another without payment of extra license fees to the software publisher. "For the most part, the problem exists because people just aren't paying attention to whether their software is properly licensed or not," said Bob Kruger, the BSA's vice president of enforcement. "A lot of these businesses are good, well-managed companies. They pay their taxes; they obey OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) rules. When they need a new PC, they wouldn't steal one off a truck. Yet when they need software, they see nothing wrong with making illegal copies." Laura DiDio, a software analyst for Giga Information Group, agreed that improperly copied software is a widespread problem in American business. "At least 90 percent of the companies I speak with have some exposure (to liability) due to noncompliant software," she said, blaming increasingly complex licensing rules that have to be enforced by overworked corporate information-technology staffs. Most companies, she said, don't go far enough in their management of IT assets and are careless in their procurement practices--forgetting, for example, to buy access licenses. "It's a lot of sloppiness," DiDio said. "I don't see in the corporate world a deliberate trend to avoid software licensing." Under the BSA amnesty program, businesses using the organization's Web site or calling the group, at 877-536-4272, are provided with tools to inventory all software in use. The business can then pay appropriate license fees without penalties for previous copyright infractions. The program is valid through Jan. 31 in the following regions, where the BSA has sent promotional materials to more than 800,000 businesses: Billings, Bozeman and Missoula, Mont.; Houston; Indianapolis; Nashville, Tenn.; Norfolk and Richmond, Va.; Orlando, Fla.; and the San Francisco Bay Area. Amnesty programs have been offered in 28 other cities since the BSA began such programs in August 2000. "Over time we expect we will have these in just about every major market," Kruger said. Kruger characterized the amnesty program as a more friendly "carrot" approach, compared with the more typical "stick" of the BSA's widely publicized software raids, which have resulted in $68 million in penalties against businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local mom-and-pop stores. "We tend to get more coverage and press for our enforcement actions," Kruger said. "In a way, this (program) is really the other side of the coin. We're saying, 'Take advantage of this opportunity so you can avoid starring in a BSA press release about an enforcement action against your company.'" Kruger said software audits are more common than most business executives believe, thanks in no small part to a growing trend of disgruntled ex-workers calling in tips to copyright enforcers. "Unless you have no current or former unhappy employees and don't expect to have any in the future, you're one phone call away from a BSA investigation," Kruger said. DiDio agreed that the amnesty program could convince more businesses to update their software licensees. "I like the idea of amnesty," she said. "If for no other reason, it provides a good opportunity for people to do some self-examination and self-policing." But she doubted the program would lead to any widespread trend of businesses opening their records for software audits. "There is a natural level of suspicion between the corporate community and the BSA and the (software) vendor community," DiDio said. "What everybody is afraid of, rightly or wrongly, is that if they have an audit, somehow Big Brother is going to get in and people outside their business are going to see more than they should." For Yahoo, Web a Portal to New Businesses Since its inception in 1994 as "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web," Yahoo has made a name for itself, and attracted millions of Internet users all over the world, with a massive list of categorized Web sites and free services. But after scooping up much of the available traffic on the Web using that strategy, it is struggling to make money. Now, with more than $1 billion in cash, it's launched an aggressive strategy to acquire surviving dot-coms at bargain prices in businesses from job postings to music. The Internet media giant is reinventing itself into a diversified business whose fortune is tied less to advertising, signing several deals in two months, and muscling its way through the Internet sector in search of more opportunities. Indeed, the company has grown so quickly that some worry it might run into problems. They say Yahoo now faces the challenge of converting the new partnerships and acquisitions into profits. ``They have their plate relatively full," CIBC Internet analyst John Corcoran said. ``I think it's fair to state they have a lot of execution risk right now." In its latest move -- it snatched up HotJobs.com Inc. away from its original suitor TMP Worldwide Inc. with a $436 million offer approved Thursday -- Yahoo is showing that it will flex its wide-ranging assets and cash to grasp onto Web businesses it believes can thrive in the post-meltdown Internet era. In two months, Yahoo has linked up with U.S. No. 2 local telephone company SBC Communications Inc. in a joint venture in high-speed Internet access, and Internet search engine company Overture Services Inc. to include paid advertisers in its search results. Yahoo also has picked up Launch Media Inc., which has led to a new Yahoo music site that will help it compete with AOL Time Warner Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in the increasingly hot online music business. Opening up the door to partnerships or mergers with other companies that want to maintain their own brand names, Yahoo did not impose its own name on Launch as it did after its acquisition of GeoCities, an online communities service, and Broadcast.com, which streams audio and video over the Web. Yahoo is also participating in the fee-based digital music offering Pressplay, which is jointly owned by Vivendi's Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. The moves are all part of Chief Executive Terry Semel's plan laid out at a November analysts' meeting, which called for an equal balance of revenues from advertising and services. In its earlier days, Yahoo was all about traffic and stickiness, adding a host of free services, including online yellow pages, news, e-mail and chats. Founded by Stanford University Ph.D students David Filo and Jerry Yang, Yahoo ripped through corporate conventions with a young management team that took the company public in 1996. Showing their contempt for traditional business, the founders have given the definition of a ``yahoo" as ``rude, unsophisticated" and ``uncouth", according to Yahoo's Web site. With the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the onset of the worst advertising slump in recent history, Yahoo's popularity could no longer guarantee continued and growing profits. On a split-adjusted basis, the stock fell from as high as $250 to as low as $25 over last year. A weakened ad market led Yahoo to alter its strategy from a be-all free online services company to one that survives on a combination of ads and paid services. ``I represent a company that's basically a free company supported by advertising," Greg Coleman, Yahoo's executive vice president of North American operations, said at an ad industry conference earlier this month. ``We are trying to get more money from premium operations." As it seeks new partners, Yahoo brings with it a massive following with sites in a dozen languages and cash holdings that, as of September 30, reached $1.7 billion. Henry Blodget, the outgoing Internet analyst at Merrill Lynch, said Yahoo may now go after the real estate listings business by picking up Homestore.com Inc., which has been bleeding money, along with smaller dot-com companies. Blodget -- one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Internet sector during the dot-com boom -- said Yahoo and the dot-com companies overall could start to see renewed growth following a brutal phase that saw the demise of many Internet companies. ``Darwin did his thing, and now the industry can move on to a more mature phase," Blodget said. ``Growth from here, at Yahoo and other companies, will likely be more gradual but steady for the next several years." Yahoo has also been seen as a potential acquisition target for other media and technology companies including the likes of Walt Disney Co., Microsoft Corp., Terra Lycos and USA Interactive. The appointment of former Hollywood studio executive Terry Semel to head up Yahoo earlier this year has only sparked more speculation that he may be preparing the Internet media giant for a partnership with a media company. Some industry consultants have suggested that Yahoo may sell off pieces of its business to interested parties. Barry Diller, trying to build his interactive commerce platform at USA Interactive, may be a possible partner to Yahoo, or one of its rivals. Diller may focus on local services, expanding on his CitySearch and Ticketmaster assets, analysts said. Yahoo, with its win over TMP Worldwide to buy HotJobs.com, will also look to build that area -- one that many, including large newspapers, have characterized as a strong growth opportunity. =~=~=~= Atari Online News, Etc.is a weekly publication covering the entire Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of any article, to Atari user groups and not for profit publications only under the following terms: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of request. 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