• DVD-ROM Drivers Updated
  Time: 09:02 EST/14:02 GMT News Source: ActiveDVD Posted By: Byron Hinson

  We have made some big updates to our DVD-ROM Drivers section, in addition to new drivers we have also added a few of the latest software DVD players to download.

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• The History Of Internet Explorer
  Time: 08:37 EST/13:37 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows  Posted By: Byron Hinson

  I have posted up a history of Internet Explorer (Including build numbers) to help those of you out who are wondering what version of Internet Explorer you are using. Hopefully this will cut down some of the questions we get about it. We will update it each time a new release of Internet Explorer is made publicly available.

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• Windows Dual Boot
  Time: 04:02 EST/09:02 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Tweak3D has put up a guide on how to setup your PC to have two operating systems at once. Well, this new How To guide will help you install Windows 98 and Windows NT4 on the same PC and optimize both for performance and stability. Here is a snippet:

  Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 both have their own benefits and drawbacks. Windows 98 is compatible with almost everything, has advanced 3D acceleration with DirectX 7.0 (NT4 only has support for DirectX 3.0), and is easier to use. However, NT4 is more secure, more stable, and faster than its more popular cousin. What do you do if you need both? You make a dual boot system!" The guide covers the processes of preparation, how to partition your hard drives for the three different file systems, installing Win98 and NT4, and more.

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• Site News, Community Update and ActiveSci-Fi
  Time: 03:43 EST/08:43 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  We have begun our regular daily updates of ActiveSci-Fi, so those of you who are interested in science fiction - check it out. As you know we take your feedback seriously here - so if you have any comments on the Sci-Fi site just let me know.

  As usual it is also time to mention our MSN Community, we are currently still the leading Operating System community on MSN, so make sure you check us out - our next chat is later tonight. Here is a list of our upcoming reviews:

  Hardware: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, Microsoft Force Feedback Steering Wheel, Microsoft Force Feedback Joystick
  Software: Tomb Raider 4, Quake 3, Gabriel Knight 3 (This Weekend), SWAT 3, Interstate 82, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Indiana Jones & The Infernal Machine, Ultima 9, Asheron's Call (Ongoing Monthly), Unreal Tournament, Wheel Of Time, Delta Force 2, Nocturne + Competition (This Weekend), Flight Simulator 2000, Driver, Encarta Africana
  Applications: Corel Suite 9, Vizact 2000

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• Theme Park World/SimTheme Park - Review & Final Day For Competition
  Time: 03:40 EDT/08:40 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  I have posted my review of Bullfrog's latest release - Theme Park World or SimTheme Park in the US. Here is a snippet from the review:

  Theme Park was way ahead of itself when the game first came out a few year ago in terms of fun and depth. The foundation of the game has changed a little. There are now four different "Theme Park Worlds" which you can run; they are Lost Kingdom, Halloween, Wonderland, SpaceZone. Each world has different designs for all of the rides, shops, side-shows etc but the basic idea of each ride is the same, for example a lost world roller coaster is only different to a roller coaster in the Halloween world in terms of graphical design, nothing else.

  To enter the competition to win a copy of Theme Park World/SimTheme Park just check out our competitions area.

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• Site User Survey
  Time: 03:38 EDT/08:38 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Dennis Gregory

  Please take a few moments of your time and fill out our User Profile Survey. This information will help us get a better idea of our average user's wants and needs. With this information, we will make ActiveWindows more customized to our viewers!

  Plus, we are giving away gift certificates to PC Connection - so it can't hurt! No E-Mail addresses will be given out, they are kept for our own use.

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• MS mediation headed for tough talks
  Time: 08:13 EST/13:13 GMT News Source: The Register Posted By: Byron Hinson

  The Microsoft mediation attempt will start next Tuesday in Chicago, and effectively if a solution is to be found, it will have to be found by 31st January, according to a source. This deadline is rather tighter than might be expected, and a lot tighter than would suit Microsoft.

  Judge Jackson is holding his hearing on the findings of law on 22nd February, and this in itself limits Microsoft's ability to drag mediation talks out. But it's also unlikely that mediator Judge Posner, Chief Judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, would allow Microsoft to engage in the stunts that were used in May 1997 when the DoJ was negotiating with Microsoft without a mediator.

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• Tower Records cranks up e-commerce volume with Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition
  Time: 03:13 EST/08:13 GMT News Source: Microsoft Daily News Posted By: Alex Harris

  Can't remember how to spell the names of popular bands like Limp Bizkit? Not a problem if you're shopping for music at towerrecords.com.

  Shoppers who visit towerrecords.com can easily locate what they're looking for—even when they don't know the exact name or terminology used in the catalog database—thanks to an improved online catalog that runs on Microsoft® Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition. The catalog solution, from Mercado Software Inc., helps visitors to the site find CDs and videos easily and intuitively. As a result, more shoppers can find—and buy—what they're looking for at towerrecords.com.

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• Microsoft waits for no one
  Time: 03:10 EST/08:10 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex Harris

  If you think Microsoft execs are sitting around and wringing their hands over the DOJ antitrust trial, think again.

  These guys aren't waiting for Judge Jackson, mediator Richard Posner or the Supreme Court before moving ahead with their strategies and plans. Just when everyone -- from the lawyers charging ahead with a wave of class action suits against Microsoft, to many of Microsoft's competitors -- is focusing on how the antitrust case might impact Microsoft as a software company, Microsoft is already well on its way to reinventing itself as a services company.

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• AOL drives Intuit to record high
  Time: 03:08 EST/08:08 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex Harris

  Shares of Intuit Inc., the largest maker of personal finance software, rose to a record on Wednesday, a day after it reported better-than-expected results and announced it was helping launch a consumer bill-payment system with America Online (NYSE:AOL). Shares of Mountain View, Calif.-based Intuit (Nasdaq:INTU) rose 6-5/16 to 50 3/8, a record close on the Nasdaq. The stock, which recently split 3-for-1, has risen more than 80 percent in the last month alone.

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• Here come even cheaper PCs
  Time: 03:06 EST/08:06 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex Harris

  With its 'Timna' chip, Intel hopes to make PCs even cheaper for consumers -- while allowing manufacturers some profit in the process.

  Just when it looked as if computers could not get cheaper, Intel Corp. hopes to usher in an age of minimal-cost PCs -- perhaps as low as $400 -- next year. And the systems would not only benefit consumers. The chip maker says the new personal computers will help PC manufacturers, whose margins have been squeezed by the sub-$1,000 PC phenomena, to make money at the low end of the price range.

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• Florida too sees class-action suit against Microsoft
  Time: 03:04 EST/08:04 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Alex Harris

  Two days after a similar suit was filed in California, Florida lawyers today initiated a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging the software company overcharged for its Windows 95 operating system after the updated Windows 98 version was released.

  The suit, filed in Miami-Dade County judicial court, accuses Microsoft of one count of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as well as federal antitrust laws. It seeks to collect damages that have yet to be specified.

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• Russian chip design may top Intel's fastest
  Time: 03:02 EST/08:02 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Alex Harris

  British investment bank Robert Flemings today said it hopes to nail down funding by the middle of next year for Russian computer engineers who say they have developed a microprocessor that beats anything in the West.

  The engineers, who developed computers operating Soviet missile defenses, say their E2K chip runs several times faster than a chip in development by Intel and could roll off assembly lines in three years if they can secure funding. But the Russian team, Elbrus International, has not made an E2K chip yet, but only designed and run simulations.

  Elbrus engineers say their chip, based on ones developed by the same team for the Soviet Union's military, will be fast and cheap, though a factory might cost well over a billion dollars to build.

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• SoundControl Plus
  Time: 02:49 EST/07:49 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Alex Harris

  Sound Control Plus is a freeware application which adds functionality to Windows 95/98 so you can dynamically adjust sound volumes using keyboard hot keys. Ideal for anyone who is constantly having to open the sound mixer to adjust the volume when listening to sound files recorded at different volume levels. Support to control Winamp's Next, Previous and Pause buttons via a series of hot keys is also included. Also includes an On Screen Display.

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• VIA/Cyrix Joshua: A Preview
  Time: 02:45 EST/07:45 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Alex Harris

  CPU Review has posted an article about the new processor from VIA called Joshua and using the Socket 370.  Here is a snippet:

  Since Cyrix was acquired by VIA (who later also acquired Centaur's WinChip processors) people have been wondering about the future of those processor families... after all; VIA had until this time been a chipset manufacturer.

  VIA is a "fab-less" processor manufacturer, and uses the manufacturing capabilities of National Semiconductor, TSMC, UMC and who knows? possibly even IBM or Motorola at a later date...

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• GPLTrans available for Alpha testing
  Time: 02:42 EST/07:42 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Alex Harris

  A new machine translator, GPLTrans,  is available for alpha testing and it was written in PHP. GPLTrans allows users to submit corrections when the translator makes mistakes, allowing the quality of the translations to become better and better.

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• Pass the Yams and the Millennium Beta
  Time: 15:11 EST/20:11 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Aside from turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Microsoft is serving up beta 2 editions of the successor to Windows 95/98--code-named Millennium--for Thanksgiving. Testers in the closed beta program should receive copies on CD-ROM by the middle of next week, Microsoft officials say.

  "For us, it's a checkpoint," says David Ursino, product manager. "One of the main goals of beta 2 is to get feedback and to refine glitches and gotchas."

  New features include an Auto Update utility, enhancements to digital media and entertainment, home networking utilities, system file protection, auto help, automated system restoration, driver assigning, a hibernate function, and an ACPI device bay.

  Because there's nothing worse than a sick PC, Microsoft's PC Health Initiative provides System File Protection, a Help Center, and a System Restore function. All are designed to assess the health of your desktop box and keep it operating at optimum capacity.

  System File Protection protects you from yourself by preventing you from accidentally deleting things you need, Ursino says. The function restores files that are crucial to running the operating system, even after you've emptied the Recycle Bin.

  Microsoft is still developing the Help Center with its partners. The center will contain a library of resource materials on peripherals and software, so you can get vendor support within Millennium instead of picking up a manual.

  Home networking functions are enhanced as well. Ursino says it's easier to set up shared resources and printers with the help of a new wizard.

  Partner Functions Featured

  On the digital media and entertainment side, Millennium will give users a number of new tools. It provides functions to organize your MP3 files, share Internet connections, and share images online, says Ursino. Plus, it will eventually offer a Windows utility that connects to Microsoft's hardware and software partners for technical assistance. But the company is still working with vendors, so that portion won't be included in beta 2.

  The Auto Update feature will let you know when to download new versions of applications. And it can do so invisibly when you're online, Ursino says.

  For gamers, Millennium frees up disk space by discarding parts of game files that aren't running.

  The CD-ROM that contains the Millennium beta 2 also includes the beta version of Internet Explorer 5.5. Among its new features are the ability to preview the printed appearance of a Web page before you send the file to the printer.

  While Millennium is filled with utilities to make your life on the PC easier, it is more a consumer operating system than ever--few functions are truly user configurable.

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• A Peek at Communicator 5.0
  Time: 15:11 EST/20:11 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Once the beast Mozilla roared, but now America Online's Netscape Communications division just grumbles.

  Netscape has slid from owning the browser market with an 87 percent share in 1996 to trailing with a current 36 percent share, behind nemesis Microsoft's Internet Explorer, according to Zona Research.

  Now Netscape is preparing to pull up its anchor and set a new course with Communicator 5.0. Netscape won't give a ship date or details about features. However, this week it promised developers a minor upgrade, Communicator 4.71, in December, quelling rumors of 5.0's debut.

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• PalmOS extends lead over WinCE -- just
  Time: 08:23 EST/13:23 GMT News Source: The Register Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Palm Computing and its licensees continue to outsell Windows CE-based handheld providers, and by an even greater margin, if market research company NPD Intelect's latest snapshot of the US market is anything to go by.

  According to the numbers, the 3Com subsidiary took 77.9 per cent of the US PDA market this September, up from 75.4 per cent for the same period last year, an increase of three per cent.

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• Site News
  Time: 08:20 EST/13:20 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Just a very quick note to wish all of you over in the US a happy Thanksgiving. No more holidays here in Europe until Christmas, sigh.

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• Site News, Community Update and ActiveSci-Fi
  Time: 18:36 EST/23:36 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  We have begun our regular daily updates of ActiveSci-Fi, so those of you who are interested in science fiction - check it out. As you know we take your feedback seriously here - so if you have any comments on the Sci-Fi site just let me know.

  As usual it is also time to mention our MSN Community, we are currently still the leading Operating System community on MSN, so make sure you check us out - our next chat is on the way on 27th November. Here is a list of our upcoming reviews:

  Hardware: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, Microsoft Force Feedback Steering Wheel, Microsoft Force Feedback Joystick
  Software: Tomb Raider 4, Quake 3, Gabriel Knight 3, SWAT 3, Interstate 82, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Indiana Jones & The Infernal Machine, Ultima 9, Asheron's Call (Ongoing Monthly), Unreal Tournament, Wheel Of Time, Delta Force 2, Nocturne + Competition, Flight Simulator 2000, Driver, Encarta Africana
  Applications: Corel Suite 9, Vizact 2000

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• Microsoft To Buy Stake In Japanese Cable Firm
  Time: 17:13 EDT/21:13 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft is close to buying a majority stake in a Japanese cable-TV operator, Titus Communications, for an estimated $952 million. Microsoft is in negotiations with U.S. cable provider MediaOne for possible purchase of MediaOne's60 percent stake in Titus. MediaOne is expected to reach an agreement with Microsoft by the end of this month.

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• Microsoft waits for no one
  Time: 16:55 EDT/21:55 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  If you think Microsoft execs are sitting around and wringing their hands over the DOJ antitrust trial, think again.

  These guys aren't waiting for Judge Jackson, mediator Richard Posner or the Supreme Court before moving ahead with their strategies and plans. Just when everyone -- from the lawyers charging ahead with a wave of class action suits against Microsoft, to many of Microsoft's competitors -- is focusing on how the antitrust case might impact Microsoft as a software company, Microsoft is already well on its way to reinventing itself as a services company.

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• Windows Millennium Beta 2 Goes RTM
  Time: 16:14 EDT/21:14 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Alex Harris

  We have just received some confirmation that Windows Millennium Beta 2 has gone RTM (Released To Manufacturing). This latest beta adds a few new features over the first beta release, including a few new UI changes. We should (Fingers crossed as the Windows Consumer group don't like us much anymore for some unknown reason) have a full official preview of Beta 2 in the next few weeks.

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• Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a
  Time: 15:22 EDT/20:22 GMT News Source: Windows98 Central Posted By: Byron Hinson

  As many of you know, Windows NT SP 6 was released a couple weeks ago, and conceived several bugs in it. Microsoft has now released SP 6a to fix these problems.

  Service Pack 6 (SP6) provides the latest updates to Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation 4.0, Windows NT Server 4.0, and Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition. SP6 contains known Year 2000 updates for Windows NT 4.0. These Year 2000 updates are also available as separate Web downloads that customers may apply to a Service Pack 4 or 5 system. Providing these options gives organizations the flexibility to choose which path is easier for them to address Year 2000 issues. SP6 is not a required upgrade for Year 2000; Microsoft recommends that each customer consult the SP6 documentation and then determine whether to deploy it. You can go here to see what was fixed, and what bugs were found.

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• Break up Microsoft? That's preposterous
  Time: 15:19 EDT/20:19 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  When I was 14, the toy of the day was Rubik's Cube. Impatient and ignorant, I needed to know how the puzzle worked, and I wasn't going to let logic get in the way, so I did the easiest thing possible: I broke it apart.   It was the adolescent thing to do.

  Apparently, adolescence hasn't escaped the anti-Microsoft community, which wants to shatter Microsoft.

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• Asheron's Call off to a Good Start in US Release
  Time: 13:19 EDT/18:19 GMT News Source: Microsoft Posted By: Dennis Gregory

  REDMOND, Wash. - Nov. 24, 1999 - Microsoft Corp. today announced that "Asheron's Call," a massively multiplayer online game, is off to a strong start now that it has reached its full U.S. retail release. Highly anticipated by computer game fans and acclaimed in previews by the games press, "Asheron's Call" immerses thousands of players in a dynamic virtual world rich with adventure, magic and mystery.

  Playable exclusively on the MSNT Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.com/), "Asheron's Call" has already become the No. 1 game on the Zone. "There are over a hundred games available for play on the Zone, and 'Asheron's Call' broke all previous game records in little over a week," said Adam Waalkes, product unit manager for the MSN Gaming Zone. "More people play 'Asheron's Call' during peak times than any other game the Zone has ever offered."

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• AskAW News
  Time: 11:05 EDT/16:05 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Dennis Gregory

  AskAW has been cancelled for this week because of the United States' Thanksgiving holiday. We'll start back up next week! Remember! Post your questions to our community which is at: http://communities.msn.com/ActiveWindows/. Thanks for visiting ActiveWindows.

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• Revenant - Review
  Time: 10:23 EDT/15:23 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  I have posted my review of Eidos Interactive's Revenant - here is a snippet:

  Here is the basic storyline before I get started on the gameplay: You play the character of the Revenant who has been brought back from the dead to save a maiden who has been captured and to rid the world of an evil group called the Children of the Change. The Revenant (Locke) has no recollection of past life and because of this he must learn  the combat and magical skills that he has lost.

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• Microsoft exec: Y2K more of a concern than legal issues
  Time: 09:31 EDT/14:31 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Software giant Microsoft is more concerned over potential Y2K problems than its legal challenges, which have had no noticeable effect on business and could go on for years, a senior company official said.

  "In all honesty, we think whilst we have always expressed the desire to settle on the appropriate terms, this is likely to go to the appeals court and then if we are not successful there, we will go to the supreme court," John Leftwich, vice president of marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said late yesterday.

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• DOJ vs. Microsoft Settlement Is Likely
  Time: 09:29 EDT/14:29 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Settlement in the Microsoft antitrust case is more likely now, but will not include a break-up of the software giant, attorneys tracking the trial said Tuesday.

  The appointment of a federal mediator has improved the odds of a settlement to 50-50, said William Kovacic, a professor at George Washington University Law School.

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• Microsoft Opens Virtual World to the Masses
  Time: 09:25 EDT/14:25 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft Corp. today announced that "Asheron's Call™," a massively multiplayer online game, is off to a strong start now that it has reached its full U.S. retail release. Highly anticipated by computer game fans and acclaimed in previews by the games press, "Asheron's Call" immerses thousands of players in a dynamic virtual world rich with adventure, magic and mystery.

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• Suit trails $30 billion tab for MS Windows 'over-charging'
  Time: 09:25 EDT/14:25 GMT News Source: The Register Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Telephone numbers far too long to remember are beginning to be tacked onto the class action lawsuits being launched against Microsoft, on behalf of lucky American consumers - the latest, filed in Ohio yesterday by attorney Stanley Chesley, is based on the premise that the Beast of Redmond has contrived to extract $10 billion in excess pricing by over-pricing Windows.

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• Study says "buffer overflow" is most common security bug
  Time: 05:22 EDT/10:22 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Quick: What's the computer vulnerability of the decade?

  It's not the Y2K bug, according to computer science and security analysts, but a security weakness known as the buffer overflow. Unlike the Y2K bug, which threatens to cripple computers unable to distinguish years written in two-digit shorthand, this vulnerability opens computers to attacks by malicious hackers, who can use the bug to commandeer the targeted computer.

  In a buffer overflow, the attacker floods a field, typically an address bar, with more characters than it can accommodate. The excess characters in some cases can be run as "executable" code, effectively giving the attacker control of the computer without being constrained by security measures.

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• MS trial: Perusing the 'Posner effect'
  Time: 05:20 EDT/10:20 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Pundits already have begun to try to dissect the impact that 7th Circuit Chief Judge Richard Posner will have as mediator in the Department of Justice vs. Microsoft antitrust case. According to just released court documents, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) applauded Jackson's "surprise" proposal while DOJ representatives wanted a day to think about Jackson's proposal before accepting. Should the DOJ's hesitation be interpreted as fear of the impact of a conservative intermediary with strong anti-regulatory leanings? Some trial watchers seem think so

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• Asheron's Call Patch Released
  Time: 15:36 EDT/20:36 GMT News Source: E-Mail Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft has released the first patch for Asheron's Call - here are a few of the fixes:

  CHANGES TO MONSTERS

  • Monsters now have more pronounced "soft spots" in their armor. Choosing the height of your missile and melee attacks will have a more pronounced effect on the damage you do.
  • Monsters now also have clearer "soft spots" in their magical resistances. Mages must choose spells more carefully; using a spell to which a monster has natural resistance can reduce its effectiveness by half or more! Mages who choose proper spellcasting tactics will do as much damage as they ever did.
  • Lugians, Armordilloes, and Gromnies are somewhat faster and better defended.
  • Lugians and some Monougas fit better through doorways.
  • The locations of many monsters have been tweaked to improve game balance.
  • Vats and braziers are now ethereal, so they cannot be used as safe "perches" for picking off monsters.
  • On the landscape, monsters will now be able to open doors.
  • Gromnies will no longer defend their brethren.
  • Shadow creatures and Olthoi have better defenses.
  • Many Monougas will navigate better around pits.
  • Banderling Captains and Tumerok Warriors were not casting spells; this now works as intended.
  • Ice golems no longer take double damage from fire.

  CHANGES TO MAGIC

  • Portal spells are now harder to learn, and the spread in difficulty across portal spreads is also greater. (This restores portal magic as a goal to which mages aspire.)
  • The ranges of Harm and Drain spells have been reduced, as the ranges made these attack spells more powerful than anything a War Mage could cast. Beneficial Heal, Regenerate and Enchantment spells retain their high range. The duration of enchantment now increases substantially with the level of its spell.
  • Vendors no longer hold on to the magic scrolls they buy, and will only sell their standard supplies of them.
  • Minor tweaks: Health-to-Stamina Self II had the wrong scarab, and the Range for Exhaustion Other I was too short. Both will be fixed.
  • Health-to-Stamina Other spells did not display their range when examined. They will now.

  You can read up on the full list of fixes/balancing issues right here.

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• Palm VII offers Prudential services
  Time: 15:33 EDT/20:33 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  Prudential Insurance Company announced yesterday that its customers will be able to access a range of financial information remotely using a Palm VII handheld wireless computer.

  Prudential customers will soon be able to get life insurance and stock quotes and check their 401(k) balances through a Palm VII. Next year, the company plans to allow customers to trade stocks and get auto insurance quotes using the device.

  Prudential's move comes one month after Palm turned on its wireless service nationwide, and the financial services giant joins a growing number of e-commerce companies that have teamed up with Palm to offer services remotely. Palm VII users already can buy books on Amazon.com and bid on items at eBay.

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• Troubled 3Dfx names new CEO
  Time: 15:33 EDT/20:33 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  Struggling graphics chipmaker 3Dfx today announced that board member and semiconductor veteran Alex Leupp will become the company's new chief executive.

  The appointment of Leupp, 59, comes at a time of wrenching change for the graphics chipmaker. Once one of the performance leaders in 3D graphics chips, the company has seen its market share and performance edge sag in the past 18 months because of competition and product delays.

  In October, former CEO Greg Ballard abruptly resigned. The company's stock has essentially stayed level today at just below $9.

  If anything, Leupp could bring a greater degree of practical operations skill to the company, said Peter Glaskowsky, graphics analyst with MicroDesign Resources.

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• Virgin launches music Web site with a twist
  Time: 15:28 EDT/20:28 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  Virgin today launched a Web site that makes it possible for users to skip the process of downloading and have music delivered directly to their personal computers.

  Like other Net music Web sites, Virgin JamCast offers downloadable digital music. It also offers CDs for sale from Virgin Megastore Online and community features through which music enthusiasts can communicate.

  But JamCast said that what sets it apart is a feature using "multicasting" technology that allows consumers to work on their PCs or surf the Web while music files are delivered through the background and played over a live Internet connection.

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• Microsoft venture struggles to sharpen its focus
  Time: 15:26 EDT/20:26 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  More than a year after it was formed, a high-profile wireless telecommunications firm backed by Microsoft and Qualcomm is still offering more questions than service.

  Hampered by service delays and the recent departure of its chief executive, Wireless Knowledge has struggled to make a name for itself with the corporate customers it hopes will use its mobile data services for cell phones and other handheld devices.

  Wireless Knowledge now has a new CEO and announced its first commercial product offering via a partnership with AT&T's wireless PocketNet service. Despite the recent news, the company has so far disappointed those who had high expectations when the venture first opened its doors last November.

  "The Microsoft name really helped generate interest in the whole wireless Internet space," said Alan Mosher, a wireless industry analyst at Probe Research. "Now something that Microsoft had been closely involved in since the launch just has not done what it promised to do."

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• MS judge urged negotiated settlement
  Time: 14:55 EDT/19:55 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  The federal judge in Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust trial told both sides the time is right for a negotiated settlement of the historic case.

  "I think this is probably as propitious a time for any possible negotiated outcome as you could have," Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson told lawyers for the software company, the Justice Department and 19 states during a meeting in his chambers last week.

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• Queen, David Bowie and Microsoft Raise Funds to Fight AIDS
  Time: 10:32 EDT/15:32 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  A three-way collaboration between Queen, David Bowie and Microsoft Corp. will mark World AIDS day, Dec. 1, 1999, with a global Internet-based AIDS fund-raising event.

  Through WindowsMedia.com, the MSN™ online guide to multimedia on the Internet, Microsoft will host a free* video download featuring Queen and David Bowie and will provide people with an opportunity to donate money to fight AIDS. The download will be available for two weeks at http://windowsmedia.microsoft.com/preview/queen/, beginning Dec. 1, exclusively in Microsoft® Windows Media™ format, providing industry-leading sound and video quality.

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• Microsoft Ranked No. 1 PC Games Publisher on Dollars in United States or First Week of November
  Time: 10:30 EDT/15:30 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft Corp. today announced that according to retail sales figures from PC Data Inc., Microsoft was the No. 1 PC games publisher on dollars in the United States for the first week of November. The company's rise to the top is fueled by strong licensed sales of "Age of Empires® II: The Age of Kings™," "Asheron's Call™" and two versions of "Flight Simulator 2000", all of which are among the top 10 best-selling PC game titles in terms of dollar sales for the first week of November. In addition to being the only games publisher with four titles among the top 10, for the first week of November Microsoft also claims the best-selling retail golf and football titles on units for the PC: "Links™ LS 2000" and "NFL Fever 2000."

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• DOD weighs JavaScript ban
  Time: 08:39 EDT/13:39 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex Harris

  The Department of Defense is considering banning all JavaScript and other mobile code from military Web sites because the tools could pose a security risk to its computer systems.

  JavaScript and Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT) ActiveX have been flagged because hackers are increasingly breaking into DOD systems, and department officials fear that mobile code is serving as an easy gateway for them to enter military networks, sources said. The tools are widely used by Web site developers to add animation and interactivity to Web pages.

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• Micro Linear Introduces 3A Active Bus Terminator for High Performance DDR SDRAM and SGRAM Memory Systems
  Time: 08:20 EDT/13:20 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Alex Harris

  Micro Linear Corp. (Nasdaq: MLIN - news) today introduces the ML6554 3A Active Bus Terminator for high performance memory systems implemented in Personal Computers, Workstations, Servers, Graphics, Video and Networking systems. A single ML6554 capable of actively sinking or sourcing up to 3 amps can provide the reference voltage and termination source for up to approximately 190 lines of an SSTL-2 bus (series stub termination logic) supporting DDR SDRAM or SGRAM memory modules. Multiple ML6554s can be used for larger systems. Micro Linear previously introduced the ML6553 1A Active Bus Terminator for smaller systems.

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• Cracking down on cyber-slackers
  Time: 08:20 EDT/13:20 GMT News Source: MSNBC Posted By: Alex Harris

  With a new baby and a full-time job, Jill McGarr doesn’t have time to cruise the malls this Christmas. Instead, she’s cruising the Internet, shopping for gifts for her husband and 2-month-old daughter. Not owning a home computer, however, she’s doing her online shopping at the Cleveland graphics studio where she works. Does that make her feel guilty? “Oh, come on,” says the 28-year-old secretary. “I’m not cheating anyone. I’m a multitasker.” After all, she says, everyone shirks at work sometimes. Besides, she says, “what’s more beneficial? Talking on the phone to a friend or maybe becoming more computer literate because you’re using the computer?”

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• Software wars about to resume
  Time: 08:20 EDT/13:20 GMT News Source: MSNBC Posted By: Alex Harris

  One epic battle of the Information Age is over. Another is about to begin. Microsoft’s operating system may have achieved domination over the traditional PC, but no one can yet lay claim to the heart and soul of the next generation of computing devices: The so-called information appliance.

  The rivalry to become the OS of choice inside these small, Web-enabled gadgets has just now begun. And Microsoft, despite its size and savvy, stands no better chance at victory than a half dozen other players, including Palm, Sony, and even a start-up such as Be Inc.

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• Judge pushes for settlement in Microsoft antitrust case
  Time: 08:14 EDT/13:14 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  The federal judge in Microsoft's antitrust trial told both sides the time is right for a negotiated settlement when he appointed a mediator in the case, according to reports.

  "I think this is probably as propitious a time for any possible negotiated outcome as you could have," Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson told lawyers for Microsoft, the Justice Department and 19 states during a meeting in his chambers last week, the Wall Street Journal said.

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• Internet Flies on Domestic Airlines
  Time: 08:12 EDT/13:12 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Alex Harris

  Is the sky the limit for the Internet? Not anymore: Soon you will be able to access the Web while on board an airplane. Inflightonline.com, a provider of in-flight Internet and intranet services, has joined forces with Lycos to provide limited Web access to airline passengers.

  Inflightonline says this is the first time such services will be provided on domestic flights. The content of about 20 selected Web sites would be stored on a server on board the aircraft, according to Inflightonline. Users would connect their laptops to the telephone in the back of the seat to access information on the airborne data server.

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• AOL Offers Easy Web Access to Mail
  Time: 08:10 EDT/13:10 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Alex Harris

  America Online announced Monday its 19 million members can now send and receive AOL e-mail directly from the AOL.com Web site.

  Previously, AOL had allowed members access to their e-mail only through AOL's proprietary software or after members downloaded AOL's NetMail utility.

  Now, members who visit AOL's home page can simply type their screen name and password into a new "AOL Mail" feature. Then, they'll see a Web-based version of their AOL inbox. The service even plays AOL's trademark "You've Got Mail" script when you arrive.

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• Palm Winning Handheld War
  Time: 08:06 EDT/13:06 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Alex Harris

  Microsoft appears to be losing out to Palm Computing in the battle of the handhelds. Several vendors have abandoned the Windows CE palm-size PC market, while Palm's platform has gained backers.

  Sony plans to license the Palm operating system for its consumer handheld devices. OmniSky is developing a wireless Internet service for users of the Palm V. And more than a dozen vendors showed hardware, software, and information services for the Palm platform at Palm Computing's booth at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas last week.

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• Class-Action for MS in California
  Time: 05:20 EDT/10:20 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Alex Harris

  Lawyers say they will file a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. Monday on behalf of millions of Californians, the New York Times said.

  It would be the first of what legal experts say could become a flood of private litigation stemming from the US Justice Department's antitrust action against the software giant, the Times said.

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• Sherlock: Get a Clue
  Time: 05:15 EDT/10:15 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Alex Harris

  A subversive software patch that strips the futuristic metallic "skin" from Apple's Sherlock II search engine is a hit with users who prefer the traditional Mac OS interface.

  The Winfix patch has been downloaded about 15,000 times in the three days it has been available, according to Raul Gutierrez, the graphic designer who authored it.

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• Microsoft Shares Up After Mediator Appointed
  Time: 05:13 EDT/10:13 GMT News Source: Yahoo! News Posted By: Alex Harris

  Microsoft Corp. shares rose on Monday amid optimism on Wall Street about the appointment of a mediator in the government's antitrust action against the big software maker.

  Even so, signs of fresh problems for Microsoft emerged as lawyers filed a class-action suit in San Francisco accusing the company of using monopoly power to overcharge millions of California computer users for basic operating software.

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• Microsoft Passport Now Live at 24 Leading Merchant Sites, Making Online Holiday Purchasing Easier, Faster and More Secure
  Time: 05:09 EDT/10:09 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Alex Harris

  Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Microsoft® Passport "wallet" service is now live at 24 leading merchant sites, enabling consumers to complete their holiday online purchasing with ease, convenience and confidence. Microsoft also announced that, in addition to these live sites, there are now over 100 e-commerce sites committed to supporting Passport, a 90 percent increase since the service was launched in October.

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• It's war once again! The coming fight for the soul of a new machine
  Time: 05:05 EDT/10:05 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex Harris

  One epic battle of the Information Age is over. Another is about to begin. Microsoft's operating system may have achieved domination over the traditional PC, but no one can yet lay claim to the heart and soul of the next generation of computing devices: The so-called information appliance.

  The rivalry to become the OS of choice inside these small, Web-enabled gadgets has just now begun. And Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), despite its size and savvy, stands no better chance at victory than a half dozen other players, including Palm, Sony, and even a start-up such as Be Inc.

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• HomeLife plans companywide Windows 2000 deployment, cites easy administration
  Time: 05:01 EDT/10:01 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  HomeLife, a nationwide furniture chain, wanted to be as comfortable with its IT system as its customers are on the sofas it sells.

  That's one of the reasons HomeLife chose Microsoft® Windows® 2000 to support its entire IT infrastructure at 127 locations that support more than 2,000 corporate and remote employees. Originally the furniture division of Sears, HomeLife recently became an independent company and needed an IT system that would be operational in less than 18 months. Deciding that Windows 2000 was the best operating system to handle its growth, the company entered the Windows 2000 Rapid Deployment Program and chose Data General, a major supplier of enterprise IT solutions, to deploy a Windows 2000-based network.

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• Transistor breakthrough claimed
  Time: 04:58 EDT/09:58 GMT News Source: CNet News Posted By: Alex Harris

  A new semiconductor transistor so small that a single computer chip can hold 400 times more of the devices than before could help lead to significantly faster and cheaper chip technology, scientists said today.

  Chenming Hu, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California (Berkeley) said the tiny transistor is much smaller than any other ever developed. "It's a new world record," Hu said of the prototype, dubbed "FinFET."

  Details of the invention, which was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, will be unveiled next month at the International Electronic Devices Meeting in Washington.

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• Microsoft Releases Windows 2000 RC3
  Time: 04:55 EDT/09:55 GMT News Source: Windows NT Magazine Posted By: Alex Harris

  Microsoft announced via email to its beta testers on Thursday, November 18 that Windows 2000 (Win2K) Release Candidate 3 (RC3) is now available for download. Only a few beta testers will receive the CD-ROM version. (For those of you who are counting, RC3 is build 2183.) If you need the disc version, contact Microsoft at ntbeta@microsoft.com, and include your beta ID in the message.

  Unlike the multitude of changes that accompanied RC2, the current Win2K interface in RC3 has few or no changes from RC2. The bulk of the changes are application fixes and device-driver updates.

  Ever since build 2176, installing Win2K requires that you enter a unique Product Key during setup. If you’re a member of the beta test program, you can obtain your Product Key from Microsoft's Win2K beta Web site. You’ll receive Product Keys for both Win2K Server and Win2K Professional (Win2K Pro) after you enter your six-digit beta ID and password. After successfully retrieving your Product Keys, you can return to that site to get the keys again should you lose them.

  The RC3 files available for download include:
  • Windows 2000 Professional RC3 Build 2183 for x86-based systems
  • Windows 2000 Server RC3 Build 2183 for x86-based systems
  • Windows 2000 RC3 Build 2183 Customer Support Diagnostics (includes Books Online and Debugging Symbols)
  • Release Notes (read1st.txt and relnotes.doc)
  • Windows 2000 Professional RC3 Build 2183 Bootdisk Directory (used to create bootable floppy disk set)
  • Windows 2000 Server RC3 Build 2183 Bootdisk Directory (used to create bootable floppy disk set)
  • Windows 2000 Advanced Server RC3 Build 2183 Bootdisk Directory (used to create bootable floppy disk set)
  • Windows 2000 Professional Checked RC3 Build 2183 for x86-based systems
  • Windows 2000 Professional Checked RC3 Build 2183 Bootdisk Directory (used to create bootable floppy disk set)

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• Microsoft's WebCourier Now Delivers Across the Atlantic
  Time: 15:15 EDT/20:15 GMT News Source: Internet News Posted By: Robert Stein

  Microsoft has launched its MSN WebCourier service in the UK, which offers "opt-in" delivery of newletters on selected subjects to the UK's 1.2 million Hotmail users.

  "The launch of WebCourier complements the existing Hotmail communications services by delivering timely and relevant content that is of interest to UK consumers, underpinning our commitment in helping deliver 'Everyday Web'," said John Stoneman, business development manager at MSN, UK.

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• Microsoft Delivers Smart Cards for Windows
  Time: 15:15 EDT/20:15 GMT News Source: Internet News Posted By: Robert Stein

  Microsoft Monday introduced the Microsoft Windows Smart Card tool kit, which will enable developers and clients to build a broader range of smart-card applications more easily by utilizing a common operating system.

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• Nader: Take IE away from Microsoft
  Time: 15:18 EDT/20:18 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Consumer advocates Ralph Nader and James Love say Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) should be required to divest its Internet Explorer Web browser when people begin looking for remedies in Microsoft's landmark antitrust trial.

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• Commentary: I'm Microsoft monopoly-friendly
  Time: 15:15 EDT/20:15 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron Hinson

  mo·nop·o·ly -- exclusive control of a commodity or service in a given market, or control that makes possible the fixing of prices and the virtual elimination of free competition.

  I'm no legal scholar. I haven't been privy to Microsoft's closed-door meetings (though I have been privy to a fair number of at-the-bar postmortems of those meetings). I'm a busy mom. I'm concerned with practicality above all else. Maybe I'm simple-minded. But as a consumer of hi-tech products, I would rather not spend too many hours of my day chasing down updated drivers, fretting about incompatibilities, or endlessly calling technical support.

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• Site News: ActiveSci-Fi & Job Openings
  Time: 11:44 EDT/16:44 GMT News Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Welcome to a new week everyone, and hope you lot in the US have a good holiday...now on to business. We are re-opening http://www.activesci-fi.com this week so we are on the look out for a few more staff members specifically for that site. So if you like Science Fiction films, comics, books, TV etc etc then get in touch with us. HTML knowledge isn't vital although it does help.

  E-mail byron@activeie.com

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• Microsoft faces private class-action suit
  Time: 09:25 EDT/14:25 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Lawyers say they will file a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft today on behalf of millions of Californians, according to reports. It would be the first of what legal experts say could become a flood of private litigation stemming from the Justice Department's antitrust action against the software giant, the New York Times said.

  The suit is to be filed by three longtime class-action lawyers, and will accuse Microsoft of using its monopoly in operating systems software to overcharge buyers of Windows 95 and Windows 98, the paper said.

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• Something for Everyone
  Time: 09:22 EDT/14:22 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Robbie Bach, vice president of the Home & Retail Division (HRD), claims he has the best job at Microsoft. His group creates software and hardware products for home consumers, including everything from games and game devices, mice, and keyboards to reference, mapping, and productivity software.

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• Happy Holidays: Microsoft Offers Consumers Free Product Support This Season
  Time: 09:22 EDT/14:22 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  To provide consumers with a centralized resource for their technical support needs during the holidays, Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) today debuted a new Web site tailored specifically to home users who are installing the season's most highly anticipated Microsoft products, including a variety of games and the popular Windows 98 Second Edition operating system. The Web site, located at http://support.microsoft.com/support/holiday/ and available through February 15, 2000, will provide home users with an easy and convenient starting point for resolving their product-specific technical questions.

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• Survey Rates Microsoft Number One in Knowledge Management Efforts
  Time: 09:21 EDT/14:21 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  In a survey of Fortune Global 500 CEO's, Microsoft was rated number one in knowledge management efforts. The survey rated the top 20 companies in the world based on their knowledge management efforts that led to their superior performance.

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• Microsoft Signs Licensing Agreement With AOL
  Time: 09:03 EDT/14:03 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft Corp. today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with America Online Inc. (NYSE "AOL"), the world's leading interactive services company, for Microsoft® DirectX® multimedia API components. The nonexclusive distribution agreement will enable AOL to give consumers the ability to run the latest games and multimedia applications on their Windows® operating system-based PCs.

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• Microsoft's "Links LS 2000" Hole-in-One Sweepstakes Gives Users a Chance to Win a Hawaiian Vacation
  Time: 09:02 EDT/14:02 GMT News Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron Hinson

  Microsoft Corp. today announced that Internet users can download a free* trial version of the Microsoft® "Links™ LS 2000" golf simulation game at http://www.microsoft.com/games/links2000/ and enter the "Links LS 2000" Hole-in-One Sweepstakes for a shot at a five-night stay at the world-famous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Using the free nine-hole trial version of the best-selling golf simulation series, "Links LS 2000," contestants can attempt hole-in-one shots on the game's Mauna Kea hole 7. Contestants who shoot an ace will be entered to win the grand prize trip, which includes a round of golf at the Mauna Kea Golf Course.

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