Volume 4, Issue 45        Atari Online News, Etc.       November 8, 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:

                                Kevin Savetz
                           Donald A. Thomas, Jr.



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                                  =~=~=~=



A-ONE #0445                                                 11/08/02

   ~ AOL Loses Privacy Suit ~ People Are Talking!    ~ Atari On Pocket PC!
   ~ Code Contest Cracked!  ~ FBI Finds Attack Source~ ICWHEN Vault Opens!
   ~ No College Monitoring! ~ Acclaim Mellows A Tad! ~ Lord of the Rings!
   ~ MS Settlement Changes  ~ Symantec Goes Too Far? ~ Ghostly 'Fatal Frame'

                  -* Keeper of the Flame Returns! *-
               -* Microsoft Gets A Slap On The Wrist! *-
           -* U.S. Won't Oversee Additional MS Sanctions *-



                                  =~=~=~=



->From the Editor's Keyboard              "Saying it like it is!"
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""



Is it just me, or do many of you feel that a lot of taxpayers' money ended 
up being wasted because of the Microsoft antitrust case ruling last week?  
Here's a company that is found to be guilty of antitrust laws; and they walk 
away with barely a slap on the wrist!  The irony of it all was that this 
judge lost a bundle because she had to sell her Microsoft stock at a 
terrific loss or be disqualified due to conflict of interest.  Her ruling in 
this case was unbelievable!  Enough about the case, before I get sick!

Election Day has come and gone.  Massachusetts actually elected an outsider 
to the governor's seat - first time in about 20 years!  Personally, I'm glad 
to see it happen.  I hope that you all voted, and took advantage of your 
rights, and privileges, to do so.  I finally made sure that I was
re-registered as I hadn't done so since we moved a few years ago (shame on 
me!).  As far as I'm concerned, there's no excuse for not voting - even if 
you feel there's nothing or no one worth voting for.  Hey, my dog Butkus 
almost got a write-in vote against an unopposed candidate that I didn't 
like.  That candidate didn't get my vote, as is my right.  Well, enough from 
that soapbox!

Boy has it been unseasonably cold here in New England!  It certainly doesn't 
feel like early November!!  It's supposed to warm up over the weekend, so 
I'll take advantage of it and clean up as many leaves as I can before they 
freeze!  Oh well, I think it's going to be a long, cold, and snowy winter.  
I may as well get used to it now for when the real thing comes along!

Until next time...



                                  =~=~=~=



                            Atari ST on PocketPC


STacy and STBook users aren't the only ones with portable STs anymore. 
CastCE is an emulator that runs ST programs on PocketPC handhelds.

http://www.pocketextreme.ru/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=311



                                  =~=~=~=



                             PEOPLE ARE TALKING
                          compiled by Joe Mirando
                             joe@atarinews.org



Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I don't really have a lot to say this week,
so you can breathe easy.

I would like to mention the elections held this week, but I realize that
not everyone who reads this lives in the United States... or even cares
about the elections, so I won't. I'll just say that I found the election
itself much less interesting than the rhetoric that was thrown about from
one end of the country to the other. I think that there ought to be a
$10,000.00 fine for each instance of a candidate mentioning their
opponent in a political commercial. And just to drive the point home, the
money could be donated to the opposing party. <evil grin>

On another subject, people are not only getting dumber and dumber, but
also less and less concerned with rules and right and wrong. Laws seem to
only apply when they want them to, courtesy is something that everyone
else should pay to them but not the other way around, and everyone else
is always wrong. I think it's important to realize that you've got no
control over how they act, but what's even more important is that you DO
have control over how you act. It can be as simple as that... paying
attention to how you act. Quaint old phrases like "do unto others" and
"walk a mile in my shoes" are quite cliche in this day and age, but they
hold true none the less.

Well, let's get on with the news, hints, tips, and info available on the
UseNet.

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

Petr Stehlik asks about a hack for Sim City:

"Many years ago I heard from someone on NeST that he patched the game
SimCity to run in an extended Falcon resolutions (currently it requires
ST-Low, i.e. 320x200 in 16 colors, but the game would look way better in
say 640x480). The game itself seems to be fully GEM conformance so it
should not be impossible to do that.

Doesn't someone of you have the patched version by a chance? Or would
someone be willing to look into it?"

Peter Persson tells Petr:

"I've heard of that too, but couldn't find the actual patch anywhere.
I tried to patch the game myself, but it I never managed to get it to
work. Has anyone else tried this?"

Petr tells Peter:

"I also tried it but as you I couldn't get it running. It looks like it
has a hard-coded screen size somewhere or something alike (perhaps small
int arithmetics - 320x200 is < 215 while 640x480 overflows...)

I didn't really spend much time on it. I just disabled the check for
ST-Low.."

Peter takes an interest and asks Petr:

"Did it run at all? Did the screen get garbled up or did run in a small
(320x200) window?

I.e does it use clean GEM compatible code or direct screen access?"

Petr replies:

"Hmhmhm, the point is that I don't want to run it in ST-Low! I want to run
it in much larger resolution simply because the game really needs it."

Rob Jenkins asks about Cubase:

"Got a copy of cubase audio, disk and dongle only, no manual.
I've found bits of information regarding the differences between audio
and cubase 3, but so far nothing on how to record.

I'm using a soundpool FDI, on coax input, and in the hardware setup, I
can choose from A/D or FDI L or R and record at 44.1khz, only problem
is, I don't know where to do the recording.

I tried hitting the record button whilst on track one on the arrange
page, and I got a warning saying that I couldn't record to that drive,
so I tried all the others (6gig in 8 partitions), but got the same
message each time.

Could it just be my drive isn't fast enough, it's an IDE, though I do
have a SCSI Zip I could try."

Jos van de Gruiter tells Rob:

"Cubase Audio Falcon can only record to an external SCSI hard disk, Zip or
Jazz. Although ZIP isn't fast enough to do 8 tracks (4 are measured).
IDE's just don't work.

When Steinberg made CAF not all IDE's were fast enough to do HD recording,
SCSI were. So they deliberately ruled out IDE to avoid complaints that CAF
wasn't up to the job.

Try to buy an external SCSI HD from 4 - 6 Gb, they're not that expensive
anymore.

A/D means you can record through the stereo mini-jack microphone input of
the Falcon (not really cool), or you can record through the S/PDIF in,
that is: when the instrument/ amp/ mixer has an S/PDIF output. Some
people record through the digital ins and outs from DAT/Minidisc/ CD
players, which is a better option than those damn mini-jacks."

Rob tells Jos:

"Nice one, thanks for all that.

I'll try my Zip drive for now, see how I get on with that.
I don't think I'll ever really get up to 4 tracks of audio, never mind
8, I'm primarily midi (though I realise I could record my midi tracks
into cubase for processing.)"

Don Wolfe asks for help with NEWSie:

"My ISP has changed the logon configuration for the news groups.  Their
looking for my user-name as donw@intergate.com and Newsie sends only what
is left of the @ sign.

Is there any work around for this, or is there any way to patch Newsie ??"

Martin Tarenskeen asks Don:

"Have you tried to put "donw@intergate.com" in the NEWsie settings where
you probably have "donw" entered as your username or login name now ? I'm
just guessing, I haven't been using NEWSie since a long time anymore."

Edward Baiz tells Don:

"I would just switch to Okami like I did. It works much better than
Newsie and does not crash at all. Look for an article I wrote
about it's setup at the MyAtari site, October issue."

Carey Christenson asks about backing up his Falcon:

"I am looking for a program that can run a AUTOMATIC
SCHEDULED BACKUP on my Falcon030??  Any suggestions???
I have a program called Rational Sounds that does have
an ALARM feature on it with a COMMAND line but I do
not know what to enter in there to get it to backup my
partitions to a completely different drive.  And all
of the DOCS are in some foreign language!!  Any help
from anyone would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in
advance and long live all Atari computers
everywhere!"

Edward Baiz tells Carey:

"That would be a nice thing to have, but I would just get one of
those programs that would pop up and remind you to make a backup.
I usually backup my system every 2-4 weeks and I always have two
backups available. You never know when you will backup a faulty
system. I have done that and I am sure others have also. If you
want to backup to a CD, CDBackup by Anodyne is great. If you
backup to floppies, then Diamond Back III is sufficient.

You can check out some ftp sites and see if you can come up with
something. I know I have seen Atari programs that can be set to
activate in the future."

Martin Myttebier adds:

"Diamond back is good but ONLY when one uses the common 8+3 file system. It
fails badly when one use VFAT.

AFAIK, under MiNT on can use cron to run an automatic backup.

There is also a German application called E-backup. This package
contains ebatch.acc. With this acc one can run up to 16 program, for
instance E-backup at a given time.

AFAIK, E-backup is a commercial program. A few years ago one could get a
copy from AG-Computertechnik. If he still sells it I don't know. I'll
see him saturday morning. If I don't forget it I'll ask him.

Anyway the program is all German.

Another solution is jobtimer.acc which comes with Kobold (fast-copy
program). Jobtimer can execute Kobold jobs (for instance a backup job)
at a given time.

Kobold is a commercial program distribute by ASH see:

http://www.application-systems.de/kobold/index.html

It's all German but I believe an English version is available somewhere on
the net. For more info see the homepage of DDP:

http://www.cix.co.uk/~derryck/index.htm "

Greg Goodwin adds his thoughts:

"Diamond Back has additional problems.  I used to use it to backup 30MB
partitions to other 30MB partitions on removable media without
trouble.  However, when I bought CDISO (from Anodyne) I thought I
could use Diamond Back to copy all the files on my little partitions
to one big partition.  It couldn't, and bombed the system.

I hate to say it, but Diamond Back (& Diamond Edge) are rather
dangerous on partitions greater than some size, and I suspect it's 256
MB."

Derryck Croker jumps in and posts:

"One of our members did indeed translate Kobold into English (take a bow,
Peter), but I'm afraid that it isn't available for download. TBH I don't
know what the fate of the English version was, I'd have thought that
Atari Workshop would be the place to ask."

Richard van Vugt asks about what he thinks is a virus:

"I have a mouse that does not respond. It only 'walks' to the left of the
screen as the only mouse movement. I can get the mouse pointer at the
right spot only with the ALT and arrow keys. At first I thought my mouse
was faulty; I got an other one, but the problem did not go away. Is it a
virus? And how can I get rid of it?"

Adam Klobukowski tells Richard:

"The keyboard, or more probably the mouse port may be faulty."

David Wade adds:

"You don't say which Atari you have. Almost all the "single box" Ataris,
i.e. ST, STFM, STE have the mice ports attached the keyboard purely by
solder.

This tends to suffer from metal fatigue and after a while it cracks and
you loose contact. This happens if you often swap mouse to joystick etc.

Anyone who is competent with a solder iron should be able to fix..."

Richard tells David:

"Yes I have a 1040STfm. So I'll just have to open up the thing and see
what I can do. Is there anything I have to take care of when opening? And
how do I open it up?

David replies:

"Its been a long time but the following springs to mind ....

1) You just need to undo the screws in the "square" holes to get the case
apart

2) The metal screen is a right bugger to get off.

3) Some keys (space bar and/or return) I think have only one rubber
contact cup but have space for two. End result you think you have lost
one....

4) You might want to use some epoxy to secure the socket. (but you might
not, as if you need to replace it its then harder)

5) When re-fitting be careful not to bend the LED (power? Floppy?) that
stick up from the keyboard.

6) Buy an extension cable so it does not happen again.

7) If you are even slightly unsure, or not heat with a soldering Iron.
Get someone else to do it."

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

PEOPLE ARE TALKING



                                  =~=~=~=



                            Keeper of the Flame
                            by Thomas J. Andrews
                              tj@atarinews.org



I bought my first Atari 800 at a garage sale in 1985. Little did I know
what I was getting myself into. Oh, I'd been involved with computers
before, in college and later when I was drafted into the Army, but that 800
was the first computer that was *mine*.

It was magic. There was much to learn and do. As the cliche goes, the
possibilities seemed endless. I remember many late nights spent typing
magazine programs - games mostly, but others, too. My first real word
processor, Speedscript, was laboriously typed in over several nights from
the pages of Compute! magazine. Public domain and shareware programs
abounded.Quality stuff, too. Better than some commercial offerings. Online
services like GEnie and Delphi - and let's not forget the local BBS -
opened a whole new world to me.

Then it all began to wane. Commercial software went first, then the
magazines, one by one. As more programmers turned to other platforms, PD
and shareware dried up. BBS's shut down and support on the online services
became sporadic. Eventually there was nothing new anywhere. The magic,
while not dead, was comatose.

It was about this time that I got my ST. Much of the magic was back for a
while as I learned about WYSIWYG word processors, desktop publishing, and
eventually the Internet. But it was too late for the ST to maintain the
magic for long. The parent company was gone, and most programmers had
already abandoned it by the time I found it. I could feel the magic
slipping away again after just three years.

Then a Windows 98 PC came my way. Once again there were new things to
learn. The full power of the Internet was at my disposal. I was introduced
to instant messaging, the power of online shopping, the lure of Ebay. I
bought a scanner and a color inkjet printer. I finally had a computer "like
everybody else's."

But something was missing. The magic wasn't there, not like it had been
with the ST, and certainly not like the 8-bit. I think it might be because
it all seems so impersonal. There are lots of Windows programs, but few
people seem to do quality programming for Windows for the sheer joy of
doing it, as so many had, and some still do, for the Ataris. Then again,
maybe I never felt fully in charge of my own computer. Windows does what
Microsoft thinks is best, and it's just too bad if I don't agree.

Now, barely a year after getting the Windows PC, I'm trying Linux.
Specifically, Mandrake Linux 8.2. There have been a couple of false starts
and a few bumps along the way, but things started going fairly well after
about a month. It's a little early yet, but I think it shows promise. The
magic may be back.

The part I like best about Linux is the Open Source concept. All of Linux's
internal "secrets" are laid bare for the world to see. If I have sufficient
programming skill I can modify the code any way I like, customize it to
suit my own quirks. I can even share those modifications, as long as I
include the source code, and my modifications can, in turn, be modified. 

The BASIC programs from the magazines were like that. I learned a lot about
programming from examining those type-ins, and I used some of the routines
I saw there in my own programming. My one Antic-published program wouldn't
have worked without a short machine language subroutine I found in an Antic
from four years before.

A friend says, "More software is being written for Linux than for any other
platform." I believe him. Most of it is free for the downloading, too. Some
is available on CDs at minimal cost, like the old PD programs for the
8-bit. 

There are some places where Linux is lacking, so I can't abandon Windows
entirely. Scanner support is one. My Visioneer 7600U isn't supported. At
least I haven't found a driver for it yet. Printer support isn't all it
could be, either, and Winmodems, modems designed so that Windows takes over
part of the functions "regular" modems do internally, are all but
impossible to use.  On balance, Linux computers are completely immune to
the 60,000+ Windows viruses, and because of the nature of the OS it's
extremely difficult to make a Linux virus effective.  Another plus is
Linux's almost legendary stability.  Crashes, commonplace with Windows, are
much rarer with Linux.

So now I have four computer systems: Atari 8-bit, Mega STE, Windows 98, and
Linux. No, make that five. With Spectre GCR, I can make my STE think it's
an old Mac. No wonder I'm confused! It's not going to get any better,
either. In a few days, Joe Mirando has promised the CDs to install Mandrake
Linux 9.0 will be here, and I can update everything. Things are supposed to
run faster, bugs have been fixed, features added. Will it work? We'll
see...

                       * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                           Holme's Atari Games                             
                http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/atari/

This New Zealander(note the "nz" in the url) site could be a gold mine for
Atari Emulator users. Hundreds of .atr files of Atari programs are here,
free for the downloading. The site name is a misnomer, as there are more
than just games here. The list of utilities and apps is very extensive,
too. One could just go there and roll around in the titles, programs you
probably wanted when the 8-bit was in its heyday, but couldn't afford or
couldn't find.

I have mixed feelings about this site. Many, if not most, of these programs
were once copyrighted, commercial offerings, and they are here now,
available for free. The site owner states in several places that the files
are offered for those who wish to keep the Atari 8-bit alive, and that if
any copyright owner requests a program to be removed, it will be done
immediately. Realistically, the 8-bit market being what it is, most of
these offerings no longer have much, if any, commercial value. Still,
there's the uneasy feeling of piracy in offering these programs to the
public without specific permission from the copyright owners. I don't know
about New Zealand law, but it seems to me that the absence of objection
isn't the same as giving permission. On the other hand, there are SO many
programs here that simply are no longer available in another form, except
perhaps at garage sales and flea markets. Keeping them around is also
important.

I'm bringing this up because these things need to be brought out into the
light of day and discussed. If copyright owners would have objections, they
need to be notified. Many, I realize, simply don't care anymore. Others
would deny their programs to the remaining Atari public just on general
principles against piracy in any form, and that's their right. Still others
embrace the idea that their creations will live on, even if they are no
longer commercially viable.

What do YOU think?

-- 
                                TJ
                        Keeper of the Flame
                                 &
                Atari Computer Enthusiast of Syracuse



                                  =~=~=~=



->In This Week's Gaming Section  - Acclaims Changes 'BMX XXX'!
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""    Wanna Play Some Football?!
                                   'Fatal Frame'! 'Lord of the Rings"!
                                   And much more!


        
                                  =~=~=~=



->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News   -  The Latest Gaming News!
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



             Acclaim to Edit Nudity from Version of 'XXX' Game


Acclaim Entertainment Inc. on Monday said its controversial video game "BMX
XXX" will not contain topless nudity in the version to be released for Sony
Corp.'s PlayStation 2 console later this month.

Some of the nation's leading retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and
Toys R Us Inc., have said they will not carry the game because of subject
matter that also includes strippers, pimps and coarse language and features
the tagline "Keep It Dirty."

In the edited version of the game, players will be unable to create topless
female characters for stunt-bike sequences, Acclaim spokesman Alan Lewis
told Reuters.

Versions of the game for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s 
GameCube will not be edited, Glen Cove, New York-based Acclaim said.

"BMX XXX" for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox are launching Nov. 15 and for
GameCube closer to the end of the month. All three versions had been
scheduled for a Nov. 19 launch.

"I would say that the distribution continues to expand," Acclaim Chief
Executive Gregory Fischbach told Reuters. "The distribution on it is pretty
good."

Fischbach said the game will still have distribution through major
specialty game retailers and music and video retail chains.

So far major retailers have not indicated they would roll back on their
initial decision not to carry the game, he said. Best Buy Co. Inc. said
last month, however, it would consider selling an edited PS2 version.

In reporting its fiscal fourth-quarter results in October, Acclaim said its
results for the current quarter might be hurt by limited distribution for
the game.

Changes to the game for the edited Sony version were "done with good taste
and in humor," like the decision to place the title "BMX XXX" in black
lettering over the tops of the previously nude women, Fischbach said.

Fischbach said the game was no more extreme in its use of language,
violence or any other adult behavior than Take-Two Interactive Software
Inc.'s smash hit "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," which launched last week
and is expected to be the best-selling game of 2002.

Both titles carry "Mature" ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating
Board, meaning they are not intended for children under the age of 17.

"The success of 'Vice City' made everybody kind of pay attention,"
Fischbach said. "When you kind of look at the two games, there's a great
deal of similarities between them."



                    Join the Ghost Hunt in 'Fatal Frame'


A good old-fashioned ghost story in its purest form, "Fatal Frame" is a
welcome change from the typical horror game where swarms of vampires or
other monsters must be obliterated -- usually with huge guns.

Mutants don't lurk around every corner and the creatures you encounter
aren't always intent on doing you great bodily harm. There are no guns,
knives or explosives.

To get rid of the malevolent spirits, you still have to shoot them -- but
it's done with a mystical box camera capable of capturing their tormented
souls.

This game relies on a simple premise: a heroine who doesn't have the sense
to bring a search party with her, a supremely spooky score, and a superb
sense of tension that makes your pulse race every time you turn a corner.

I only played the beginning of the game and there were a few times I almost
jumped out of my seat.

Released earlier this year for the PlayStation 2 and just out for Xbox,
"Fatal Frame" ($50, from Tecmo) is the tale of a young woman named Miku
searching for her brother in an abandoned mansion in Japan. The siblings
share a sixth sense -- the ability to see and "feel" the presence of
ghosts.

The brother, who is a writer, ventured into the Himuro mansion after his
mentor and an entourage disappeared there a month earlier.

What's disconcerting about this game is that the ghosts are particularly
versatile. Most of the time you can sense them coming. You hear static-like
noise. Your hand controller begins to vibrate. A light in the corner of the
screen starts to glow.

You need to use those aids to find the ghost, put it squarely in the
viewfinder and take its picture. For benign ghosts -- the ones you have to
be quick to catch -- a good photograph of them is worth points for
upgrading your camera. But some of the ghosts will attack, so you've got to
be fast with the flash, or they'll suck the life out of you.

Some spooks appear with no warning at all. And, it's that uncertainty that
keeps you on the edge of your seat.

There are a few annoying things about the game.

Every time you want to save your progress, you must do it twice. In
addition to storing your position, you have to separately save the pictures
you've taken.

There are also some continuity problems. In my first visit to the library,
I heard a deep, ominous voice coming from a tape recorder in the closet. I
picked up the recorder, but each time I revisited the room, the voice was
still there.

Because the Xbox version was not available for review, I don't know whether
these problems have been corrected.

But even on the PS-2, all the quirks are outweighed by the strengths of
"Fatal Frame." Sometimes they even enhance the spookiness of the experience.

Some players will be bothered by the system for maneuvering the characters.
If you want Miku to move to the left, you must move the thumbstick on the
controller to the left. But because the vantage point frequently shifts, as
it would in a movie, there's a tendency to try to point the thumbstick in
the wrong direction whenever the scene shifts. As a result, you may find
yourself making Miku walk into walls.

The changing camera angles, however, add immeasurably to the creepiness of
the game. Having Miku almost go off the screen before you can see where she
is adds an extra layer of tension. Most of the time, there's nothing to be
seen. But just when you think you're safe, another tormented spirit drifts
by -- a spirit that may or may not try to kill you.

The developers of "Fatal Frame" say it's "based on a true story." But when
pressed for more information, Tecmo says it's actually based on two
separate Japanese folk tales, and offers no real evidence that the stories
are true. Instead, the company talks about weird happenings in an
unidentified house where, if you take a picture of a certain window, for
instance, the image of a girl is said to appear in the developed photograph.

But don't let the facts get in the way of your chance to enjoy this game.

Just turn out the lights and be afraid.

"Fatal Frame" is rated for teens.



                       'Rings' Does Well As Videogame


The history of videogames is littered with the rubble of bad titles
based on popular movies.

But even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while, and so it is with the
subject of today's tirade, "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," provided
by Electronic Arts and developer Stormfront Studios for the PlayStation 2
(news - web sites).

If you're awake, you'll notice the title matches the second episode in the
movie series, which is due to debut in December, although events in the
early rounds are based on the first movie, "The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring."

That bit of confusion aside, EA has managed to put together a solid title,
especially if you're a fan of the hack-and-slash school of gaming.

Stormfront has done an admirable job of blending clips from the movie with
animated cut scenes and then segueing into the parts of the game you
control - the battle scenes. It's beautifully done and the transition from
movie to game cut scene is seamless.

Playing as either Legolas, Gimli or Aragorn, you must fight through more
than a dozen levels. Doing well in battle will earn you points which can
be spent to upgrade weapons, unlock new fighting combinations and even
interview the film's actors.

Saving comes after you successfully dispatch the level's boss.

The game offers one of the best defensive moves I've seen in a
hack-and-slasher, and it is really vital to learn to use it properly, in
combination with your various attacks.

When playing as Aragorn, for instance, your main weapon is your sword. But
Aragorn also has a bow, which must be used to dispatch some enemies and
the end-of-level bosses. So - block the attack, hit a shoulder button to
draw the bow and fire, then back to defending until you get another shot.
Done right, you take minimal damage and inflict maximum pain on Sauron's
flunkies.

Graphics get an A. They are beautifully drawn, shading and detail are
excellent, and they reproduce almost perfectly what you see in the movie.
Snow scenes will give you shivers, and entering the Mines of Moria is a
truly frightening experience. Action is handled well and there's no
visible slowdown.

Control gets a B. The controls work well, but there's a lot to do and some
chores, like aiming arrows, take a lot of work.

Sound gets an A. The lush score, the voices by many of the real movie
actors, the sound effects, all blend perfectly for one of the best aural
experiences in gaming.

Give "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" a B+. It's one of the more
entertaining games I've played this year, and whether or not you're a fan
of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tales of hobbits and goblins, you'll love the
game.

"Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is rated T, for ages 13 and up.



                  Punt, Pass or Catch These Football Games


At the midway point of the football season, your favorite pro or college
team may already be out of the championship hunt, but die-hards can
continue the quest by playing some of the hottest football titles for
video game systems (all games are rated for all ages):

NFL 2K3

* * * 1/2 (out of four)

(Sega Sports, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; $49.99): The NFL 2K
franchise enters its third year -- and unlike most expansion teams, it's a
contender. All 32 teams are available, including the new Houston Texans.
Every signature stadium is available, along with detailed crowds, players
and coaches. Among available game modes is franchise, in which gamers can
play more than one season and have total control as both coach and general
manager. Players also have the ability to draft college seniors from sister
Sega title NCAA College Football 2K3. Notably, Sega Sports has teamed with
ESPN for the broadcast presentation, with player introductions, game
highlights, replays and scores (though without ESPN's personalities). You
can challenge friends far and near via online play, and keep stats to see
how you stack up against others across the country. The graphics are
superb, and the artificial intelligence is smart enough to appeal to both
veterans and rookies.

NCAA Football 2003

* * * 1/2

(EA Sports, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; $29.99-49.99): EA Sports
mixes in marching bands, mascots and cheerleaders for that old college
atmosphere. Among the new game modes is Rivalry, in which players can
fight a school's chief rival to win not only bragging rights, but one of
23 available rivalry trophies. Once a trophy is won, players can start a
collection in the new trophy room. For the first time, players can
"create a school" -- not only build a team, but also customize uniforms,
stadiums and fight songs, then name their school as they strive to be a
national powerhouse. Or they can choose from among all 117 Division 1-A
teams, one of 25 new "mascot" teams -- actually made up of team mascots
-- or the 2001 All-American team. Signature stadiums, chants and fight
songs are available for all schools. The campus challenge, which rewards
players with points for accomplishing certain goals (such as rushing for
100 yards during a game), allows players to earn pennants and unlock
secret teams and cheats. And the commentary team of ESPN's Brad Nessler,
Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit offers insight.

Madden NFL 2003

* * *

(EA Sports, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; $39.99-$49.99): Madden,
for years the dominant football title, enters its 13th season with a
number of new features to keep up with the increasing competition. The
playbook editor lets players showcase their coaching skills by creating
offensive and defensive plays. But the creativity doesn't stop there: You
also can create a specific player as well as an entire team. Novices may
want to take advantage of the new minicamp mode, in which certain tasks
must be performed well to successfully advance. It gives newcomers a
better grasp of how to pass, run and kick. Madden's graphics and gameplay
are superb. So is the commentary of John Madden and Al Michaels. And the
artificial intelligence is rock-solid and challenging.

NCAA College Football 2K3

* * *

(Sega, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; $29.99): In its sophomore
year, NCAA 2K3 continues to strive to be a top-notch bowl contender. But
it has lost a little ground along the way. First-timers may want to start
out in practice mode, to work on learning how to maneuver a running back
-- using juke moves, stiff arms and spin moves -- or on learning specific
plays from the playbook of a team by running them without the
interference. NCAA 2K3 offers many of the usual modes, such as exhibition,
tournament and legacy (equivalent to dynasty mode elsewhere). But what
made NCAA 2K2 a big hit was its solid artificial intelligence. In this
year's version, players will notice that the AI has slipped, evident when
trying to complete a pass: The defensive back seems impossible to separate
from the receiver. Veteran players may learn to overcome this, but it
could turn off novices.

NFL Blitz 20-03

* * *

(Midway, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube; $39.99-$49.99): Midway's
hard-hitting, smash-mouth video game offers players a break from
simulations by venturing into arcade action. Seasoned players will enjoy
such new features as the create-a-player mode; fantasy stadiums are
available, such as Arctic Station and Central Park, N.Y., where players
can take on zombies. Rosters have been updated to reflect current NFL
teams, uniforms and stadiums. But there are eight players on a team, as
opposed to the traditional 11. And late hitting and smack talking are
encouraged.

NFL GameDay 2003

* * *

(989 Sports, for PlayStation 2; $39.99): Many of GameDay's past must-have
features remain, such as 3-D players, stadium models, and arcade and
simulation modes of play. But new in this year's version is a third voice
on the commentary team: Ian Eagle joins Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts for
timely, lively advice. GameDay's newest feature is the ability to play
online: Up to four players can face off using two game systems and Sony's
$40 Network Adaptors (for Ethernet or phone lines). Gamers will enjoy
GameDay's responsiveness; the only knock against the game is that it's
just not Madden or NFL 2K3.

NCAA GameBreaker 2003

* * 1/2

(989 Sports, for PlayStation 2; $39.99): Like its competitors, GameBreaker
2003 offers 117 Division I-A schools. But you also can choose from 66
classic teams such as Florida State '93 or USC '79. Choose from four skill
modes -- freshman to senior -- and check out the coaching career mode,
where coaches can climb the ladder from assistant coach at a small school
to head coach at a national contender. Individual awards can be achieved
over the course of a season, such as the Heisman, All-American and
All-Conference awards. All 27 bowl games are available, with weekly Top 25
rankings. 989 also has thrown in a new two-man commentary team: analyst
Tim Brandt and the legendary Keith Jackson. The graphics and gameplay are
adequate, though handling the camera angles can be frustrating.

NFL Fever 2003

* *

(Microsoft, for Xbox; $39.99): Microsoft's first football season was
spectacular, but this time it hits the sophomore jinx. All of the basic
features are here, including the practice, dynasty and challenge modes,
and classic teams such as the 1998 Denver Broncos. Game action is
extremely fast, giving it more of an arcade, rather than simulation, feel.
But the artificial intelligence is not very challenging. It may not be
easy to run, but it's too easy to pass, especially deep. And the pass
protection gives the quarterback enough time to read a book before he
throws the ball.



                                  =~=~=~=

 

->A-ONE Gaming Online       -       Online Users Growl & Purr!
  """""""""""""""""""



                  ICWhen.com Opens Its Vault to Collectors


ICWhen.com has selected choice items from its vault to auction.  Items
include rare and one-of-a-kind memorabilia from the video game industry.

Please bookmark this link.  New auctions are being posted regularly.  If
you know someone that may be interested, please pass the link along to them.

http://www.icwhen.com/vault

Thanks for your support.

Best Wishes,

-- Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
   FAX:  (815) 366-2336     curator@icwhen.com
   http://www.icwhen.com
   http://www.icwhen.com/resume



                                  =~=~=~=



                           A-ONE's Headline News
                   The Latest in Computer Technology News
                       Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson



                     Microsoft Ruling a Boon to Windows


Consumers switching on a Windows computer in coming months could see
important new changes, including prominent links for programs such as music
and chat software from some of Microsoft's biggest corporate rivals.

But a court's decision not to impose tougher penalties than those
negotiated with the Bush administration means Microsoft's flagship software
will remain mostly unadulterated as the engine for the technology industry
and for its own extraordinary profits.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly approved only minor changes in
the settlement. She will permit computer-makers, for at least five years,
to activate software from rivals as soon as a new PC is switched on by
consumers. She also will prohibit Microsoft from threatening to retaliate
against anyone who cooperates with its rivals.

The judge established a corporate committee - consisting of Microsoft board
members who are not company employees - to make sure the company lives up
to the deal, and she gave herself more oversight authority.

But she would not go further punishing Microsoft, deriding arguments by
attorneys general from nine states and the District of Columbia that
tougher penalties were essential to restore competition in the technology
industry. The judge said many of these additional proposals were developed
chiefly to benefit Microsoft's rivals, not consumers, and said the states'
legal strategy had been hopelessly flawed.

What a difference a judge makes.

Kollar-Kotelly, 59, proved a meticulous, enigmatic jurist unwilling to push
the limits of earlier rulings on Microsoft by a federal appeals court.

She adopted a remarkably narrow view of the issues surrounding the case
and indicated she was particularly skeptical over the failure to show how
Microsoft's business decisions hurt consumers, even as these actions proved
devastating to technology rivals.

She said the states demanding tougher penalties showed "little respect" for
those earlier appeals rulings and their arguments were "unjustifiably in
conflict" with those same rulings.

The judge in the earlier Microsoft trial, Thomas Penfield Jackson, charged
through until he was removed for conducting secret interviews with
reporters during the case.

Unlike Kollar-Kotelly, who remained stoic throughout a 32-day hearing
earlier this year, Jackson occasionally lost his temper toward witnesses
during a 78-day trial and laughed openly at Microsoft chief Bill Gates.
Jackson also eagerly broadened the case beyond narrow questions surrounding
Internet browser software and frequently butted heads with the appeals
court.

When Jackson handed down his punishments, also overturned later by an
appeals court, he ordered Microsoft split in two. Friday's decision by
Kollar-Kotelly was far more favorable for the software giant.

Gates pledged a personal commitment to abide by the judge's instructions,
which he called a "a good compromise and good settlement." Microsoft's
lawyers expected to spend the weekend reviewing the decision, which covers
hundreds of pages. But he said: "We're not seeing anything that would be
cause for appeal."

Officials for the nine losing states also were studying their options. They
could appeal the judge's denial of additional penalties, although
California's attorney general, Bill Lockyer, acknowledged that after a
four-year court fight, "We're all fatigued."

His colleague, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who has been among
Microsoft's harshest critics, struck a more defiant tone: "The last chapter
has not been written," he said.

Although Microsoft's most prominent court battle seemed headed toward
resolution, the company's antitrust troubles are not over.

It still faces private lawsuits by Sun Microsystems Inc. and AOL-Time
Warner Inc., and European antitrust regulators - who were awaiting the U.S.
judge's decision - have hinted they will announce sanctions against
Microsoft by year's end on related matters.



             US Says It Won't Oversee Added Microsoft Sanctions


It will be up to state prosecutors to enforce antitrust sanctions against
Microsoft Corp. that go beyond the company's settlement with the Justice
Department, the department's chief antitrust enforcer said on Thursday.

The department's antitrust division won't be responsible for overseeing a
handful of additional restrictions that a federal judge added to her
landmark antitrust ruling at the behest of some state attorneys general,
U.S. antitrust chief Charles James said after a speech on Thursday.

The ruling handed down last week by U.S. District Judge Colleen
Kollar-Kotelly endorsed Microsoft's antitrust settlement with the U.S.
government and nine states.

In it, Kollar-Kotelly rejected nearly all the demands for stronger
sanctions by a group of nine other states seeking tougher sanctions against
the company.

At issue are a handful of additions the judge made at the behest of the
dissenting states.

For example, the judge banned Microsoft from threatening retaliation
against computer makers, whereas the Justice Department settlement banned
only retaliation itself. She also imposed additional restrictions on the
initial "boot" sequence of the Windows operating system, and reworded part
of the settlement to ensure that Microsoft doesn't stop computer makers
from offering customers a wider array of Internet access providers.

James, who is leaving the antitrust division later this month for a job in
the private sector, said it will be up to the states to enforce those
restrictions.

Making his last speech as antitrust chief, James said the judge's ruling
vindicated his decision to settle the case, despite complaints by Microsoft
rivals that it was too weak to prevent Microsoft from abusing its dominant
position in the software industry.

James said some competitors and pundits created a political "spectacle" to
push for greater restrictions on Microsoft, rather than relying on
long-standing antitrust law and the facts of the case.

"You have to ask yourself, 'Do you really want to live in a world where
strategies like this are effective?"' James said. "I certainly don't want
to live in that world."

An appeals court ruling in June 2001 upheld trial court findings that
Microsoft had illegally maintained its Windows operating system monopoly,
but rejected breaking the company in two.

The settlement was reached among Microsoft, the Justice Department and
nine states in November 2001 after Kollar-Kotelly urged the parties to
reach an agreement.

It gives computer makers greater freedom to feature rival software on their
machines by allowing them to hide some Microsoft icons on the Windows
desktop.

Under the settlement, Microsoft is prohibited from retaliating against
computer makers who choose to feature non-Microsoft products. Nor could it
enter into agreements that require the exclusive support of some Microsoft
software.

Windows will be sold under a standard license to the major computer makers,
although discounts would still be allowed according to the volume of the
order.

The nine states that declined to settle were California, Connecticut,
Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah, West Virginia, plus
the District of Columbia.



               DOJ, Microsoft Sign Off on Settlement Changes


Attorneys for Microsoft Corp., the U.S. Justice Department and nine states
signed off on a handful of changes to their antitrust settlement that were
outlined in a landmark federal court ruling last week.

The three sides agreed to make the relatively minor additions sought by
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, which are designed to ensure
that the company does not abuse its dominant position in the software
industry.

The parties filed a document with the court on Friday agreeing to the
changes.

Kollar Kotelly added the provisions to the settlement at the behest of nine
other state attorneys general who refused to sign on to the Justice
Department agreement.

The ruling she handed down last week endorsed Microsoft's antitrust
settlement with the U.S. government and the nine settling states.

In it, Kollar-Kotelly rejected nearly all the demands for stronger
sanctions by the dissenting states. Attorneys general of those states have
not decided yet whether they will appeal the ruling.

Among the handful of changes the judge did make was one that bans Microsoft
from threatening retaliation against computer makers, whereas the Justice
Department settlement banned only retaliation itself. She also imposed
additional restrictions on the initial "boot" sequence of the Windows
operating system, and reworded part of the settlement to ensure that
Microsoft doesn't stop computer makers from offering customers a wider
array of Internet access providers.

Also on Friday, Microsoft named three members of its board of directors to
an "Antitrust Compliance Committee" that will help oversee the settlement.

In her ruling, the judge said the panel should consist of three members of
the Microsoft board who are not present or former employees of Microsoft.

The panel will be chaired by James Cash, a professor at Harvard Business
School. The other members are Raymond Gilmartin, chairman, president and
chief executive officer of Merck & Co. Inc., and former U.S. Labor
Secretary Ann McLaughlin Korologos.

An appeals court ruling in June 2001 upheld trial court findings that
Microsoft had illegally maintained its Windows operating system monopoly,
but rejected breaking the company in two.

The settlement was reached between Microsoft, the Justice Department and
nine states in November 2001 after Kollar-Kotelly urged the parties to
reach an agreement.

It gives computer makers greater freedom to feature rival software on their
machines by allowing them to hide some Microsoft icons on the Windows
desktop.

Under the settlement, Microsoft is prohibited from retaliating under the
settlement against computer makers who choose to feature non-Microsoft
products. Nor could it enter into agreements that require the exclusive
support of some Microsoft software.

Windows will be sold under a standard license to the major computer makers,
although discounts would still be allowed according to the volume of the
order.



              AOL Loses Court Ruling on Internet Privacy Issue


The Virginia Supreme Court ruled against America Online in its efforts to
protect the identity of one of its 35 million subscribers by asking the
court to quash a subpoena calling for the member's name in an issue that
goes to the heart of the anonymity of the Internet.

The ruling against the world's largest Internet service provider, based in
Dulles, Virginia, was the latest in the evolution of privacy laws as they
pertain to the Internet and identities of Web surfers, privacy experts
said.

"The law is very unsettled and still being written. Any decision by the
highest court of any state -- particularly the one where AOL resides -- is
significant," said David Sobel, general counsel at Electronic Privacy
Information Center.

The Virginia Supreme Court sided with a lower California court's ruling
that supported Nam Tai Electronics Inc.'s request to subpoena the identity
of an AOL user as part of a complaint that alleged libel, trade libel and
violations of California's unfair business practice statutes.

The electronics company alleged in its complaint, filed in January 2001 in
California Superior Court, that 51 unknown individuals, including an AOL
subscriber, posted "false, defamatory and otherwise unlawful messages"
about the company's stock on an Internet message board.

"The case is important to the extent that AOL was attempting to ask the
Virginia Supreme Court to adopt a rule of law for Internet speech that was
different than the law as it exists for the bricks and mortar world," Jon
Talotta, associate at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, which represents Nam Tai,
told Reuters.

"This ruling makes this a traditional defamation case," added Robert
Feyder, litigation partner at the law firm.

In April 2001, AOL filed a motion to quash Nam Tai's subpoena. arguing it
should not be required to reveal subscriber information because it would
"infringe on the well-established First Amendment right to speak
anonymously."

AOL, the Internet arm of media giant AOL Time Warner Inc., also argued Nam
Tai could not meet the heightened scrutiny required to overcome that right
but the lower California court denied AOL's motion.

Companies, including AOL, have turned over subscriber's names under
different circumstances, an AOL spokesman said.

However, AOL argued that Nam Tai's complain did not merit setting aside
First Amendment rights, but the lower California court denied AOL's motion
to quash the subpoena.

"Clearly, we are disappointed in the ruling. AOL feels that there are
important critical First Amendment issues at stake in this case and we are
in the process of considering our legal actions," AOL spokesman Nicholas
Graham told Reuters.

The online giant has 10 days to ask the Virginia Supreme Court to
reconsider its decision or turn over the name. If AOL goes back to the
court in Virginia and it still rules against AOL, the company could then
appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Privacy experts called the ruling significant but said more litigation
involving online privacy issues would likely unfold before a determination
is made about what a company needs to prove before winning such cases.

"It is disappointing because a whole host of courts around the country
have been appropriately concerned about the First Amendment right to
anonymity," said John Morris, staff counsel at the Center for Democracy
and Technology.

However, he said, the decision may not have as much importance in the end
because the Virginia Supreme Court ultimately decided that the First
Amendment issues surrounding this case must be resolved in the California
courts where Nam Tai filed its original complaint, Morris added.



            College Copyright Cops Are Privacy Risk, Group Says


A civil-liberties group asked colleges and universities on Wednesday to
refrain from monitoring students' Internet use, even if administrators
believe that students may be swapping copyrighted songs or movies.

Students may feel intimidated if administrators monitor Web browsing to
make sure they are not swapping Eminem songs or episodes of "The Sopranos,"
the Electronic Privacy Information Center said in a letter sent to 50
schools.

"Monitoring chills behavior, and can squelch creativity that must thrive
in educational settings," EPIC said.

Record labels and movie studios asked college administrators last month to
crack down on student file-swapping, which they see as a threat to CD and
movie-ticket sales. Several education groups echoed the request in a letter
of their own.

Many college campuses are wired with high-speed Internet access that allows
digital video and audio to be downloaded quickly. Few homes in the United
States are so sophisticated.

As campus networks have sagged under the increased traffic, some schools
have moved to block the peer-to-peer networks like Kazaa and Grokster that
make file-swapping possible.

In its letter, EPIC acknowledged that schools should manage their bandwidth
efficiently, but said that student privacy could be violated if network
administrators comb through personal e-mails and Web-surfing logs to ferret
out bootleg Britney Spears songs.

"Such a level of monitoring is not only impracticable; it is incompatible
with intellectual freedom," the letter said.

The president of the Recording Industry Association of America, which has
aggressively fought online file trading, issued a curt response.

"I don't think anyone needs to lecture universities about academic freedoms
and respecting the First Amendment or privacy rights of their students,"
said RIAA President Cary Sherman.



                    FBI Finds Source of Internet Attacks


The distributed denial of service attacks against 13 of the Internet's core
servers has been traced to computers in the U.S. and Korea, according to
statements made by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert
Mueller.

The FBI director, who made the statements while speaking at a conference in
Falls Church, Virginia, would not elaborate on what information his agency
has obtained, saying that the investigation was ongoing.

"I can't give you a brief on where the investigation has led us," Mueller
said, according to a transcript of his comments provided by the FBI.

The attack, which began on October 21, flooded all 13 of the root servers
of the Internet Domain Name System, a network of computer servers that
communicate by matching up Internet domains used by people with numeric
equivalents used by computers.

All 13 of the root servers were flooded with Internet traffic using ICMP
(Internet Control Message Protocol) at more than 10 times the normal rate
of traffic, said Brian O'Shaughnessy, a spokesperson at VeriSign after the
DDOS attack happened. VeriSign manages the "A" and "J" root servers.

Roughly two thirds of those servers were temporarily disabled or severely
hampered in serving legitimate user requests by the attack, according to
O'Shaugnessy and others. However, four or five of the 13 servers remained
online throughout the attack and the majority of Internet users did not
experience any interruption in service.

South Korea, along with the U.S. is a frequent source of cyberattacks
because of the large number of computer users in that country and the
widespread availability of broadband Internet access such as a DSL or cable
modems.

Unlike machines that connect to the Internet using dial-up modems,
machines with broadband connections maintain a constant, high-capacity
connection to the Internet when they are turned on. As a result, attackers,
viruses, and e-mail worms can compromise these computers often without the
knowledge of the computer's owner. Those machines then act as "zombies" in
a distributed denial of service attack, controlled remotely by the attacker
and used to send a steady stream of information packets to the targeted Web
site or server.

Allan Paller of the nonprofit SANS Institute said Friday that investigators
may be able to use billing logs from the Internet service providers
involved to trace the attacks back to their source.

However, Paller noted that lists of machines that are known to have been
compromised by hackers or worms such as Code Red and Nimda are frequently
traded on the Internet. Investigations into the source of the October 21
attack will likely lead back to those compromised machines in the U.S.,
Korea and elsewhere.

From there, the job of identifying the actual perpetrators gets more
difficult.

The fact that computers in Korea took part in the attack does not mean
that the attackers were Korean, Paller said. Attackers frequently
compromise and control such machines from afar using one or more
intermediate machines to cover their tracks.

Mueller did not say whether any progress had been made in locating the
actual perpetrators behind the attack and an FBI spokesperson would not
comment on whether the agency is close to identifying the individuals
responsible for the DNS attacks.



                 Symantec Anti-Spam Tools Working Too Hard


Symantec has fixed a flaw in part of its Norton Internet Security 2003
security software suite that can cause e-mail to be deleted before it
reaches a user's inbox, Symantec said Friday.

Users had complained that Norton Internet Security 2003 was deleting
e-mail. For such e-mail, all that appeared in the inbox was a message with
"Symantec Email Proxy Deleted Message" in the subject line, said Katherine
James, a Symantec spokesperson in the U.K.

"We had a small number of users of Norton Internet Security 2003 who
reported that the product was inadvertently deleting e-mails," said Jones,
adding that the first report came in on October 14. Symantec issued a
software patch to fix the flaw earlier this week.

The flaw lies in the antispam part of Norton Internet Security 2003, an
Internet security suite that includes antivirus, firewall, privacy control,
spam alert, and parental control software. The antispam feature is meant to
flag any suspected spam, unwanted commercial e-mail, coming in to an inbox.

"If a user was running the computer continuously and was receiving a large
volume of e-mail, or they had configured their e-mail client to check the
mail server frequently, the Norton Spam Alert could cause memory allocation
errors, which could cause the e-mail deletion," said James.

Symantec believes only a small number of users have actually been affected
by the flaw because of the small number of complaints. The Cupertino,
California, company, however, won't say how many customers complained or
where those customers were located. Norton Internet Security 2003 is sold
around the world.

Norton Internet Security 2003 users can download a patch that fixes the
memory allocation error through the application's online update feature,
James said.



             Notre Dame Math Whiz Cracks Certicom Code Contest


And you thought you had tough math homework?

Consider the work that went into cracking a secret code developed by
Toronto-based Certicom Corp., which makes wireless encryption software.

It took the power of 10,000 computers running around the clock for 549
days, coupled with the brain power of a mathematician at Indiana's
University of Notre Dame, to complete one of the world's largest single
math computations.

Certicom had challenged scientists, mathematicians, cryptographers and
hackers to try to break one of the encryption codes the firm uses to
protect digital data.

The solution, rewarded with a $10,000 prize and even richer bragging
rights, was reached at 12:56 p.m. on Oct. 15, said Notre Dame researcher
and teacher Chris Monico.

"I stared at it in mild disbelief for a while," he said. "I wanted
desperately to jump up and down, but the mathematician in me said 'You'd
better double check'."

Monico's pleasure at breaking the code was matched by the contest's creator
and Certicom founder, Scott Vanstone.

"Our technology is based on a very hard mathematical problem, so what we
wanted to do is validate how difficult it really is," he told Reuters.

"When somebody asks have hackers attempted to break your system, we say of
course, we in fact encourage it. Please go try. And here's the results."

Vanstone points out the massive computer power used to crack the code in
this challenge would have broken the Enigma code, a cipher used by Germany
during World War II, in a matter of seconds.

The solution, he added, gave access to just one person's key, or identity,
and cracked only a 109-bit key, whereas Certicom's products start at a
163-bit key to protect data.

"It would be about 100 million times harder (to break) than what was just
done," Vanstone said. "If you could get every machine on the planet working
on the problem...you're still not going to be able to touch the 163 problem."

Monico said he doesn't have time to tackle the next 131-bit key challenge,
which has a $20,000 prize, but did share his computer program with a
"motley crew" of half a dozen "computer guys."

The Certicom challenge, started in 1997, has attracted 247 teams with more
than 10,000 members, including cryptographers, computer scientists and
mathematicians.

Monico, who took up the challenge to "raise awareness of cryptography,"
will donate the bulk of his prize money to the Free Software Foundation
and the remaining $2,000 to two men whose computers helped solve the
problem.




                                =~=~=~=


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
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No issue of Atari Online News, Etc. may be included on any commercial
media, nor uploaded or transmitted to any commercial online service or
internet site, in whole or in part, by any agent or means, without
the expressed consent or permission from the Publisher or Editor of
Atari Online News, Etc.

Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All
material herein is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing.
