TidBITS Issue #256

IBM Halts Pentium Shipments -- IBM said Monday that they are halting shipments of Pentium-based PCs because the risk of floating point division errors in Intel's chips was "worse than previously described." Intel has asserted in press releases and public announcements that the bug's probability of occurring is only once in every 27,000 years of typical use and that the majority of off-the-shelf software would not be affectedShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Our FTP site

Our FTP site at (also called because it's one of Northwest Nexus's public machines) reeled under the load placed on it as users requested the updater for MacTCP last weekShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Got those MacTCP 2.0.6 Updater Blues?

Got those MacTCP 2.0.6 Updater Blues? Many MacTCP 2.0.4 users have had bad experiences trying to use the MacTCP 2.0.6 updater (see TidBITS-255). Specifically, the updater application often refuses to update the existing version of MacTCP because the driver resource ".ipp" doesn't match what the updater expects. The updater works properly on a "clean" copy of MacTCP 2.0.x that's never been installed; however, if you're absolutely stuck without a "clean" copy, this particular problem may be fixed with ResEdit (but no guarantees): ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/mac/tools/resedit/ resedit-2-1-3.hqx 1) Make a copy of the MacTCP 2.0.x control panel. 2) Using ResEdit 2.1.1 or higher, open your copy of the MacTCP control panel. 3) Locate the DRVR resourShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Apple propaganda

Apple propaganda is now available on the Internet via a mailing list. Thanks to Robert Winston for alerting us to this list. Send email to with "sub pressrel Your Name" in the body of the messageShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Filming The Net

by Pythaeus

Pythaeus writes: A computer movie is being shot right now under the name of "The Net" and stars Sandra Bullock (of "Speed" fame). Interestingly, the final scene is a chase scene, and it will be based upon and take place at this year's Macworld San FranciscoShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Santa Claus

Santa Claus is online again this year, and will answer email sent to , thanks to North Pole Productions, a division of the Canadian firm Internet Access, IncShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Multiple Santas

Multiple Santas -- The Internet Multicasting Service has also set up a Christmas-oriented Web site, complete with a address and a number of interesting Web pagesShow full article

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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New TidBITS Managing Editor

With this, our 256th issue, we are pleased to welcome Geoff Duncan as our Managing Editor. You may have noticed his [GD] tag affixed to a few MailBITS in the past few issues, and starting with this issue, he'll be writing and editing more articlesShow full article

http://www.etext.org/Zines/InterText/

With this, our 256th issue, we are pleased to welcome Geoff Duncan <geoff@tidbits.com> as our Managing Editor. You may have noticed his [GD] tag affixed to a few MailBITS in the past few issues, and starting with this issue, he'll be writing and editing more articles. Frankly, this is a huge move for TidBITS; in the past Tonya and I have handled all of the administrative tasks associated with TidBITS, as well as much of the writing (with the able assistance of Mark H. Anbinder, our indefatigable News Editor) and all of the editing. Geoff's main goals are to help keep the quality of TidBITS high and to work on new and innovative ways of creating and maintaining a fully electronic publication.

When we decided this summer that we had to bring someone in to help with TidBITS, Geoff was one of only a few conceivable candidates. We needed someone who was totally comfortable with email as the primary method of communication, whose knowledge and experience complemented ours, who could write his or her way out of a paper bag, whose computer skills were at least on a par with ours, and - most importantly - who knew and understood true electronic publishing.

Needless to say, Geoff met all of these requirements perfectly. He's worked on many different computer systems connected to the nets from the time he was a student at Oberlin College (where he received a degree in Sociology and Art History/Studio Art and wrote a senior honors thesis on implications of the net). Geoff has worked as a studio musician and recording engineer, had jobs in a biochemistry lab, as a technical writer, and as an intern in charge of user services in academic labs, not to mention his work in advertising and marketing production and as an independent computer consultant. Most recently, he worked as a software tester and test lead on several Microsoft CD-ROM products, and he's better at breaking programs than most anyone I know.

Geoff knows far more about Unix and VMS than I'll ever hope to; he's a competent programmer and scripter; and he participated in an early electronic fiction magazine called Athene, which later became the highly regarded electronic fiction magazine InterText <intertext@etext.org>. Geoff is the long-standing assistant editor of InterText, and works with the editor, Jason Snell (also an assistant editor at MacUser), and another assistant editor, Susan Grossman.

[Thanks for leaving out the awkward bits about my electric bow tie collection and the incident with the Hawaiian shirts and chocolate cake mix. I owe you one. -Geoff]

The addition of Geoff to our staff makes possible positive changes to TidBITS in the future. We'll start using <editors@tidbits.com> as our public address soon, so as to spread the massive email load around among us. You will also start seeing more corporate sponsors, since the income generated from the sponsorships will support Geoff, in addition to being funneled back into the business to cover our connection, travel, hardware, and office expenses. We hope to improve and increase the information we make available by more fully utilizing alternative methods of publishing on the Internet.

The main reason we decided we needed help with TidBITS is that as TidBITS has become more popular, we've had more trouble keeping up. It hasn't helped that both the Macintosh industry and the Internet continue to grow and evolve; nor has it helped that both Tonya and I have various book publishing projects that constantly clamor for time and attention. TidBITS is now read by well over 110,000 people every week, and our direct mailing list (graciously hosted by Rice University, one of the early members of the Macintosh university consortium) has become one of the largest LISTSERVs on the Internet, with more than 14,700 subscribers and increases well in excess of 1,000 readers per month. So, if an article generates even a 0.05 percent response, that's still a fair amount of email to respond to. In the early years of TidBITS, the volumes were much lower, of course, and we had more to prove back then. Now we're concentrating on figuring out ways of reclaiming our lives from the gravitational pull of Eudora's In Box while still contributing to the net community. After all, no one benefits if we burn out before we hit age thirty.

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Relax, it's a Hoax

by Mark H. Anbinder

Director of Technical Services, Baka Industries Inc. Early in December, many well-intentioned people forwarded email messages warning of a virus called "Good Times" that was being distributed as an email message that would erase your hard drive if you read itShow full article

Director of Technical Services, Baka Industries Inc.

Early in December, many well-intentioned people forwarded email messages warning of a virus called "Good Times" that was being distributed as an email message that would erase your hard drive if you read it. These messages sparked much confusion and even some reports of virus sightings, but investigators have determined that the warning messages were merely a hoax.

The Computer Incident Advisory Capability office (CIAC) of the U.S. Department of Energy released a bulletin on 06-Dec-94 explaining that the message originated from an America Online user and a student at a university at approximately the same time, and that it was meant as a hoax.

Karyn Pichnarczyk of the CIAC team said the warnings gained a false aura of credibility when many users received messages with "Good Times" in the subject line and deleted them without reading them, "thus believing that they have saved themselves from being attacked."

Some computer professionals have commented that the message itself is the virus; one offered the term "memetic virus" to describe the way this warning has prompted well-meaning readers to propagate it.

CIAC says that at this time there are no known viruses which can infect merely through the reading of an email message. A program must be executed for a virus to be spread. Trojan horses, programs that do something other than expected but that don't replicate by themselves, have appeared as executable attachments to mail messages.

Pichnarczyk suggests that anyone receiving a warning about a "Good Times virus" should "simply ignore it or send a reply stating that this is a false rumor."

As always, we strongly urge that, if you find evidence of a virus, or receive a warning of one, you forward it directly to an anti-virus expert. Spreading unverified reports just creates panic, and allows this sort of thing to happen. Gene Spafford at Purdue University <spaf@cs.purdue.edu> has said he's willing to receive such material.

Information from:
CIAC <ciac@llnl.gov>

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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Two More OneWorlds

by Mark H. Anbinder

Global Village today announced they are preparing to ship two new models of their OneWorld communications server family. The OneWorld Network Modem replaces the OneWorld Remote Access server, offering both incoming ARA and outgoing shared modem servicesShow full article

Global Village today announced they are preparing to ship two new models of their OneWorld communications server family. The OneWorld Network Modem replaces the OneWorld Remote Access server, offering both incoming ARA and outgoing shared modem services. The OneWorld Combo offers both of those features, plus the outgoing fax service of the OneWorld Fax server.

When Global Village introduced their OneWorld Fax and OneWorld Remote Access servers (see TidBITS-232), the potential for enhancement was obvious. The OneWorld Combo unit offers nearly all of the capabilities we outlined nearly six months ago. (It still can't receive faxes, and currently supports Apple Remote Access 1.0 or 2.0, but not SLIP or PPP.)

The basic OneWorld device is still a book-sized box with one or two PowerPort modems (100-series) installed, and either just LocalTalk, or both LocalTalk and EtherTalk ports. Global Village's downloadable firmware approach means any OneWorld can take on any of the above identities. In fact, first-generation OneWorld owners can upgrade to Network Modem or Combo capabilities quickly and easily. (Serialized keys mean users won't be able to pirate upgrades.) Global Village will begin shipping the new OneWorlds around the time of next month's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and both retail and upgrade pricing will be available at that time.

GlobalFax gets a face-lift with this release as well; the popular fax software that comes with the OneWorld Combo now offers better greyscale and more dialing options. The current software also supports all of Global Village's personal modem products; previous OneWorld users had trouble with Duo and 500-series PowerPort modems.

Each of the modems built into the OneWorld can handle any or all of the unit's tasks: incoming ARA, outgoing faxes, or outgoing network modem service. That network modem service gives users the option of "shadowing" either a modem or printer port, or of using a CTB-aware application to access the OneWorld server more directly.

A single OneWorld Combo could replace two LanRovers, two TelePort Mercury modems, and a 4-Sight Fax server, all with a single box that doesn't require a Macintosh. Sounds like a good arrangement to me.

Global Village Communication -- 800/736-4821 -- 408/523-1000
408/523-2423 (fax) -- <sales@globalvillag.com>

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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PowerBooks, Quantum Daytonas, & SCSI Manager 4.3

During the last few weeks, reports have circulated on the nets about failures to properly spin up PowerBook hard disks after putting a PowerBook to sleepShow full article

During the last few weeks, reports have circulated on the nets about failures to properly spin up PowerBook hard disks after putting a PowerBook to sleep. These reports have most often been associated with the use of SCSI Manager 4.3-savvy drivers.

La Cie has confirmed that some series of Quantum Daytona hard disks with capacities of 250 MB, 340 MB, and 540 MB don't like SCSI Manager 4.3-savvy drivers and have exhibited problems with Silverlining 5.6 (the first version of Silverlining to take advantage of SCSI Manager 4.3). The workaround is to obtain from La Cie a revised version of Silverlining (5.54/23) that specifically addresses this problem.

La Cie will send version 5.54/23 at no charge to any owner of Silverlining 5.6 who is having problems with a Daytona drive. Note that the disk image for version 5.54/23 is included with the La Cie software included on all La Cie's new drives (even ones that shipped with Silverlining 5.6), so check for it before you make a telephone call. La Cie's standard upgrade policy from any previous version of Silverlining is $10, plus $5 shipping (or $7 and your phone number for Airborne Express). To upgrade from a previous version, you'll need to send your original program disk to the address below.

FWB, makers of Hard Disk Toolkit (HDT), also confirm that their engineers discovered a problem with sleep mode on Quantum Daytona disks and will correct the problem in HDT 1.6.3, which they hope to ship by the middle of this week. An upgrade policy has not been set at this time, but a FWB representative indicated that they anticipate offering a free upgrade to users of HDT 1.6 and Quantum Daytona disks, and they also plan to release an updater application to the nets.

In the meantime, PowerBook users with Quantum Daytona disks may wish to avoid SCSI Manager 4.3-savvy drivers (we haven't received information from other driver makers) until these problems are resolved. Note that although SCSI Manager 4.3-savvy drivers improve hard disk performance on most 68040 Quadras and all Power Macs, they don't improve performance on 68040-based PowerBooks or the Quadra 630 (see TidBITS-251 for details). For the time being, PowerBook users have no reason to upgrade to SCSI Manager 4.3-savvy drivers.

La Cie Technical Support -- 800/288-9919
8700 SW Creekside Place, Beaverton, OR, 97008 (Attn: Updates)
FWB Software Upgrades -- 415/474-8055 -- <fwb.inc@eworld.com>

12 Dec 1994 | Print

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OS Directions: Marconi, Copland, and Gershwin

With rumors that the next major revision of Apple's system software (Copland or System 8) is set for the tail end of 1995, Apple is gearing up for an interim system software release in early 1995 to pave the way for new Macintosh models and critical new Apple technologiesShow full article