Battlecruiser Millennium Beta Testing Registration
BetaNews was sent word that the beta testing for the new Battlecruiser Millennium game has just opened. To get the beta of the game you must purchase it on CD from the BMT Micro Store front in the upcoming weeks when it opens. The game is about 250MB large, and "has built-in
serialization for security reasons."
Here is what the press release had to say:
MS Releases Another Patch
Microsoft has released another patch to, according to the security bulletin, "eliminate several security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. The vulnerabilities could allow a range of effects, from denial of service attacks to, in some cases, privilege elevation." Basically every version of Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 are affected by the vulnerability, and the patch can be downloaded here for NT, and here for Windows 2000. The FAQ related to this patch is located over at Microsoft as well as an HTML version of the security bulletin.
Win an 18" LCD Monitor
Enfused.com is giving away a brand spanking new 18" LCD monitor to one lucky newly registered user. The contest ends on October 31, and all you need to do is sign up for a free e-mail account at Enfused. You can just add it to the pile of unused e-mail addresses you have already, kind of like those credit cards you get in the mail because you were walking to class and wanted that free t-shirt or phone card they were giving away. Register for your free e-mail here or read the official rules first by clicking here.
MS Launches Exchange 2000
The Redmond Giant has finally launched its much anticipated and awaited software, Exchange 2000. Pretty much without a hitch, the launch party was typical Microsoft fashion. The problem many attendees had with the party is that a host of features Microsoft is talking about for the software will not be available until next year. Also at the party, Microsoft announced a new product, Mobile Information Server, which will let users access Exchange e-mail and contacts, tasks, and calendar functions from any Web-enabled device.
The new software is expected sometime in 2001.
Where to Look for a PlayStation2
ZDNet wrote a nice little piece for those gaming enthusiasts out there about the PlayStation2 and where you may be able to find it on its October 26th launch date. But like the Star Wars Episode 1 movie tickets, you may want to line up outside the door of your local retailer for at least a few days in order to get your crack at getting one.
If you get there more than an hour after opening, you can probably forget it. Sony just announced last week that its original number of 1 million consoles for the US has been cut in half for the launch date. Of course, retailers are scrambling because their hugely successful pre-order campaigns have them scratching for extra consoles, which isn't likely to happen. For more information just check out the piece on ZDNet and good luck on your quest to get one.
G4's to 1GHz...and Beyond!
Motorola has stated that it will soon be pushing the G4 processor up to and well beyond the 1GHz mark. It will also feature 256K secondary cache, with the ability to add up to 2MB of third-level cache. The new processor, codenamed Apollo, is based on the "V-Ger" 700MHz processor that Motorola bragged about at last years Microprocessor Forum. The problem is that those chips have yet to be seen in current Apple systems, which currently top out at 500MHz. Apple has not said whether or not they will use the faster G4 chips, if and when they come to market.
AMD Gives 64-bit Developers a Head Start
In other AMD news, the chipmaker has released a x86-64 technology simulator so that developers on the still-being-developed 64-bit processing platform can get a head start and perfect their code and programs. According to the press release "AMD SimNow! simulator, an application specifically designed to give BIOS vendors, tools developers, operating system manufacturers and application providers the ability to evaluate their x86-64 technology based software code prior to the release of AMD's forthcoming 64-bit capable processors implementing x86-64 technology." Read the rest of the information from AMD.
AMD Demonstrates Multi-Processor Machine
Many fans of AMD processors have long awaited support for dual processor systems, and today brings them a step closer to that dream. A system demonstrated today at the Microprocessor Forum featured dual Athlons processors, the AMD-760 MP chipset, and next-gen DDR memory. The powerful system demonstrated 3D Studio Max, a software package designed to work well with multi-processor systems. Read the rest of the press release concerning the milestone over at AMD.
AV GroupShield Exchange Service Pack
Service Pack 1 for GroupShield Exchange version 4.5 is currently available from McAfee. The update improves the level of protection offered by
GroupShield by no longer using MAPI
for on-access scanning of email attachments. Instead, it uses the Microsoft Virus Scanning API and only scans the message attachments rather than the entire body. Also added to the software is a Message Body Scanning Utility that scans the message body during On-Access scanning. For more information, and to download the service pack, visit McAfee2b.
Visual Studio.NET Beta 1 Nearing Completion
According to the Microsoft Web site, Visual Studio.NET Beta 1 is nearing completion, and will soon be available to MSDN subscribers. This will give developers the first look at the upcoming innovations in the software package, which will give a complete development environment for the powerful new platform. Along with Visual Studio.Net, subscribers will get Visual Studio 6.0 Enterprise Edition; Vital develop and test versions of the recently announced .NET Enterprise Servers, including the recently released SQL Server 2000; All additional beta releases of Visual Studio.NET, including the final release code; and Microsoft Operating systems - including Windows 2000, and Windows Millennium Edition; as well as Select betas, SDKs, DDK, and the MSDN Library. For more information visit MSDN.
Oracle - This is No Game
Oracle is currently holding what could be called a contest, but should be called a challenge. Oracle is saying that if you are currently using IBM DB2 or Microsoft SQL Server database technology, and you replace that with the Oracle 9i Application Server and Oracle 8i Database, and your site cannot handle triple the current number of page views per second, they will pay your company $1,000,000 USD. The final comment added to the press release about it says this: "This offer is not a game. Your primary goal in working with Oracle must be to improve the performance of your website." For more information visit Oracle.
ATI Win2K Drivers Delayed - Again
ATI has updated the FAQ on their Web site about Windows 2000 drivers for its popular line of Rage Pro graphics cards. After an initial release date of July being pushed back, it appears that the release date of such drivers is going to be delayed yet again. According to the FAQ, ATI is "experiencing difficulties with some of the key elements of the code that must be resolved before the driver and multimedia application are released to the public." For more information read the FAQ over at ATI.
Odigo for E-Mail
Odigo Inc., makers of the popular Odigo instant messaging software that connects to almost all of the major chat networks including AOL and MSN, has announced the availability of a new product, Odigo for E-Mail. Simply put, Odigo for E-Mail places a small graphical button on the bottom of all of your e-mails you send to let users know if you are currently online or offline. The code for said signature is created at the Odigo Web site, and requires no download of any kind. Currently it works with Microosft Outlook and Outlook Express, MSN Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail. For more information visit Odigo.
AMD Turns Up the Heat
A 1.2GHz Athlon and an 800MHz Duron processor will be the newest additions to the AMD processor family beginning here shortly. The new processors are the next step in the company's goal to roll out 1.5GHz Athlons in January, and steps up the heat on rival Intel to keep up with the pace. New processors will be introduced every 5 to 6 weeks by AMD in order to make the January deadline for 1.5GHz. This should greatly benefit consumers as it pushes the envelope in speed and pricing, with the two major producers going back to the battlefields in the processor war. Visit AMD for more information.
Netscape Preview Release 3 Final Beta
Along with the launching of a redesigned Web site, Netscape Communications has officially released the final beta of its version 6 software to the public today. English and Japanese versions of the software are available, as PR3 adds stability and speed to the application. The final version of the software will also boost features and performance in the rest of the Netscape suite of programs, which include Netscape Messenger, Netscape Composer, and Netscape mail, and should be available by the end of the year. You can download Netscape PR3 from FileForum.
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