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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2002 Gateway's New Campaign Addresses Users' Rights to Copy New Tool to Report Piracy Microsoft Puts Hailstorm Aside Mozilla Releases 1.0 Browser AND Leader in the Academic-Portal Arena To Shut Down Indiana Budget Crunch Hits Universities GATEWAY'S NEW CAMPAIGN ADDRESSES USERS' RIGHTS TO COPY Gateway, the computer company already known for its ads featuring CEO Ted Waitt, has begun a new campaign defending, and encouraging, the legal use of digital media files. The new ads, which end with the statement that "Gateway supports your right to enjoy digital music legally," are in part a response to a bill recently introduced by Senator Hollings that would require copy-protection features on hardware and software. A spokesman for Gateway said the campaign is intended to remind users that there are legitimate and legal reasons to make copies of files and that many digital entertainment files are in the public domain, not protected by copyright. Hilary Rosen of the Recording Industry Association of America accused Gateway of simply trying to sell more CD burners. Wired News, 11 April 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51719,00.html NEW TOOL TO REPORT PIRACY A new browser tool from the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) gives users a quick, confidential way to report software piracy. The plug-in, which will be available on the FAST Web site (http://www.fast.org.uk/), adds an "F" icon to Internet Explorer. Users who see software (including applications, movies, music, or games) available illegally on the Web can click the new "F" button and report the activity. The tool also takes a snapshot of the Web site for evidence. Users can choose whether to include their names in the report. FAST, which also accepts reports of software theft at its Web site, created the tool in part to make reporting simpler and easier. InfoWorld, 12 April 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_846708_1794_9-10000.html MICROSOFT PUTS HAILSTORM ASIDE Microsoft's My Services, formerly called Hailstorm, has been put on hold due to lack of support from potential partners. The service, part of Microsoft's .Net initiative, was designed to act as a central repository for consumers' personal data. Partner corporations would have access to that data, eliminating the need for users to establish separate profiles for each company. According to reports, despite initial interest in the program from firms including American Express and Expedia, no major partners agreed to implement the service. Experts said that decisions not to use the My Services application are generally based on a distaste for sharing consumer information rather than on lack of trust in the technology. NewsFactor Network, 11 April 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/17225.html MOZILLA RELEASES 1.0 BROWSER Once hailed as a possible threat to the dominance of Internet Explorer, the Mozilla browser will finally be released in its first official version. Development still continues at a rapid pace, but those involved with the project saw value in offering a static product to attract third-party developers who might build applications using Mozilla technology. Already Sun, Red Hat, and Nokia are using Mozilla on a limited basis. Netscape 6.0 was the first product to use Mozilla technology, but most users complained when it was released that the code was not stable. Despite having fixed most of the bugs in the Netscape 6 release, developers see new hope in this release as the launching point for Mozilla into the mainstream. CNET, 12 April 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-881529.html ALSO ***************************************************** LEADER IN THE ACADEMIC-PORTAL ARENA TO SHUT DOWN After being in service for just over one year, the academic portal of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor will shut down on June 30. Michigan's portal, my.umich.edu, was one of several high-profile experiments being closely watched by academic technologists and policy makers. Portals are still relatively new, and many institutions are waiting to see how the pioneers fare before deciding whether to pursue a portal. Officials from Michigan said they could not continue the project due to its complexity and expense, and they have no plans to replace it with a commercial product. Chronicle of Higher Education, 11 April 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/04/2002041101t.htm INDIANA BUDGET CRUNCH HITS UNIVERSITIES Because of tough economic times, the state of Indiana has cut more than $100 million from its budget that would have funded various technology programs at the state's colleges and universities. As a result, all schools will now apply technology fees to students' bills. According to Mike Baumgartner, associate commissioner for facilities and financial affairs at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, schools that have had technology fees will be raising them, and "those who don't have one will get one." Even with the fees, most schools will still be faced with a budget shortfall because of the need to provide up-to-date equipment and applications to train students appropriately for the workplace. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 April 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/04/2002041201t.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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