Microsoft License Changes and More

July 16, 2001 -- Microsoft changes its license, simulating the attack on Pearl Harbor, and a computer that may reach out and touch you. It's all in this week's Cybershake.

License to Change

The U.S. District Court’s verdict last month that Microsoft had indeed maintained monopolistic practices with its Windows operating system software will undoubtedly force some changes with the software company. And Microsoft has already made one significant change — its licensing agreement with PC makers.

Microsoft spokesman Shawn Sanford says, “We’re going to increase the flexibility to let PC manufacturers put icons on the desktop and other applications.” And PC makers will no longer be required to keep various icons for Microsoft software programs — such as Outlook or Internet Explorer — on the Windows XP desktop either.

But Robin Raskin of FamilyPC magazine predicts most PC makers will think twice before making major changes. “Just because they can [add and remove icons], I don’t believe they will,” says Raskin.

And the change may still benefit Microsoft more than others in the industry. “This agreement is not going to make Netscape come steaming back onto your desktop,” says David Coursey at Anchordesk.com. “But it does show that Microsoft is trying to make some concessions to get within the law.”

Also, See: Complete Microsoft Anti-trust Trial Coverage

— Bob Hardt, ABCNEWS

Reliving the Day of Infamy

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which launched the United States’ entry in World War Two. But for game addicts and history buffs, a new software game can bring that day of infamy alive.

“Pearl Harbor: Zero Hour” is a simulation game published by Simon & Schuster Interactive. “A player can actually see a real-time re-enactment of what actually happened at Pearl Harbor during the attack,” says Ed Zobrist, the game’s developer. “We have the correct number of Japanese planes coming in from the right angles, dropping the right number of bombs, hitting the right number of ships.”

After viewing the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona, gamers could take to the virtual skies in any one of 14 different American fighter planes and wage simulated battles against the Japanese. For those more interested in passive pursuits, the simulation also comes with the complete the three-CD audiobook of Pearl Harbor by Randall Wallace.

The game runs on a PC with an Intel Pentium processor and Microsoft’s Windows. But the audiobook CDs can be played on any CD player. The bundled package is available for about $20 from most retail outlets such as Best Buy.

— Michael Barr, ABCNEWS.com

A Sensitive Desktop

Does the personal computer still seem like an impersonal collection of pictures and sounds to you? TouchSense technology may let you get in touch with the inner PC.

It’s a set of software programs developed by Immersion Corp. in San Jose, Calif. that can be incorporated into other software programs and peripherals such as computer mice. The technology “enables the computer user to actually feel as well as see what’s on their screen,” says Bruce Schena of Immersion.

The company says a virtual computer desktop enhanced with TouchSense technology could offer nifty tactile clues to several computer tasks. The size of a file, for example, could be conveyed by the sense of “weight.” Moving smaller — and “lighter” — files requires less effort on the computer mouse than larger files. “You can improve people’s reaction time when using [this type of] computer interface by 20 [to] 27 percent or so,” says Schena.

The benefits of such setups for people with vision problems are obvious. But for now, the main emphasis is on enhancing computer simulations. “A very large piece of our company is focused on developing surgical simulators to train doctors,” says Schena.

— Larry Jacobs, ABCNEWS

Cybershake is produced for ABCNEWS Radio by Andrea J. Smith.