We've posted an update to our Asheron's Call review, originally it was for Beta 2, but with the November release of the final version we've updated it. Here's preview of it:

Ready for the next big game? Well ready or not, here it is. Not only is Asheron's Call revolutionizing MSN's Internet Gaming Zone, but its setting records for the number of players playing a Zone game.  For a game that has been in development for over 2 years, you'll be surprised all you can do in 2 years!

The game is quite different from other games because AC can NEVER be solved, and you can never "win" the game. The game has one of the most expansive gaming world in the business with 500 continuous square miles of land. There's always somewhere you can go. In fact, the game will be changing with a major event every month. December's change will include the temperature change! Lets hope the January change isn't a blizzard!

Also, I'm sure you read Byron's post regarding the new job opportunities at ActiveWindows, I have resigned from ActiveWindows as of today so there is an opening for content providers see the post below for more information. 

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A few new opportunities to work on our sites. If you are interested then pop along to our new Job Opportunities page and see if there is anything you would like to apply for.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has helped make holiday Internet shopping safer for millions of consumers by filing legal actions and asking for injunctions ordering defendants in six different states to stop offering and distributing counterfeit Microsoft® software. The defendants in each lawsuit use the Internet as a primary forum for distributing counterfeit Microsoft software. Three of them operate by offering illegal software via Internet auction sites. Others offered counterfeit software to consumers over a variety of Web sites, while at least two relied heavily on advertising through mass unsolicited e-mail.

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AS IN THE CONTEST for basic Web browsers, the player war pits Microsoft Corp. against a scrappy upstart that leapt to a commanding early lead. In this case, the market-share leader is RealNetworks Inc.’s RealPlayer, which in November was used by about four times as many Internet surfers as Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

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Taking another step toward empowering people through great software any time, any place and on any device, Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft^® Mobile Explorer (MME), the company's comprehensive, open software platform designed to power Internet-enabled mobile telephones. Microsoft Mobile Explorer is modular, customizable and flexible, enabling handset manufacturers and wireless carriers to provide their customers with the choice of a broad line of applications and services on today's data-enabled telephones (or "feature phones") and next-generation "smart phones." Microsoft Mobile Explorer is a key component of Microsoft's end-to-end wireless strategy to provide mobile Internet solutions that utilize additional technologies such as Microsoft Exchange Server, the BackOffice^® family and MSN™ Mobile Services.

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Want a good medium to advertise your technology product, or service? ActiveWindows has a savvy high-tech audience that will produce a high turnaround for your advertising campaign, plus we have some of the lowest CPM rates in the industry. For more information, including rates, contact bobstein@activewin.com

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Today at the Bank Administration Institute's Retail Delivery '99 Conference, Microsoft Corp. showcased customer and industry support for the forthcoming Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 operating system, including plans for migration by financial services companies.

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In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California, the Recording Industry Association of America charges start-up Napster with violating federal and state laws through "contributory and vicarious copyright infringement," because it has created a forum that lets online users trade unauthorized music files directly from their PCs.

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Please take a few moments of your time and fill out our User Profile Survey. This information will help us get a better idea of our average user's wants and needs. With this information, we will make ActiveWindows more customized to our viewers!

Plus, we are giving away gift certificates to PC Connection - so it can't hurt! No E-Mail addresses will be given out, they are kept for our own use.

I have posted my review of the recently release title from Terminal Reality, Nocturne. Not only that - but you can also enter to win a copy of the game in our regular competition. Here is a snippet from the review:

Nocturne owes a lot of its gameplay to the superb Alone In The Dark series. Nocturne blends together two forms of gameplay - combat and puzzle solving. As in Alone In The Dark the game is set in a flick screen manor as the action is viewed from a fixed third-person camera that changes from angle to angle depending on where you move to. This works very well in terms of generating a great scary atmosphere as it allows you to only see short glimpses of the creatures walking along castle walls or hiding behind trees....but can work badly when trying to avoid running into unseen traps and dodging enemies whilst fighting.

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As most of you already know, we plan to launch http://www.activelinux.net at some point this month. My plan is to switch the frontpage of that domain to a linux news page sometime next week instead of the template that is up now. The site will contain all of the news, reviews and tips that you expect from us.

We have begun our regular daily updates of ActiveSci-Fi, so those of you who are interested in science fiction - check it out. As you know we take your feedback seriously here - so if you have any comments on the Sci-Fi site just let me know.

As usual it is also time to mention our MSN Community, we are currently still the leading Operating System community on MSN, so make sure you check us out - our next chat is on December 17th Here is a list of our upcoming reviews:

Hardware: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, Microsoft Force Feedback Steering Wheel, Microsoft Force Feedback Joystick
Software: Tomb Raider 4, Quake 3, Gabriel Knight 3, SWAT 3, Interstate 82, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Ultima 9, Asheron's Call (Ongoing Monthly), Unreal Tournament, Wheel Of Time (This weekend), Delta Force 2, Flight Simulator 2000 (Next week), Driver (This weekend), Encarta Africana
Applications: Corel Suite 9, Vizact 2000

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Microsoft Corp. and IBMâ Corp. today announced they are working closely on a series of joint initiatives to help prepare the two companies' customers for the upcoming launch of the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 operating system. These initiatives will help the companies' mutual customers make a smooth transition to the new operating system once it is released, which currently is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2000. IBM will be one of the leading technology companies to provide innovative solutions, support and services in time for the launch of Windows 2000.

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Today at Streaming Media West '99, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and CEO Bill Gates outlined "The Digital Media Revolution," the mainstream use of digital audio and video, as the next major wave of Internet computing. In his keynote address, Gates described the importance of establishing a blend of innovative technologies and industry partnerships to make the digital media revolution a reality in the home, the workplace and everywhere in between.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced increasing support for its communication services offered on the MSN™ network of Internet services; there are now more than 52 million users of the MSN Hotmail™ Web-based e-mail service and 5 million users of MSN Messenger Service worldwide. This phenomenal growth demonstrates consumers' excitement about Microsoft's latest efforts in delivering the Everyday Web. The new Message Center introduced as part of the MSN.com™ home page redesign makes it easier for people to keep track of their communications in one integrated view that includes MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger Service, MSN Web Communities and MSN Chat.

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Today at Streaming Media West '99, Microsoft Corp. and Preview Systems Inc. announced the first Windows Media™-based solution for distributing, licensing and selling digital music and video, using the ZipLock® technology of Preview Systems. This combination provides a comprehensive solution for retail media and media distribution companies that want to securely distribute digital music and video using the Microsoft® Windows Media format. Microsoft and Preview Systems have also agreed to cooperate in other digital content industries including electronic books, documents and images.

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Today at Streaming Media West '99, Supertracks Inc., a new company founded by music industry and technology professionals to provide complete music download solutions and services for retailers, announced support for Windows Media™ Technologies, Microsoft's digital media platform. Windows Media, featuring superior CD-quality audio and digital rights management technologies, enables Supertracks to use Microsoft's digital rights management technologies to provide digital distribution of music (DDM) to retailers.

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Microsoft Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) today announced that both companies will collaborate on pairing TI's world-leading programmable digital signal processors (DSPs) with Microsoft^® Windows Media™ Format and digital rights management (DRM) technology. Texas Instruments will also provide free licensing of the Windows Media Format and DRM to its original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) at no additional cost. Windows Media gives consumers the ability to create and store up to twice as much CD-quality music as other formats on portable audio players.

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BT is to introduce flat-fee, unmetered access to the Internet, the giant telco announced today. A spokesman for the company said there were "no strings attached" and that it was a "wonderful offer", but denied it took the decision in the wake of unbearable pressure for reform.

According to BT, 24/7 unmetered access would could users £34.99 a month. Daytime access from Monday to Friday would cost £26.99, and weekend or evening and nighttime access would cost just £6.99 respectively. The new initiative could be up and running by the spring although it is subject to regulatory approval by industry watch, Oftel.

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Bob has posted his review of the Microsoft IntelliMouse Featuring IntelliEye. Here is a snippet from the review:

Well, It looks like Microsoft has done it again. The latest creation coming from Redmond is not like the rest - it is a completely new advance in technology. In the last five to ten years, how often have you changed or upgraded your monitor, CPU, printer, etc. but kept the silly old white mouse? Well this particular silly white mouse still looks the same, but how it works is a completely different story. IntelliMouse Featuring IntelliEye pointing device is Microsoft's classic-design ergonomic mouse, built with durable materials, a high-gloss finish and a rubberized when between the two mouse buttons. Microsoft's IntelliEye optical tracking technology adds unsurpassed accuracy and reliability to the efficiency of universal scrolling and the comfort of expert ergonomic design.

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Microsoft is expected to show off the first glimpses of the new Windows "Neptune" operating system in the near future. As expected now that the Windows 2000 beta test is coming to an end, testers have already been sent their Non Disclosure Agreements for the operating system (Classed as Neptune 1.0) that is going to be the first Consumer version of Windows 2000. We don't have much in terms of the features apart from the Activity Centers we mentioned and showed off months ago.

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A new version of MSN Messenger 2 has been released. This version is 2.0.0085:

• Easier setup: MSN Messenger Service version 2.0 includes several features that make it easier to quickly get your friends up and running on the service, including an easier setup process and the ability to search for your friends' e-mail addresses in your Windows® Address Book or the Hotmail® Member Directory and send them instructions for how to get started on the service.
  
  
• Links to news and information: MSN Messenger Service now includes news and headlines from MSN.
  
  
• Microsoft Passport authentication: You can now log on to MSN Messenger Service with the same sign-in name and password you use across your favorite MSN sites, as well as a variety of other sites that support Microsoft Passport.
  
  
• Message formatting: Version 2.0 enables you to customize your message fonts, colors and styles.
  
  
• Improved Hotmail integration: The new Mail toolbar button gives you easier access to your Hotmail account as well as an up-to-date count of your unread e-mail.
  
  
• Always on Top mode: You can now choose to keep MSN Messenger Service in the foreground at all times so you have easier access to MSN Messenger Service features when using other programs.
  
  
• Usability improvements: There are several basic usability improvements to MSN Messenger Service version 2.0 based directly on your feedback, including the ability to view you current online status in the Status Bar as well as changes to some of the names used to designate status.
  
  
• MSN Message Center: The updated MSN.com page includes a new feature called the Message Center, which gives you a quick summary on your MSN homepage of who

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The U.S. Department of Justice said Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT) violated the Sherman Act in at least four ways in its findings of law, filed Monday. The DOJ said Microsoft illegally maintained a barrier to entry in the Intel-compatible PC operating system market; illegally tied the browser to the OS; struck illegal exclusionary agreements with ISPs and PC makers; and tried to cut off consumer access to Netscape Communications Corp.'s rival browser.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced two major U.S. government evaluations: "Orange Book" evaluation of the Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 operating system at the C2 level and FIPS 140-1 validation of the cryptographic services provided in the Windows® 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 operating systems. With these evaluations, customers now have formal, third-party verification of the security of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.

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The Justice Department will file its preliminary conclusions of law later Monday, asking the court to find Microsoft violated the Sherman Act, the nation's chief law to ensure competition.

The trial proceedings are advancing at the same time as Justice, the states, and Microsoft meet for the second time Monday with federal mediator appellate judge Richard Posner in Chicago.

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Microsoft Corp. today will announce three donations aimed at increasing technology access, education and training for Latino communities in San Francisco and across the United States. These grants, totaling more than $1 million in cash and software, continue Microsoft's commitment to help bridge the "digital divide" -- the gap between those with access to information technology and those without -- and extend the company's efforts to cultivate a more diversified work force for the technology industry.

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It's the government's turn to play its hand in the high-stakes antitrust poker game with Microsoft. Today the government presents its proposed conclusions of law to U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson. That document, the final phase of the government's case, will lay the groundwork for Jackson's conclusions of law, in essence his verdict, expected as late as March.

If trustbusters overplay their hand, they could lose everything, even after the government's long winning streak, say legal experts. The Justice Department and 19 states may be holding high cards after Jackson's findings of fact presented on Nov. 5. But the government must now play to a new dealer: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

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Microsoft now seems to be confirming the strategic change we read into the company's latest reorganisation announcement on Friday. By merging the two Windows divisions, Consumer and Business, into a single unit within Jim Allchin's Platforms Group the company was effectively signalling the end of the Millennium consumer Windows project, and reverting to a 'one Windows' strategy, at least for the PC space.

Millennium has been in development for most of this year, and made Beta 2 late last month. But it has also been the subject of a tussle within Microsoft; earlier ambitious plans for the OS were steadfastly pooh-poohed here months ago, and subsequently the project declined to the status of a service pack (not entirely on our say-so, we concede). Microsoft is now being quoted in today's Wall Street Journal as saying Millennium will go out next year as "a relatively minor upgrade to Windows 98," and is also worth noting that MS is telling the WSJ that it will be previewing "features" (no, we're not sure what that means either) of Neptune, the consumer version of Win2k, shortly.

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Last week's Register article suggesting Microsoft was pulling Windows support for OpenGL has generated considerable response, some of it critical, some positive, and some positively menacing.* Microsoft itself has been particularly keen to stress that OpenGL will be supported by Windows 2000, and in a related matter that the Fahrenheit project is alive and well; but curiously, none of the rebuttals we've received either directly explain the OpenGL 'issues' that arose at Win2k RC2 stage or refute the basic thesis that Microsoft is retreating from support of OpenGL in favour of its own Direct3D.

Our original piece was based on an email string involving Microsoft Direct3D evangelist Philip Taylor and a number of bug reports from the Win2k beta programme. Taylor seems to have been somewhat more vehement on the subject ("OGL is not strategic for us... as the last three years of history in the multimedia space have shown") than Microsoft would have preferred, but the bug reports themselves say quite a bit about where Microsoft was at with OpenGL support at RC2 stage. In the words of Microsoft employees:
"There is no OpenGL support for any video driver that will ship with Windows 2000."
"We are not supporting OGL until D3D is 100 per cent."
"It was determined that it is requiring an ICD and it [sic] not supported. This bug will be closed 'By design.'"
And our favourite:
"Ya know, for the record, I have this card at home myself. This kinda sucks, IMHO."

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Paul from WinInfo Just let us know that he has written a massive introduction and review of Millennium Beta 2 that you might be interested in. Here is a snippet:

Millennium is the first deliverable from the Consumer Windows Division and its focus lies in advancing technologies for home computer users in four key areas: PC Health/"It Just Works", digital media and entertainment, the online experience, and home networking. In addition, the second beta release of Windows Millennium further embraces the effort to simplify the PC. Millennium offers technologies that streamline the start-up process, increase support for a myriad of hardware components and proactively seek to prevent system problems before they occur. In this intro