Ray Van Eng (05/20/96)

Starting July 1, CompuServe will be one of the first to adopt a rating system based on the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) approved by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). PICS is a system which rates online contents and world wide web sites based on subjects such as sex, violence and other matters that parents and educators would find objectionable. Microsoft and Netscape have already vowed to support PICS. CompuServer will offer a filtering software, Cyber Patrol, free to all its members.

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Alex Jiang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong based Trend Software recently made the observation that "It took two years for the Michaelangelo virus to spread from the U.S. to Taipei, but took only two days for the Boza virus to spread from Australia to the rest of the world." Trend sells anti-virus software for the PC.

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Prodigy, the online services from IBM & Sears has changed hands as a result of a management-led buyout. IBM and Sears has been reported as sinking in more than a $1 billion each to the losing venture over the years. The deal is reported to be only $250 million. The new owner will turn the online services into a worldwide web based services. As a start, a webzine 'Stim' targeted at generation Xers is being launched immediately. Future plans calls for purchasing of existing web sites and build new ones that have a separate brand identity different from the Prodigy service.

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Net-Install, a new Netscape Navigator plug-in program from 20/20 software promises to make downloading, decompressing and setting up software a simple one step process for easy and error free installation.

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