Cookiegate Erupts in Washington DC
The latest Washington scandal doesn't involve sex, political favors, campaign infractions or any of the usual fodder. Read how the cookie crumbles in Washington when government websites violate federal privacy policies. Got Milk? [Published 07/02/00, Written by Dexter Davenport]
WebTV Says "Retrograde" Option Coming Soon
The "retrograde" option is in testing. WebTV Networks Inc. reconfirmed its plan to offer its users the chance to switch to the previous version of the browser while it works on a fix for the 2.5 upgrade bugs. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice News Staff]
Trouble Pops Up for AOL in Ad Dispute
AOL ran afoul with some subscribers by force-feeding them pop-up ads while charging them for hourly service. The judge refused to throw the class-action suit out. AOL says they'll appeal. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice News Staff]
Tidbits: Dot.deads and Un-Free PCs
Aussies miss out on WebTV for the Olympics, a rather startling patent claim, and promises don't last forever on the Web. It's all in our roundup of happenings around the Internet this issue. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Nancy McPoland]
MS/DOJ: Dumpster Diving and Dancing to Appeal
Microsoft and the DOJ both won minor victories as the ongoing antitrust trial makes its way to the appeals process, but Microsoft may render the entire case moot if a newly-announced venture works out as planned. And, the latest in the "cash for trash" story takes a bizarre twist. Join us for continuing coverage. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Nancy McPoland]
The Buzz: The Counter-Plan
Last issue, we found AOL scrambling to come up with a launch plan. Now that they've come up with their "soft launch," Nat and Mehitobel are eavesdropping to find out what WebTV will to. [Published 07/02/00, Written by G. Nat URL]
WebTV Releases Retrograde for All 2.5 Users
WebTV has released the retrograde option for all WebTV users (except the DishPlayer) that will remove the buggy 2.5 update and replace it with the previous version. Should you retrograde? [7/27/2000] [Published 07/09/00, Written by Net4TV News Staff]
FEATURES Net4TV Presents: FITNET 60
Discover for yourself how physical activity can be the number one energizer in your life. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Tim Lane]
3 Great Tips on Email, PageBuilder and Printing
Handy tips on setting up a link for visitors to email you; eliminating keystrokes; and an easy way to print documents. [Published 07/02/00, Written by ADH-HH Construction Crew]
Making Sets for the PageBuilder
To make buttons and banners for our PageBuilder pages we need to combine the materials we were given, the materials we brought to our pages and our own creativity. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Beth Candy]
Road to iTV Part III: Email Everywhere
After two decades of failed experiments, the first "killer app" emerges for iTV: email. We take a look at TV-based email offerings from AOLTV, the cable companies, and two new TV email appliances. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Dudette]
Make Your Own WebTV IRC Chat (Post Upgrade)
Did the WebTV upgrade 'break' your custom IRC chat? Have you wanted to have an IRC of your own? Diane Dumas returns with a new cut-and-paste code that you can use to build a new basic chat that works with the upgraded WebTV browser! [Published 07/02/00, Written by Diane Dumas]
World Wide Web of Deceit: Built-in Privacy May Not Be Enough
Will new Internet privacy standards recently announced be the answer to the growing concerns of personal data collection? Critics fear it's too easy an answer. [Published 07/02/00, Written by WebTV Addict]
Hoax Report: No Chat Charges, No Need to Worry
In this issue, we have the definitive word on the rumors of WebTV Chat Charges, a hoax involving pumps at your local gas station and much more. If you've got e-mail concerning any of these stories, read on for answers. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Nancy McPoland]
A 4th of July Surfari
It's America's Birthday, and Net4TV Voice wants you to celebrate with us! We're taking a Surfari to see what's out there on the Internet to honor the birth of our nation. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Nancy McPoland]
Sluggy Freelance: Bun-Bun's Theatre of Horrors
BunBun's on the warpath and our friends are running for their lives. Meantime The Evil is back and the scene has turned a ghastly blood-red. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Pete Abrams]
COMMUNITY Gypsy Boots: Bare Feet & Good Things to Eat
Gypsy Boots was the "original hippy" back in the 40's, living on fruits and nuts and living wild out in the hills of Tahquitz Canyon around LA. He bathed in the cool mountain water, slept in rocks and caves and sold produce in Palm Springs. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Bill Johnson aka Le Fantome]
Bud's Wife Put Him On The Right Track
Let's see: Bud's wife's friend lost her job and lived far away. In order to stay in touch they started using WebTV - and then Bud signed on. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Don]
Sara's "Agranny's 2000 Place"
Step back in time with this great-grandmother and enjoy some original poetry, musictoons, tutorials on gifs, tables, slide shows, fonts, images and a great deal more. [Published 07/02/00, Written by CountryBlue22 aka Linda]
Internetjunkies: The Road to Friendship
A group of strangers, who become friends on-line, decide to make a trip to Las Vegas together. None of them will ever be the same. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Linda Anderson]
Hipstar and Classic Guitar
Douglas started piano lessons the age of seven. He even composed his own tunes. At twelve he discovered guitar and developed a life long passion for it. In his spare time he builds help pages on WebTV. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Arlene aka Florida Blue]
Bobbie's & Janet's Wonderful World
Meet a couple of ladies who have become best friends via the Internet. They even build webpages together - pages to help others who will follow in their footsteps. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Bud]
Mikey: The Miracle Continues
Mikey was born with potentially fatal heart problems. This is the story of a brave little boy who has overcome incredible odds - and kept on smiling. [Published 07/02/00, Written by RainSong]
Better Homes: July's Red Hot Sites
This issue's Better Homes take you on tour -- of a page filled with lots of patriotic graphics; a site dedicated to "Appys", and other animals; a webpage with lots of sports links - in case you are having withdrawal; and a homepage where you can build your very own snowglobes!. [Published 07/02/00, Written by RainSong]
Celebrate Our Independence with Chien Cooks
Hang the flag, spruce up the backyard, and fire up the grill. Here are some hints and tips that will make your summertime party a smoothly executed hit. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Patricia Kirton]
OPINION AND EDITORIAL Welcome to Issue 60
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." [Published 07/02/00, Written by Dexter Davenport]
Will We Be Willing To Pay For Audio On The Net?
Chet Copeland looks at the how the audiobook business is growing to encompass radio archives. Will we have to pay for audio that has been free? Will we be willing to? [Published 07/02/00, Written by Chet Copeland]
Send in the Clones
Dexter thinks the consumer electronics folks are copying themselves for fun and profit, but certainly not to the benefit of the consumer. They won't win on merit, but on marketing. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Dexter Davenport]
Science Fiction Time
Technology is developing so fast, it feels like we're living in a science fiction novel. Dudette looks at how we're handling the "Future Shock," and asks for your thoughts on how our society will be changed. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Dudette]
Is That Your Final Answer?
In spite of the amount of grumbling about WebTV, and the fact that he has purchased a computer, Uncle Bob has no intentions of giving up his little black box. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Uncle Bob]
VOX POP -- Reader Opinions The Upgrade Runaround
D. Williams was told "you're the only one reporting problems..." with the upgrade. [Published 08/01/99, Written by D. Williams]
The "We Care" Nightmare (or The Eight-Hour Fix)
Maryanne Kehoe had a problem with her WebTV. Eight hours later, she was convinced that WebTV has a problem with its customer service. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Maryanne Kehoe]
The Bug Is Still Dead!
Tyhart returns with an additional code by Robert Wedge that keeps the JavaScript bug fix from breaking on Netscape. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Tyhart]
A Matter of Self-Respect
Bonnie Brooksbank-Bandy feels that WebTV and Microsoft need more self-respect... for themselves and their customers. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Bonnie Brooksbank-Bandy]
The Upgrade's "Dirty Trick"
Arlene Eddy feels that the 2.5 upgrade was a dirty trick on some old Classic users who truly loved their WebTVs. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Arlene Eddy]
More Upgrade Problems
We are still receiving hundreds of reports of problems related to the 2.5 upgrade. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Upgrade: Mixed Results
These users find things that they like about the upgrade, but also some nagging problems. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Love the Upgrade!
Not everyone is having problems with the 2.5 upgrade -- these users love it! [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Where's MY Upgrade?
These WebTV users haven't yet received their 2.5 upgrade and want to know why? [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Upgrade and Service Credits
Several users report that, with some difficulty, they have been able to get service credits for the problems related to the 2.5 upgrade. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Upgrade - Other Comments
Here are some other comments we've received about the 2.5 upgrade. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
WebTV Rebate for New Users Only
We received a number of comments from readers about the WebTV rebate for three years of service, and the unstated rule that it is not for current users. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
NameZero -- Be Cautious
The article about registering domains for free with NameZero brought a couple of cautions. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Other Reader Comments and Reports
Here is a sampling of some of the other comments from our readers. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Voice Mail
A sampling of some of our other email since our last issue. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice]
Better Marketing!
These readers think WebTV needs better marketing. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Listen to, Care for the Users!
These readers think WebTV must listen to its users and treat them like they want to keep them. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Fix Customer Service!
These readers think that fixing WebTV's Customer Service is the place to start. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Fix the WebTV Product Now!
These readers think WebTV needs to fix their current product. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
More and Better Technology Needed!
These readers think that WebTV needs to improve and extend its technology to stay current. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Put the Web Back in WebTV!
These readers think WebTV's focus should be on the Internet side. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Put WebTV In Better Hands
These readers think Microsoft should put WebTV in the hands of someone who will do a better job. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Betting on WebTV
These readers are betting on WebTV. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Other Comments and Suggestions
These readers had other ideas and suggestions. [Published 07/02/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
A Letter Back to Bruce
Gary Belkin responds to his welcome letter on his new Classic box. [Published 07/03/00, Written by Gary Belkin]
Want to Downgrade!
These WebTV users feel that the 2.5 upgrade is ruining their online experience, and want the retrograde now! [Published 07/03/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Did WebTV Lie About the Retrograde?
A number of WebTV users reported that they were getting answers from WNI Customer Support that were at odds with our story. Here are some we heard from. [Published 07/03/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
Customer Service Issues
As always, some of our readers wrote us about WebTV Customer Service. [Published 07/03/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
AOL Will Win
These readers think AOL will be the winner. [Published 07/03/00, Written by Net4TV Voice Readers]
BunBun's on the warpath and our friends are running for their lives. Meantime The Evil is back and the scene has turned a ghastly blood-red.