June 7, 1999

Internet users are increasingly turning to software that blocks advertising; software, known by such names as At Guard, Internet Junkbuster Proxy, Intermute and Web Washer, works by blocking ads before they appear on the user's screen; they speed performance, since files that contain ads laden with graphics and animation take far longer to load than files with text; Web-based businesses fear that if this software really catches on, it could clog their revenue stream and challenge fundamental structure of emerging Internet industry; producers of ad-blocking software say demand will grow as advertisers continue to add graphics and sound to their Web pages, making users wait longer for ad-supported pages; sample page with and without ad; graph (M)

Christian Curry can seem alternately as the victim and rogue in his fight with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, which dismissed him as analyst in its real estate finance department days after his picture appeared in gay pornographic magazine; Curry, whose parents are wealthy and socially prominent and gave him the best education, claims he was duped into an attempt to plant E-mail in Morgan Stanley computer system to buttress a discrimination suit against Morgan Stanley; admits that he is 'not Jesus,' but says Morgan Stanley not only tolerates virulent strain of racism and homophobia but also has no qualms about trying to destroy the life of an employee who fails to fit it; Morgan Stanley, under investigation itself paying $10,000 to an informant as part of the sting operation against Curry, insists that Curry was dismissed for expense account abuses; photos (L)

Brian Dennehy wins Tony Award for his portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which is also honored as best revival of a play and for best featured actress, Elizabeth Franz, and best director, Robert Falls; Miller urges Broadway producers to take on the risks of producing new playwrights; Warren Leight's Side Man is named best play, and Fosse best musical; Judi Dench wins Tony for best actress in a play, Amy's View; top acting awards for musicals go to Martin Short for Little Me and Bernadette Peters for Annie Get Your Gun; other awards noted; photo (M)

War rages as fiercely as ever along border of Kosovo and Albania, forcing 1,000 people from northern Albanian town, many of them refugees fleeing from fighting for second or third time; military and aid officials say surge in fighting seems driven by simple logic for all three warring parties: to destroy as much as possible before final peace agreement is signed; NATO bombs fall amid roar of continued fighting between Yugoslav soldiers and Kosovo Liberation Army; photo; map (M)

News analysis of report on City University of New York by task force headed by Benno C Schmidt Jr; says that while report contains sharp criticism that parallels thinking of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, it tries to articulate importance of public university in society that rests on educated populace; says it also discusses ways that an urban university can respond effectively to diverse student population (M)