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News
Date: Friday 29th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: |
- Do
free ISPs really get used?
Time: 04:20
EDT/09:20 GMT News Source: ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
There's already 1.5 million subscribers in the United
States. Signing up and not using could spoil the ad revenue model.
The free ISP business appears to be booming, with 1.5
million subscribers in the United States and significant growth expected over
the next few years, according to market research firm Jupiter Communications.
But how many of these subscribers actually use their free
services? "The number of free ISP accounts will definitely skyrocket, but
active use will be a different story. As with the free e-mail phenomenon, you
can sign up for lots of them, but you don't have to use them every day,"
says Zia Daniell Wigder, analyst for Jupiter.
As a result, subscribers aren't loyal to any single free
ISP, which undermines the advertising-based revenue model that the free ISPs
are so eagerly trying to build.
- Music
execs threaten to kill MP3 sites
Time: 04:15
EDT/09:15 GMT News Source: ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
Group plans to shut down illegal music sites and delete
almost 1 million unauthorized files worldwide.
The global music industry on Thursday outlined plans for a
coordinated attack on Internet piracy, taking action against hundreds of
outlaw sites in more than 20 countries.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
(IFPI) said its strategy was aimed at paving the way for artists and record
companies to deliver music electronically and legally around the world.
News
Date: Thursday 28th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: |
- MP3.com,
Listen.com to sing each other's praises
Time: 05:53
EDT/10:53 GMT News Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
Digital music pushers Listen.com and MP3.com will try to
drive traffic to each other's Web sites under a deal the companies will
announce today.
Coming off a healthy
initial public offering, MP3.com, which
hosts tracks by more than 31,000 artists, is beefing up its partnerships to
keep a grip on its position in the thriving Net music arena, which includes
MyPlay, RioPort, and EMusic, companies that allow users to play, store, or buy
digital music tracks.
This month MP3.com also will
launch MP3radio.com, a network of music portal sites that it will build
with Cox Interactive Media.
The marketing partnership between MP3.com with Listen.com
is just the latest in a series of similar deals for both companies.
Reminiscent of the way Yahoo and America Online built their businesses through
premier placement and cross-marketing deals, the music sites will display
references to each other and their respective directories.
- Britannica.com
launch, take two
Time: 04:30
EDT/09:30 GMT News Source: ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
Its first launch buried by an avalanche of users,
encyclopedic site preps to try again Monday.
Britannica.com, the online arm of legendary Encyclopaedia
Britannica, will re-launch its highly promoted Web site on Monday. The site
was taken offline Oct. 19, barely 24 hours after its initial launch, due to a
site overload.
"The good news is we have wonderful demand," said
Kent Devereaux, senior vice president of product development for Britannica.com.
"The bad news is we need to ramp up our hardware much quicker than we
ever anticipated."
Devereaux said the decision to take down the newly launched
site was made because "the level of service was not acceptable."
- NSI
not liable for domain-name trademark woes
Time: 04:15
EDT/09:15 GMT News Source: Computer
World Posted By: Matt
Sabean
Network Solutions Inc. can't be held liable for registering
domain names that may infringe on another company's trademark, a federal
appeals court said this week.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco
said that NSI's role in registering domain names differs little from the
mail-delivery services offered by the U.S. Postal Service. "NSI does not
supply the domain-name combination any more than the Postal Service supplies a
street address by performing the routine service of routing mail."
The opinion stems from a 1996 lawsuit filed by Lockheed
Martin Corp. in Bethesda, Md., over third-party registrations of "Skunk
Works," the name of Lockheed's famed aircraft design and construction
laboratory, where prototypes of the nation's first jet fighters were
developed.
News
Date: Wednesday 27th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: EBay |
- Juno's
losses widen, but revenue doubles
Time: 18:06
EDT/23:06 GMT News Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
Juno Online Services, the Internet service provider
controlled by hedge-fund manager David Shaw, said its third-quarter losses
widened and revenue more than doubled as it added more subscribers.
Juno said its losses widened to $16.1 million, or 46 cents a
share, from $6.5 million in the year-ago period, when the company was a
private partnership. The company spent $15 million to add new customers in the
quarter. That outstripped its $13.1 million in revenue, an increase from $5.1
million a year ago.
New York-based Juno's paid subscriber base rose 48 percent
to 400,000 subscribers, up from 270,000 at the end of June. Its total
subscriber base, which includes customers who receive free email, rose to 7.6
million from 7.1 million in June. Juno has been trying to convert its free
subscribers into paying customers this year.
"There's a bit of a land rush. Ordinary citizens who
might not have thought about computers before are pouring onto the Internet in
large numbers," said Charles Ardai, Juno chief executive.
Juno offers unlimited Internet access for $19.95 a month and
an enhanced email service for $2.95 a month. That compares to America Online's
$21.95 monthly fee.
- House
Passes Cybersquatting Bill
Time: 04:59
EDT/09:59 GMT News Source: New
York Times Posted By: Matt
Sabean
The House on Tuesday passed legislation to crack down on
so-called cybersquatting, the practice of buying up popular words as Internet
addresses in the hopes of reselling them to companies and trademark holders at
a hefty profit.
The bill was passed on a voice vote despite a grass-roots
effort to slow down action on the proposal, a similar version of which has
already passed the Senate.
"This legislation will make cybersquatters think twice
before trying to profit off the hard work of others," Representative
J.C. Watts Jr. of Oklahoma, the House Republican conference chairman, said
of the bill by Representative
James Rogan, a California Republican. "Congress acted today out of
the best interests of e-commerce as well as simple fairness."
- MS,
Intel make Dow Jones Industrials
Time: 04:55
EDT/09:55 GMT News Source: ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
The announcement marks the first time a stock not listed on
the New York Stock Exchange has been added to the average.
Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have been added to the Dow
Jones Industrial Average, the editors of the Wall Street Journal announced
Tuesday.
The announcement marks the first time stocks not listed on
the New York Stock Exchange have been added to the average, and marks the
growing importance of high-tech companies to the nation's economy.
- Online
shoppers to spend more for the holidays
Time: 04:25
EDT/09:25 GMT News Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
The holiday shopping season has begun, a new survey
indicates, as many online shoppers already head to virtual stores with plans
to spend more than they did last year.
The new study comes from Reston, Virginia-based PC Data,
which sent its survey out to 5,000 Internet users over the weekend, 2,100 of
whom responded. Because the company did not pick the survey respondents at
random, the study may not be representative of the general population of
Internet users.
However, the survey does provide some interesting insights
into shoppers' behavior as the holiday season draws near. Many analysts have
predicted that millions of new online shoppers will boost e-commerce revenues
to record levels this holiday season.
According to the survey, many veteran online shoppers have
already started buying gifts. Twenty-six percent of Internet buyers who
responded to the survey said they already have begun their holiday shopping.
In addition, another 40 percent said they plan to begin shopping before
Thanksgiving.
- Ebay
leaning away from Sun servers
Time: 04:15
EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Sabean
EBay, the No. 1 Internet auctioneer, said it's considering
buying computers from International Business Machines and Hewlett-Packard, a
possible blow to current supplier Sun Microsystems.
EBay is talking to IBM and Hewlett-Packard, the No. 1 and 2
computer makers, as well as Sun about buying server computers that will power
its Web site, said chief executive Margaret Whitman. EBay will gradually
replace its computers in the next 12 to 18 months, she said.
Analysts have expected eBay would be looking to replace its
computers after several well-publicized failures
this year. With an eBay sale, Hewlett-Packard and IBM would gain prestige in
the Internet market, which Sun has dominated for the past two years.
"It certainly would be a black eye for Sun" if
eBay went elsewhere for its computers, said Gary Helmig, a Soundview
Technology Group analyst who rates IBM "buy."
The eBay site has had a string of failures, some of which
the San Jose, California-based company blamed on Sun. One software glitch
traced to Sun shut down eBay for almost a full day.
News
Date: Tuesday 26th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Dell -
Compaq |
- Compaq
in memory chip deal with Micron
Time: 04:05
EDT/09:05 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Compaq Computer today said it agreed to a five-year deal for
Micron Technology to supply its memory chips.
While not exclusive, the agreement makes Micron the largest
supplier of memory chips to Compaq.
Sources close to Compaq valued the deal at more than $20
billion, although some analysts questioned if that number was too high. Boise,
Idaho-based Micron, the largest memory maker in the United States, posted
losses in five of its last six quarters.
Micron representatives told Warburg Dillon Read analyst Dave
Bujnowski the deal was worth multiple billions of dollars over its five-year
term. The deal appears to commit Compaq to buying a certain percentage of its
memory chips from Micron, not an absolute number of chips, Bujnowski said.
- Dell
topples Compaq in U.S. market share
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Dell Computer has pushed aside Compaq Computer for the top
spot in PC market share--at least in the United States.
The so-called direct sales PC manufacturer has stolen the
leading role in the world’s largest market away from the longtime
front-runner for the first time, according to studies to be released today by
market research firms International Data
Corporation and Dataquest.
Dell edged out Compaq in the U.S., according to final
second-quarter numbers released by IDC last month. But Dell widened the
margin in the third quarter, grabbing the top spot for the first time from
both market-research firms.
Compaq held
on to the No. 1 spot worldwide, but analysts predicted
that Dell soon would push its Texas rival aside in that category too.
News
Date: Monday 25th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Symantec -
Apple |
Time: 17:49
EDT/22:49 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Excite@Home today said it would acquire popular online
greeting card site Blue Mountain Arts for about $780 million in cash and
stock, hoping to accelerate the adoption of its broadband strategy.
Blue Mountain is the 14th most-trafficked Web property,
according to research firm Media Metrix. It also ranks third among e-commerce
sites, behind Amazon.com and eBay. With the holiday season just around the
corner, Excite@Home said it would make an additional payment of up to $270
million in stock contingent upon Blue Mountain reaching traffic and other
performances goals.
The two companies said the demographics of Blue Mountain
users are consistent with those of people who subscribe to residential
broadband services, adding that broadband is ideal for Blue Mountain's
interactive greeting cards and e-commerce offerings. The companies said their
users tend to be older, more experienced, and heavy home Net users.
The acquisition comes amid mounting competition in the
online greeting card market. Another player, Egreetings, filed
for an initial public offering earlier this month. Meanwhile, as traffic has flattened
or dropped off lately among the portals, the sites are always looking for
ways to differentiate themselves.
Lawsuit
flares up in wake of Mac OS 9 debut
Time: 17:35
EDT/22:35 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Just days after its release, Apple's Mac OS 9 operating
system is drawing controversy.
Apple's latest operating system hit stores this weekend,
with some retailers holding "Midnight Madness" sales. Priced at $99,
the new software includes enhanced search technology, new security and
password features, and other improvements.
Today, an existing trademark infringement lawsuit filed
against the company was updated to include the new operating system. New
York-based Imatec is claiming that the
ColorSync 3.0 technology in Mac OS 9 infringes on patents held by the digital
imaging firm.
Apple declined to comment on the specifics of the suit.
"We don't comment on pending litigation," a company spokesperson
said. "But we believe the claims are without merit."
Imatec filed a $1.1 billion lawsuit against Apple in
February 1998, alleging that the Mac operating system infringed upon patents
first filed by Imatec's president, Hanoch Shalit. Both companies have finished
the discovery phase of the case, and the trial is expected to start in the
next few months.
Symantec
cuts deals for Web delivery
Time: 17:29
EDT/22:29 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Antivirus software maker Symantec sees the future of
software, and it's not going to arrive in a shrink-wrapped box.
The company today announced plans to rent its software over
the Internet. Symantec will make its antivirus and security software available
to Internet service providers (ISPs), application service providers (ASPs),
and portal sites, which, in turn, will offer the software to consumers and
businesses online.
With the move, Symantec joins a growing field of software
makers--including Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, and Intuit--who are entering the software
rental business, a market that International Data Corporation predicts
will grow to $2 billion by 2003.
The software makers believe the nascent application hosting
market will explode as businesses choose to save money by renting their
software--from email to financial applications--online. Software companies and
ISPs that enter the market will not only provide the applications, but will
manage a customer's networks, saving businesses from adding the staff needed
to carry out the work of updating and maintaining software.
Providian
may bar customers from Net gambling
Time: 04:07
EDT/09:07 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Hitting cybercasinos where it hurts, a major credit card
company is taking steps to block its 11 million customers from making illegal
bets on the Net.
Providian National Bank, the sixth-largest Visa card issuer
in the United States, said it will deny approval for most online wagers made
by its customers.
"People who use credit cards to gamble on the Internet
present a higher credit risk to a lending institution, and there also is a
more significant fraud risk with Internet gambling transactions," Laurie
Cole, Providian's vice president of corporate communications, said in
explaining the bank's decision.
"Providian was evaluating the Internet gambling issue
and has decided to decline to authorize transactions on its credit cards that
we can identify are originating from Internet gambling sites," she added.
The decision comes as the company recently settled
a lawsuit with a Net gambler and as online gambling comes under scrutiny by
lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Computer
prices about to jump up
Time: 04:04
EDT/09:04 GMT Source: Nando
Info Tech Posted By: Matt
The trend toward cheaper personal computers may come to an
abrupt end this holiday season. Analysts are expecting computer costs to jump
significantly because of a shortage of parts.
PC prices could climb as much as 20 percent this fall
because of a dramatic decrease in the number of memory chips, also known as
RAM, available on the world market.
"What people will see is that for the same amount of
money they will be getting less machine," said Rob Enderle, vice
president of mobile and desktop technology at the Giga Information Group, a
Norwell, Mass.-based market research firm.
Last month's earthquake in Taiwan pushed prices upward as
suppliers struggled to meet burgeoning demand for low-cost computers heading
into the busy electronics selling season. Taiwan accounts for 12 percent to 15
percent of the world's supply of memory chips.
Amazon.Com
Sues Rival Over '1-Click' System
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: Yahoo!
News Posted By: Matt
In a case likely to be watched closely by Internet
retailers, Amazon.com Inc. Friday said it filed suit against rival barnesandnoble.com
Inc. for allegedly infringing on patented online shopping technology.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle,
Amazon.com, the biggest online retailer, alleged barnesandnoble.com
"meticulously copied" its proprietary "1-Click" express
checkout system, which was granted a U.S. patent late last month.
The lawsuit raised eyebrows among intellectual property
experts and industry analysts because by one estimate half of all online
retailers use some type of express shopping mechanism to speed checkout for
returning customers.
"I looked at this incredulously," said analyst
Paul Hagen of Forrester Research. "It's like patenting taking orders over
the telephone. My gut tells me this will go nowhere."
Barnesandnoble.com called the suit "a desperate attempt
to retaliate for our growing market share."
News
Date: Friday 22nd October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Internet |
Time: 19:52
EDT/00:52 GMT Source: InternetNews
Posted By: Matt
Online postage finally became a reality Friday with
Stamps.com's formal launch.
The company, whose service was recently approved by the U.S.
Postal Service after a year of filed testing, claims more than 100,000
customers have pre-registered.
"Stamps.com has taken a very simple need -- postage --
and leveraged the widespread adoption of the Internet to fulfill that
need," said Stamps.com (STMP)
Chief Executive Officer John Payne.
"Stamps.com Internet postage is truly a revolutionary
service for home office and small office users looking to save time and be
more productive in their business."
Requiring no additional hardware or fees, Stamps.com offers
clients easy access and flexibility to get their postage online by downloading
free software and setting up an account. They may then print postage for any
type of mail, including first class mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail.
Net-infused
Mac sold this weekend
Time: 18:45
EDT/23:45 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Apple Computer said today the latest operating system for
its Macintosh family of computers, beefed up with special Internet features,
will hit store shelves this weekend.
The new Mac OS 9 operating system will carry a suggested
retail price tag of $99 and will include Sherlock 2, Apple's Internet search
and shopping tool that lets users find and compare products online, the
company said.
"Mac OS 9 is the best Internet OS ever," Apple's
interim chief executive officer Steve Jobs said in a statement. "With
great new features like Sherlock 2, we think our customers are going to love
Mac OS 9."
Marine
Corps headquarters at Pentagon hit by computer virus
Time: 18:39
EDT/23:39 GMT Source: CNN Posted
By: Matt
Marine Corps computer technicians were at work overnight
Friday, improving security, after the Corps headquarters at the Pentagon was
hit by a "worm virus," a Marine Corps source told CNN.
The Thursday afternoon attack infiltrated only
"unclassified" computer systems, according to the source, and
affected Microsoft programs only. Computer systems containing sensitive or
"classified" information were not affected, he said.
The Marine Corps computer warriors were working with
computer experts from Symantec Corp. to defeat the virus and retrieve lost
files.
The attack left Marines around the Pentagon looking at blank
pages where documents had once resided. Symantec installed Norton Anti-Virus
software for the Marines.
Community
Update
Time: 05:06
EDT/10:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Matt
Just another reminder about signing up for our ActiveWindows
Community on MSN.
It allows you to chat with us in our chat room or via our
message board. It also lets you post your own screensavers and backgrounds for
other ActiveWindows readers to download.
We are currently the largest Windows site on the MSN
community list.
Combo
Players Do CD and DVD
Time: 04:22
EDT/09:22 GMT Source: Wired
News Posted By: Matt
Here's a merger that most PC owners won't disagree with --
the first players that can solve all of their CD and DVD needs.
Many high-end PCs have been coming with two drives for the
past year; one CD rewritable (CD-RW) drive, and one DVD drive. By combining
the CD-RW laser diode with the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM reader into one unit, Ricoh and
Toshiba free up a drive bay and drive connection.
"This is the next logical step of integration in the
CD-ROM and DVD marketplace," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research manager
for removable storage research at International Data Corp., in Framingham,
Massachusetts. "Now consumers don't have to make a choice between
recordability and being able to play back DVD titles."
"The major benefit to the consumer is saving the bay
space," said Takayuki Kuroshima, marketing and business development
manager at Ricoh's Disc Media and Systems Center in Tustin, California. The
combo unit lets people support CD-ROM while being ready for future DVD-ROM
growth, he said.
Having two drives in the PC has its advantages if you want
to do CD copying, said Schlichting, but an all-in-one unit makes more sense.
"I predict many of the current DVD-ROM and CD-RW players will offer a
combo product and it will be a popular next step in extending the [optical
storage] product line," said Schlichting.
The Ricoh drive is the same size as a standard DVD or CD
player, and can read DVDs at 4X speed and CD-ROMs at 24X speed. The drive can
also write CDs at 6X speed, and can rewrite at 4X speed.
News
Date: Thursday 21st October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Sun |
Time: 17:39
EDT/22:39 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
America Online is catching the latest wave in Internet chat,
and the result could spell disaster for some innovative start-ups and Web site
chat communities in general.
This summer, two firms launched with products that let users
see who else with the software is visiting a particular Web site and then chat
with them. Both Gooey, from Tel Aviv-based
Hypernix, and Odigo, from New York-based
NovaWiz, promised to make Web surfing a less solitary experience and create
groups of people with a shared interest: the Web sites they visit.
The idea caught on with users; since its June launch, Gooey
has amassed 250,000 registrations, Odigo 150,000.
But a significant cloud appeared on the horizon last month
when ICQ, a wildly popular chat and messaging client acquired by AOL last
year, launched a trial version of a similar technology. Dubbed ICQ
Surf, the "alpha" software has attracted 48,000 trial users
since launching September 22. A "beta," or more polished trial
version, is due "soon," according to ICQ.
ICQ has 44 million registrations, according to AOL. One
person can register multiple names, however, so the number of people using ICQ
is probably only a fraction of the 44 million total.
Sun
beefs up software push with NetBeans buy
Time: 04:05
EDT/09:05 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Sun snapped up NetBeans, a Java development tool firm based
in the Czech Republic. Sun also launched a $200 million investment fund to
entice programmers to build Web applications using its "write-once,
run-anywhere" Java technology.
Sun follows in the footsteps of Oracle and other firms in
creating its $200 million investment fund. Sun plans to invest in start-ups
that will promote Java technology, Sun executives said.
Sun has been in the market for additional software
development tool makers for some time now. Sun said today's acquisition fills
a hole in its product portfolio; it's Sun's second tools acquisition in the
past two months.
In August, the company purchased
Forte Software for $540 million. That acquisition was completed today.
Combined, the purchases give Sun the software tools that programmers need to
develop e-commerce applications, Sun executives said today. NetBeans will be
targeted at developers who are creating and experimenting with small-scale Web
applications, and Forte's software tools will be aimed at large-scale
applications that use application servers.
With today's move, Sun is also in a better position to
compete against Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and dozens of others in the burgeoning
e-commerce software market, said analysts. Before, through the Sun-Netscape
Alliance, the company sold application servers that run the software and
perform the transactions in an e-commerce Web site. But the company didn't
have the tools to build the software.
Small
bookstores plan to fight Goliaths
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Gearing up for holiday shopping, a coalition of independent
bookstores plans to launch an online bookstore next month, but observers
wonder whether the site will be too little, too late.
BookSense.com,
sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, will provide links to
independent bookstores across the nation, allowing many of them to establish a
much-needed Web presence.
The site, however, will be hard pressed to make a dent in a
market that's dominated by the likes of Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and
Borders, many industry observers say. E-commerce giant Amazon has established
dominance in the online book business since launching in 1995. Barnes &
Noble's Web store also has become one of the largest sellers online--even
though the company is still criticized for setting up shop late, opening in
1997.
The president of the American Booksellers Association,
Richard Howorth, acknowledged that BookSense.com will face tough competition.
"We are extremely late coming to the game,"
Howorth said. "But we're not really playing the same game Amazon is
playing."
Unlike Amazon, BookSense.com plans to implement a
"clicks-and-mortar" strategy, where users can interact with
booksellers either online or in their physical stores. It also intends to
become a source of online marketing for the independent bookstores, helping
them retain customers and draw in new ones.
News
Date: Wednesday 20th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: AOL -
Encryption Export Rules |
Time: 18:40
EDT/23:40 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
America Online will invest $800 million in PC maker Gateway
as part of a far-ranging deal to jointly market products and services.
The pact, a first between the two companies, calls for the
development of a cobranded online software store. In addition, the companies
will jointly market high-speed Internet services and information appliances,
among other initiatives
In turn, AOL service will be marketed alongside Gateway.net,
Gateway's Internet access service. AOL will also "share in the economics
of Gateway.net," the companies said in a joint statement.
As part of the agreement, America Online said it will invest
$800 million in Gateway over the next two years, in a combination of cash and
equity securities. Gateway will receive $180 million in AOL stock and has
agreed to spend $85 million to market Gateway products and services with
America Online's brands.
"We look forward to working with Gateway across a full
range of initiatives, including the joint development of next-generation
devices and other products and services, including broadband, that will make
the medium more accessible and more valuable to consumers," said Bob
Pittman, America Online's president and chief operating officer.
The deal will open significant opportunities for both
companies. AOL has not directly participated in the wildly popular
"PC-ISP" deals under which consumers buy bundled computers and
Internet service, typically for a substantial discount. Instead, these deals
have involved Prodigy, UUNet, Earthlink, and CompuServe, which is owned by
AOL.
AOL
posts record revenues
Time: 17:49
EDT/22:49 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
America Online today reported earnings that beat Wall Street
estimates after a quarter marked by strong subscriber growth and robust
revenue.
The online giant earned $184 million in net income, or 15
cents per diluted share, compared with a profit of $50 million, or 4 cents a
share, in the year-earlier period. Financial analysts expected
the company to earn 13 cents a share, according to First Call consensus
estimates.
AOL added 1.1 million new subscribers worldwide during the
quarter, as well as 378,000 new CompuServe subscribers. That gives AOL 18.7
million proprietary members and 2.2 million CompuServe members worldwide.
Total revenue reached $1.5 billion for the quarter, swelling
47 percent since the same period last year. Of the total, $350 million came
from advertising, commerce, and "other" revenue.
AOL also reported that members spend an average of 55
minutes online every day.
Britannica.com
crippled by user volume
Time: 17:40
EDT/22:40 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Encyclopaedia Britannica is learning how to be an Internet
company the hard way.
Its Web site, Britannica.com, which launched yesterday, has
been suffering from a network lag that began yesterday afternoon. Users trying
to enter the site have been greeted with a "no response" message,
with only brief windows available to enter the site after repeated tries.
Britannica.com released a statement this morning explaining
the outage. It claimed its servers have been on the fritz because of the flood
of new users trying to access the site.
"The tremendous response to Britannica.com has created
a tidal wave of activity on our site, and we are working hard to make the site
available as quickly as possible," Don Yannias, chief executive of
Britannica.com, said in a statement.
The company yesterday announced
it would place its entire 32-volume set, which sells for $1,250 in print, on
the Internet for free. The site would also include news feeds from newspapers,
articles from magazines, and a Web search directory compiled by its editors.
Web site outages have become all-too-common problems.
Internet heavyweights such as America Online and eBay have both suffered
high-profile outages that have incensed users and caused both companies to
invest heavily in upgrading their network.
New
cyber attack method surfaces
Time: 04:05
EDT/09:05 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted
By: Matt
Over the past six weeks, U.S. network servers have come
under assault by a fundamentally new style of computer attack, said experts
here at the National Information Systems Security Conference.
Known as "distributed coordinated attacks," this
new style is particularly good at defeating present-day defenses against those
intent on stopping Internet traffic to a particular company or Internet
service -- a result known as denial of service.
"It's possible to detect the attack, but it is very
hard to block it" using current software, said Thomas Longstaff, senior
technical researcher for Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon
University, during a panel presentation Tuesday.
A garden-variety denial-of-service attack uses a single
server to attempt to tie up a network's connection, denying its users access
to or from the Internet. Distributed coordinated attacks, however, use
hundreds or thousands of servers co-opted by a malicious programmer to
tag-team a single server. Because so many servers are used, each attack can be
camouflaged as a legitimate connection attempt, making it difficult for the
victim's intrusion software to identify that it is under attack and impossible
to identify just who is attacking.
U.S.
encryption export rules may be revised
Time: 04:04
EDT/09:04 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
The Clinton administration is considering relaxing export
limits on computer source code for data scrambling programs, in a possible
move acknowledging the growing importance of Linux, a top export official said
today.
Undersecretary of Commerce William Reinsch said the
administration had originally intended to maintain current export limits on
source code, or instructions written by a computer programmer that can be
compiled into a computer program.
But after the administration announced it would
significantly relax many of its limits on already compiled computer encryption
programs, high-tech companies complained that retaining the source code limit
was unworkable, Reinsch said in a telephone interview.
"We are now reviewing that," Reinsch said.
"It's on the table as area where we might make a revision."
Revised encryption export rules will be released by December
15, he said, with any possible changes for source code export likely included
at that time.
Encryption, which uses mathematical formulas to scramble
information and protect it from prying eyes, is now included in everything
from Web browsers and email programs to cable television set-top boxes and
handheld computers.
News
Date: Tuesday 19th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Gateway -
E*Trade - Blue Mountain - AOL |
Time: 18:38
EDT/23:38 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted
By: Matt
 Big
Blue says it will take Aptivas off the retail shelves and sell them online
only -- until it figures out how to make them profitable.
"Once we come up with a formula, we will be back,"
said Guarino, the spokeswoman for the company's Personal Systems Group, which
oversees sales of IBM personal computers and includes business PCs, ThinkPad
notebooks and more-powerful PC servers.
Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM is trying to differentiate its
products from other low-priced consumer models in the United States and shift
a greater percentage of its business to direct sales over the Web, as rival PC
maker Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq:DELL)
has done.
Guarino stressed that Aptivas continue to sell well through
retail outlets internationally, where pricing dynamics differ.
IBM, the world's largest supplier of computer hardware,
software and services, has struggled in recent years to turn a profit in the
PC business that it helped to pioneer two decades ago. In 1998 its PC business
lost about $1 billion, and in the first half of 1999, it lost $239 million.
Gateway
to broaden small-business services
Time: 17:36
EDT/22:36 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Gateway will today announce a series of services designed to
appeal to small businesses, reflecting the industry's growing need to maximize
"after-sale" revenues.
The PC manufacturer will begin offering more flexible
support for growing companies, according to Gateway's executives. The new
initiatives include loaner programs, assistance in designing corporate
computer networks, and implementing software throughout client computers on a
network.
The moves would place Gateway in the middle of the PC
industry's effort to boost services and support programs as a means of
attracting small and medium-sized businesses. The huge--and largely
untapped--market is estimated at about $50 billion in the United States and
close to $140 billion worldwide, and sales to small and medium-sized
businesses are growing faster than the overall information technology market,
according to market research firm International
Data Corporation.
Support is traditionally a low-profit business because of
the high cost of paying service personnel to answer calls. But online support
is increasingly embraced by PC companies since it is relatively inexpensive.
Rival PC makers are also hopping on the bandwagon. Dell, for
example, recently introduced a support plan which uses Internet-based system
diagnostic tools to detect and fix computers without phone support. The
company has also added natural language search technology to its online
support database.
E*Trade
to give away $1 million
Time: 04:06
EDT/09:06 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
Apart from whatever Y2K might bring, the New Year may hail a
fortune for one lucky person.
E*Trade will announce tomorrow that the online brokerage
house plans to give away $1 million to the person who accurately guesses what
the Dow Jones Industrial Average close will be on New Year's Eve 1999.
A growing number of investors are turning to the Internet to
conduct research and gather financial data before placing trades through their
online trading accounts. The online trading sector has been growing by leaps
and bounds in recent years.
The winning entry must name the closest price to the actual
closing price of the blue chip index within the one-hundredth decimal place.
The company said its new eMillionMania promotion is aimed at
giving individual investors an opportunity to show up Wall Street analysts.
E*Trade said the contest is open from now through November
28 or until 10 million entries are received, whichever comes sooner. People
can enter to win regardless of whether they are E*Trade account holders, and
no purchase is necessary. Entries can be submitted at eMillionMania.com,
and only one entry per person will be accepted.
Blue
Mountain in talks to sell site
Time: 04:04
EDT/09:04 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted
By: Matt
The company that owns one of the most highly trafficked
sites on the Internet -- a free greeting-card service called
Bluemountainarts.com -- is in talks with a number of companies to sell the Web
site for about $1 billion.
According to people close to the situation, the leading
candidate to acquire closely held Blue Mountain Arts Inc.'s Web site is likely
to be eToys Inc. (Nasdaq:ETYS)
Currently, eToys, Pasadena, Calif., has a market capitalization of about $8
billion. Others who have looked at the site, according to these people,
include CMGI Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI),
Andover, Mass., and Excite@Home Corp. (Nasdaq:ATHM),
Redwood City, Calif. The deal is likely to be an all-stock transaction. While
the talks are advanced, there is no certainty that a deal will be reached,
according to the people.
People familiar with eToys' thinking said the company is
very interested in the potential of the Blue Mountain Arts site, which could
expose its other products to a broader range of customers. eToys has mostly
been focused on selling a range of gifts to families, and Blue Mountain Arts
fits that demographic with a folksy image. But the people said eToys officials
are worried about recently intensified competition in the greeting-card
sector, which has hurt Blue Mountain's traffic, and could be an impediment to
any deal.
AOL
Plans Major Digital City Expansion
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: InternetNews
Posted By: Matt
The success of its city guides in 60 metro areas around the
country prompted America Online Inc. Monday
to extend its Digital City local
content sites to more than 200 cities over the next few months.
The markets have not yet been determined, the company said,
but will be chosen based on population size and rankings as travel
destinations. The new sites are slated to launch in spring 2000.
Like the current Digital City properties, content will
include entertainment and tourism information, personal ads, auctions, yellow
pages, classified ads and local news, as well as a guide to the area's dining
spots, movie times, sporting events and children's activities.
"Local is one of the fastest-growing uses of the
Internet," said Ted Leonsis, president of AOL (AOL)
Interactive Properties, which oversees Digital City. "Our expansion into
200 markets nationwide will bring Digital City's award-winning local content
and services to more people than ever before -- helping them save time and get
the most out of the communities they live in, visit and are passionate
about."
Digital City goes up against some heavy hitters in the local
content sector. Microsoft's (MSFT)
Sidewalk hosts localized content for a
variety of cities, as does CitySearch,
which last year merged with Ticketmaster (TMCS)
to be a power player in the industry.
News
Date: Monday 18th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines: Palm - Y2K
- Internet |
- Palm
sets sights on corporate customers
Time: 17:58
EDT/22:58 GMT Source: News.com Posted
By: Matt
On the eve of the first day of its annual developer's
conference, Palm Computing today announced several new products geared at
attracting large corporate customers.
The news comes as the company prepares for its PalmSource
developer's conference, which kicks off tomorrow in Santa Clara, California.
At the event, new licensees like TRG
and Handspring will show off their
new Palm clones, and third party software developers will demonstrate new
security and connectivity products.
At the top of the list is Palm
Computing's suite of "enterprise" or business-focused software
and products designed to make it simple for companies to purchase and support
PalmPilot handhelds for their employees.
Toward that end, Palm today announced Palm HotSync server
software, the Palm ethernet cradle, and new classes and services to help
companies implement the products.
PalmPilots share information with the desktop PC using the
HotSync software and cradle, which connects the computer to the handheld. Palm
has expanded the concept to fit larger companies with a client-server network.
- One
Third Of UK Firms Already Hit By Y2K -Report
Time: 06:09
EDT/11:09 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted
By: Matt
Almost one in three large companies in Britain has already
experienced millennium bug problems, a survey published Monday showed.
Campaigning group Taskforce 2000, in a joint report with
disaster recovery company Adam Associates, said 31 percent of Britain's top
1,000 companies by turnover had already been hit by Y2K-related problems.
Of the 1,000 firms surveyed, 84 percent are preparing for
possible power failures, 86 percent for loss of telecoms links and 97
percent for systems failures.
"This is a clear indication that the possibility of
infrastructure failure is a major concern and that companies are taking
action to offset it," said Robin Guenier, executive director of
Taskforce 2000.
- Prix
fixe? Not on the Net
Time: 05:50
EDT/10:50 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted
By: Matt
Shopping online and don't like the price you see? Don't
worry -- on today's Internet, a fixed price is a thing of the past.
Fixed prices, which have been the mainstay of consumer
purchasing for at least 100 years, have been giving way online to all
manners of dynamic pricing schemes. Auctions, reverse auctions, group
buying, even bartering are all options available to consumers who want to
have more control over how much they pay.
"The Internet enables what were previously isolated
consumers to either band together or have much better information than
they ever had before," said Dan Schulman, president and COO of
Priceline.com Inc, (Nasdaq:PCLN),
whose company lets consumers name the price they're willing to pay for
things like airline tickets. "What you're seeing is the pricing
system being turned upside down, with more and more power being
transferred to the consumers."
- Community
Updates
Time: 04:04
EDT/09:04 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Matt
Just another reminder about signing up for our ActiveWindows
Community on MSN. It allows you to chat with us in our chat room or
via our message board, it also lets you post your own screensavers and
backgrounds for other ActiveWindows readers to download. We are
currently the largest Windows site on the MSN community list.
- Olympic
committee files cybersquatter lawsuit
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
The Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the
2002 Winter Olympics sued to bar others from using Internet domain
names that include the committee's title.
In papers filed in the U.S. District Court in
Delaware, the SLOC said that unauthorized use of its trademarked names
robs it of part of the games' $1.34 billion budget. Accused in the
cybersquatting suit are Branjack Incorporated, Brandon Walker, Regina
Cephas, Afro-American Inner City Youth, and four Internet domain
names, including Saltlakecitygames.com.
According to the lawsuit, investigators for the SLOC
found vacant offices, dead telephones, and lapsed or nonexistent
incorporation records at addresses listed by defendants in Delaware,
Nevada, and Georgia.
The domain names were registered by the defendants
with Network Solutions, which requires that names not be used that
"interfere with or infringe upon the rights of any third
party," court papers say.
The Committee alleges that the defendants engaged in
cybersquatting by registering "the Salt Lake Domain Names with
the specific intent of selling those names either to the SLOC or the
highest third-party bidder."
News
Date: Friday 15th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines:
Volkswagen - Intel - AOL |
- Net
ad spending rises 80 percent
Time: 19:58
EDT/00:58 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Advertising spending on 300 Web sites rose 80
percent to $359 million in the first quarter of the year, according
to a report issued today. Computer makers, software makers, and
online and Internet services companies led the charge.
Microsoft and IBM were the leading advertisers,
said Intermedia Advertising Solutions (IAS), a unit of VNU Marketing
Information. But the remaining three companies among the top five
advertisers were not computer- or software-related.
Credit card giant First USA, in the No. 3 spot,
boosted its ad spending by 614 percent to $4.3 million, followed by
General Motors, up 159 percent at $4.1 million, and AT&T, up
140.3 percent at $4 million.
Dell Computer, in the tenth spot, registered the
largest percentage increase in the three months with spending at
$2.6 million, up 2,787 percent from the 1998 period.
"The numbers clearly indicate that the
Internet has become a viable advertising medium," Joe Philport,
president of IAS, said in a statement accompanying the findings.
"Over the past year, this has been increasingly supported by
the consumer products and service industries aggressively
incorporating the Internet into their overall marketing mix."
- Volkswagen
Sues for Domain Name
Time: 19:35
EDT/00:35 GMT Source: InternetNews.com
Posted By: Matt
The company known for creating the "love
bug" is currently involved in a heated domain name dispute
and this week took its case into court, countersuing the owner of VW.net
to gain control of the domain after he sued to keep it.
Virtual Works Inc. is a Virginia network service
provider and Web site designer that registered the VW.net domain
in 1996. Upon learning of the domain in January, Volkswagen
of America Inc. and its parent German company, Volkswagen SA,
tried to implement a cease and desist order, claiming that Virtual
Works President James Anderson is a cybersquatter and violated
Volkswagen's trademark.
Volkswagen filed suit this week its countersuit
in Virginia federal district court, alleging that Virtual Networks
tried to extort the company and commit cyberpiracy by threatening
to sell the VW.net domain "to the highest bidder."
Virtual Works argued that it is not violating
any laws by registering the domain name, and said that its claim
to the domain is justified.
- U.S.
Lags in Mobile World
Time: 04:59
EDT/09:59 GMT Source: PC
World Posted By: Matt
The big news at the Telecom 99 show here this
week is that the Internet is going wireless. The bad news for
U.S. Net-surfers is that they will be the last to notice.
Amid a flood of new, advanced wireless
data-access products and services announced here, it became
clear that U.S. computer and communications companies are
playing catch-up while their European and Japanese counterparts
show the way. Over the past few years, Asian and European
markets for digital mobile-phone service have taken off while
the U.S. market lags.
"First comes Europe, then Asia--the U.S.
will be dead last with this technology," says Larry
Ellison, Oracle's chairman and chief executive officer, speaking
at Telecom 99.
- Government
now Net "clockwatchers"
Time: 04:31
EDT/09:31 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
You can set your watch by the Internet using
a new Web site linked to two atomic clocks unveiled today by
the top two U.S. government timekeepers.
The site--with an easy-to-remember
address--is a joint effort by the Commerce Department's
National Institute of Standards and Technology and its
military counterpart, the U.S. Naval Observatory.
The Institute and Naval Observatory
contribute time from their respective atomic clocks to an
international pool that is used to define coordinated
universal time--the official world time--they said in a news
release. The two clocks are not supposed to differ at any time
by more than one ten-millionth of a second.
Web surfers can expect a reading from the
two clocks that is accurate to one second, the agencies said.
- Intel
to buy wireless chipmaker for $1.6 billion
Time: 04:05
EDT/09:05 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
In its continuting effort to move beyond
the PC-chip arena, Intel will buy DSP Communications, a
designer of chips for wireless phones and other devices, for
$1.6 billion.
With DSP
Communications (DSPC), Intel will begin to sell and
develop digital signal processors, the complicated chips
that capture the digital impulses and translate them into
cell phone conversations. Intel already sells two other key
elements of wireless devices: flash memory and StrongARM
microprocessors..
"You should look at this as a
beachhead into the wireless communications market in a
variety of devices," said Craig Barrett, Intel chief
executive, on a conference call. "We want to be the
building-block supplier to all of the devices that access
the Internet in a wireless fashion."
The purchase of DSPC is the latest stop on
a spending spree for the company. Since the second half of
1998, Intel has purchased eight different companies,
including DSPC, for more than $5.2 billion dollars.
- AOL
may slash prices to cut competition
Time: 04:00
EDT/09:00 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
America Online may consider lowering the
price of its CompuServe service to remain competitive as
other access providers cut prices and offer free service.
"We can have the cheapest value
service out there," AOL president Bob Pittman said at
a J.P. Morgan Securities conference. "We commit to
having the cheapest [service] in any market that we have
to compete in."
AOL charges $21.95 a month for unlimited
Internet access on its flagship service. Its CompuServe
service charges $9.95 a month for 20 hours of access.
Investors have been concerned that AOL could see a repeat
of its troubles in the United Kingdom, where it has been battling
free Internet service providers such as Dixons Group's
Freeserve. NetZero and CMGI's AltaVista service offer free
Internet access in the United States.
"CompuServe will continue to lead
in the value segment while maintaining our premium
service, which is AOL," Pittman said. He didn't
comment on whether the company would cut prices.
AOL, with more than 20 million
subscribers, will compete with lower-priced services
through CompuServe in the United States or Netscape Online
in Europe, he said.
News
Date: Thursday 14th
October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines:
Apple - Trojan Virus - High Speed Internet |
- Apple's
chip shuffle upsets some customers
Time: 18:07
EDT/23:07 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
 Apple's
earnings report yesterday is sparking a schizophrenic
reaction today, with thumbs up from Wall Street and
thumbs down from many customers angry about what amounts
to a price increase on some Mac computers.
The good news for Apple was that the
company managed to beat lowered analysts' estimates, posting
earnings from operations of 51 cents per share.
What really cheered Wall Street,
though, were Apple's moves to make sure the company can
reduce a $700 million backlog in orders. The company
said it will resolve a delay surrounding new versions of
its Power Mac G4 systems by using processors that are
slightly slower than originally planned. The 500-MHz
system, for example, now will contain a 450-MHz chip,
but sell at the same price.
The company only shipped 64,000 G4
systems during the quarter, less than half the number
Apple had predicted, because of Motorola's inability to
make enough of the fast versions of the processor. Apple
also is enduring a shortage of iBook notebooks.
A number of financial analysts
reiterated their optimistic view that Apple will be able
to fulfill demand in the next quarter. As a result,
Apple's stock has shot up seven points to 71.06 in
afternoon trading, a gain of almost 11 percent.
Customers who already ordered G4
systems shortly after the products were first
announced, however, are steamed.
- Gateway's
all-in-one PC to echo iMac concept
Time:
04:37 EDT/09:37 GMT Source:
News.com Posted
By: Matt
Gateway said it will offer an
all-in-one PC similar in concept to the iMac computer,
which for $799 will include a 15-inch monitor, a
400-MHz Intel Celeron processor, and 64 megabytes of
memory. The system is priced $152 less than an
equivalently equipped desktop PC from the company.
More than the design or price of the
system, Gateway's new "Astro" PC will
resemble the iMac in the company's pitch to users: The
system easily connects to the Net.
"We've created the Gateway
Astro computer to be very easy to set up and connect
to the Internet. You literally just plug in the power
cord, connect in a phone line, connect the keyboard,
and turn it on," said Todd Bradley, senior vice
president, Gateway Consumer, in a statement.
- Experts
Fear Trojan Proxy Server Virus
Time:
04:03 EDT/09:03 GMT Source:
TechWeb Posted
By: Matt
Security experts are trying to
track down the perpetrators of a huge Internet
surveillance operation that they say could presage
an attack on websites around the world.
Members of the Bethesda, Md.-based
System Administration, Networking, and Security (SANS)
Institute have already identified over 200 copies of
a Trojan virus called RingZero that scans Web proxy
servers and relays its findings back to remote
computers across the Internet.
That means information, including
credit card numbers, and other private transaction
information could be stolen.
Since SANS warned its 64,000
members to check for the Trojan after the first was
discovered two weeks ago, its researchers have
slowly pieced together frightening evidence of a
systematic attempt to gather information from
commercial proxy servers. Proxy servers are widely
used by business to handle Web access on office
networks. They host intranet websites, let
administrators restrict the websites staff may visit
and cut bandwidth costs.
Once installed on a network,
RingZero's pst.exe file randomly scans for proxy
servers and makes them send their own Internet
address and port number to what appears to be a data
collection script running on a machine at
www.rusftpsearch.net.
- FCC:
Hands off the high-speed Net
Time:
04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT Source:
News.com Posted
By: Matt
U.S. regulators should maintain
a hands-off approach to overseeing the high-speed
Internet business to encourage the fledgling
technology's growth, a new Federal Communications
Commission staff report concluded.
America Online is leading a
campaign to make cable companies such as AT&T
open their high-speed systems to unaffiliated
Internet service providers. While the FCC has
opted not to impose such a requirement, several
local governments have voted to require so-called
open access.
Today's report found about 1
million out of 40 million residential Internet
subscribers use the Net over high-speed
connections. The report is aimed at discouraging
more local governments from taking action because
the technology is still in its infancy.
"I hope that this will be a
useful source of information for local
authorities," said FCC chairman William
Kennard, who hoped that they'd "come to the
conclusion that the best policy for now is
watchful restraint."
News
Date:
Wednesday 14th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines:
Internet |
- AOL,
Motorola team for wireless instant messaging
Time:
18:09 EDT/23:09 GMT
Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Soon your
Buddy List will be able to go mobile.
America Online
and Motorola announced today that they are
preparing a version of the popular AOL Instant
Messenger (AIM) application for use on
Motorola's advanced wireless communications
devices.
The companies
only have a prototype application ready but
expect to offer the service early next
year--provided they agree on final terms of the
partnership.
Based on the
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), a standard
for optimizing Internet content and sending data
to wireless devices, the AOL service will be
available on Motorola's Timeport line of
"smart phones" and two-way wireless
communicators.
"A key part
of our AOL Anywhere strategy is to bring our
most popular services to different devices and
platforms, including wireless
communications," AOL president of
interactive services Barry Schuler said in a
statement.
- Y2K
cars mistaken for 'horseless carriages'
Time:
05:23 EDT/10:23 GMT
Source: USA
Today Posted By: Matt
Maine State
government got its first Y2K surprise months
early when owners of 2000 model cars and
trucks received titles identifying their new
vehicles as ''horseless carriages.''
Despite
millions of dollars spent to ensure state
computers are ready for the year 2000,
computers in the secretary of state's office
got confused over the 2000 model year
designation.
As a result,
some new vehicle owners or lien holders got
titles to ''horseless carriages'' instead of
cars or trucks in April.
The case
demonstrates the problems that can occur when
computers misread the year 2000 as the year
1900, which is what happened in the secretary
of state's office.
- Lucent
announces the development of 'e-paper'
Time:
05:09 EDT/10:09 GMT
Source: Computerworld
Posted By: Matt
Lucent
Technologies and E
Ink Corp. are collaborating on a
futuristic product that the two companies
describe as electronic paper, which could
become a new format for the printing and
distribution of newspapers and books.
The
electronic paper would actually be flexible
plastic sheets made through a process
similar to ink-on-paper printing, Lucent
said in a statement today. The plastic
sheets would be covered by plastic
transistors developed at Lucent's Bell Labs.
These transistors would have the same
properties as conventional silicon chips,
but are flexible and can be printed onto
plastic.
E Ink's
electronic ink, the other key component of
electronic paper, is made of millions of
tiny microcapsules filled with dark dye and
light pigment that change color to form
images when charged by the electric field
created by the plastic transistors.
The
electronic paper could be instantaneously
updated with the latest edition of a
newspaper or other traditionally printed
media through a computer link, Lucent
officials said. The same technology could
also be used to create wafer-thin screen
displays for digital products such as
cellular phones and personal digital
assistants.
- E-Mail
That Self-Destructs
Time:
04:29 EDT/09:29 GMT
Source: New
York Times Posted By: Matt
Fans of the
television show "Mission:
Impossible" know that at the start of
each episode, the show's principals
received their top-secret orders from a
tape-recorded message, one that would
always end with the words, "This tape
will self-destruct in five seconds."
Now anyone
who sends e-mail can conceal his tracks in
the same way.
Several
companies are exploring ways to control
the copying and dissemination of
electronic documents with their own
versions of self-destructing e-mail. They
aim to make it possible to send a message
or document that will become unreadable
after a predetermined period so that
companies and individuals can keep their
information on a short leash.
Keeping
control of sensitive data in the age of
the Internet has been a notoriously
difficult job, because computers and their
operating systems have been designed to
make copying information as easy as
possible. The computer manufacturers
wanted to make tools for creating many
documents, and so they made duplication
simple.
All of the
companies selling the new tools
acknowledge that their solutions are far
from perfect, but they say that they
expect companies to buy the tools despite
the flaws. They say that they are trying
to answer the concerns of many
corporations grappling with ways to
control casual office e-mail messages that
may be used against a company in
litigation.
- Find
AOL thrills at theme park
Time:
04:05 EDT/09:05
GMT Source: ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
It's
official: E-mail never takes a vacation.
Seagram
Co.'s Universal Studios Inc. has struck
a marketing deal with America Online
Inc. that will result in AOL (NYSE:AOL)
kiosks at Universal's new Islands of
Adventure theme park in Orlando, Fla.
The kiosks will provide computer
terminals enabling users to access AOL
while visiting the park, letting them
check and send e-mail, use instant
messaging and the like.
For AOL,
the program is an extension of the
company's effort to reach its members
even when they aren't sitting at their
home or business computers. It recently
made a deal with 3Com Corp. to make AOL
e-mail available on PalmPilot handheld
computers. "As we try to extend the
AOL service to be more integrated into
people's lives, we look outside the
home," said Joe Redling, senior
vice president of brand marketing for
AOL.
News
Date:
Tuesday 13th October 1999
Today's Top Business Headlines:
Y2K - NetObjects - Internet |
- Study
shows U.S. firms not ready for Y2K
Time:
19:14 EDT/00:14
GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Despite
widespread confidence that the new
year will come and go without a hitch,
a study released this week claims that
many large companies in vital U.S.
industries are far from prepared for
the millennium.
Companies
in industries like telecommunications,
pipelines, and airlines rank
"low" or "below
average" in their Y2K
preparedness, based on a study of
their publicly disclosed Y2K budgets
and expenditures conducted by Weiss
Ratings, a Florida-based provider of
Y2K readiness ratings.
Although
not intended to be an exact
evaluation, the Weiss Y2K ratings are
believed to provide an approximate
indication of each company's relative
progress.
Overall,
among the 552 Fortune 1000 companies
making complete disclosure on Y2K
budgets and costs in their second
quarter 1999 filings with the SEC, the
aggregate budget estimate is $30.5
billion. But only $19.6 billion of
those budgeted funds had been
allocated to actual expenditures,
according to the firm.
All
other factors being equal, a company
should have spent at least 70 percent
of its budget by mid-year in order to
qualify for a Weiss Y2K rating of
"average" according to the
firm.
- Excite
lands key real estate on new IBM
Aptivas
Time:
04:45
EDT/09:45 GMT Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Hoping
to attract new PC buyers to
Excite@Home's Web portal service,
new IBM Aptiva PCs will feature a
button on their keyboards that will
automatically launch Excite's home
page.
Aptiva
users will launch Excite's home page
when they press the
"Internet" button on IBM's
Rapid Access II Keyboard. The idea
is to sell real estate on PCs to Web
services looking for ways to reach
Web consumers.
Other
PC manufacturers such as Compaq
Computer have introduced similar
methods. Compaq's keyboards have
buttons that automatically launch
sites such as AltaVista,
Shopping.com, and Zip2. Compaq sold
AltaVista to CMGI in July for $2.3
billion in stock.
"Distribution
continues to be key for the Excite
portal and this relationship extends
that strategy to a new
audience," said Mark Stevens,
Excite@Home's executive vice
president for business development,
in a statement.
"We
continue forging new relationships
with companies like Excite to
enhance the service we provide to
individuals with their
Aptivas", said John Yengo, IBM
vice president of consumer
marketing, in a statement.
- Big
retailers proving less than adept
at getting online
Time:
04:18
EDT/09:18 GMT Source:
News.com
Posted By: Matt
A
series of botched efforts shows it
may be harder than it looks to
take a traditional business
online.
In
two recent examples, leading
retailers Wal-Mart and Walgreens
announced delays in their online
plans. Wal-Mart, expected to
relaunch its site this fall, said
the new site won't
appear until early next year.
And Walgreens, the nation's
leading pharmacy, said its new
site has been delayed by a month
and won't be up until later this
month.
Earlier
this year, Best Buy and Home
Depot announced delays in
their newly renovated Web stores.
Amway sister site Quixtar debuted
to near-complete site
failure after a heavily touted
opening, and Toys "R" Us
saw its Internet strategy unravel.
In
some cases the setbacks could be
considered temporary glitches that
will have little long-term impact.
But for others the missteps mean
the retailers will miss out on
what is expected to be a huge
online holiday season.
The
reasons for the bumbles vary, but
in many cases they can be traced
to a common denominator:
underestimating the difficulty of
building a strong online presence.
- NetObjects
taps small businesses
Time:
04:05
EDT/09:05 GMT Source:
News.com
Posted By: Matt
NetObjects
is thinking small--as in small
businesses.
The
four-year-old Silicon Valley
company is on the acquisition
trail, attempting to make its
mark in the crowded Web
development market. After
chasing both consumers and
businesses of all sizes,
NetObjects now wants to become a
one-stop shop for small
businesses' Web needs.
To
further its efforts, the Web
authoring toolmaker last week
spent $15 million to buy
Sitematic, a Web site for small
businesses that offers
easy-to-use software to design
Web sites online, Web site
hosting, and marketing
resources, such as search engine
registration. It also lets
companies easily put up their
goods for sale on auction sites,
such as eBay.
The
firm not only wants to provide design
software, it also wants to offer
Web hosting services to get
small businesses online and a
Web community where they can
network and get the advice and
resources they need to become
e-businesses.
"We
want to become a GeoCities for
small businesses," said
NetObjects' chief executive
Samir Arora, referring to the
thriving, Yahoo-owned online Web
site community for consumers.
"Our goal is to help you
build a Web site and e-commerce
store and be successful."
News
Date:
Monday 11th October 1999
Today's Top Business
Headlines:
AOL - Internet |
- E-commerce
security standard in works
Time:
18:29
EDT/23:29 GMT Source:
ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Citing
safety in numbers, a new
consortium, the Trusted
Computing Alliance, is seeking
to develop a universal
standard for PC security.
Alliance
members, Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC),
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT),
Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ),
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP)
and IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM)
will work to help develop a
specification, called the
Trusted Computing Alliance
Specification, which will aim
to develop basic hardware and
software security standards
for PC desktops, notebooks and
servers.
While
many PC vendors ave made
individual strides towards
increasing security by adding
"smart cards" or
embedded security chips to
their new models, as a group,
the Trusted Computing Alliance
feels it can accelerate
adoption of security
technology and, as a result,
electronic commerce. The
alliance will develop and
propose a standard that adopts
hardware and software
technologies like a hardware
random-number generator --
allowing a PC to take better
advantage of such security
technologies as the Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) security
technology present in a Web
browser.
"The
idea is to define an
architecture that is easily
implemented, that would
provide what we think are the
basic security features people
will need for the activities
they may engage in," said
Phil Hester, chief technology
office IBM Personal Systems
Group. Those activities, he
said, could be business or
personal, but they would
likely involve e-commerce.
- Amazon,
Onebox launch audio e-mail
Time:
18:15
EDT/23:15 GMT Source:
ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Onebox
will announce a partnership
with Amazon.com this
Thursday that lets consumers
record audio messages for
electronic greetings.
Users
who want to send a card
through Amazon (Nasdaq:AMZN)
will be directed to an 800
number where they can record
a message. Onebox converts
the message to an audio file
which is played when the
recipient of the greeting
goes to the Web site.
Onebox
officials said the service
will be free, and will not
require any special
technology by the recipient.
Users who are not able to
listen to recordings through
their PCs (for example,
those without speakers) will
be able to call an 800
number to hear the tape.
- America
Online Targets Businesses
Time:
04:59
EDT/09:59 GMT Source:
News
Page Posted By: Matt
America
Online Inc. [NYSE:AOL],
the leading Internet
provider for consumers, is
about to have another go
at the business market.
Early next year, AOL plans
to roll out a new service
aimed at users from small
businesses and home
offices, Ted Leonsis,
president of AOL's
interactive properties
group, said Friday.
Leonsis
said the still-unnamed
offering will be a new AOL
"brand" -much
like its regional Digital
City guides-that will be
available across all of
AOL's properties,
including its fee-based
online services and its
free Web sites such as AOL.com.
The
project, code-named Free
Agent Nation, will offer a
place for business owners
to meet and buy products
and services from one
another, as well as to
find information helpful
to running their
companies, AOL officials
said.
Free
Agent Nation is the first
toe in the water for AOL
in what many consider to
be an enormously lucrative
business-to-business
Internet market. If
successful, other related
initiatives are expected
to be launched soon after,
although AOL would not
give specifics.
"It's
yet another way to
monetize their
audience," said
William Whyman of Legg
Mason Wood Walker in
Washington.
Some
analysts suggest that
AOL's next step could be
changing Netcenter-the
general-interest gateway
site of Netscape
Communications Corp., the
Internet company AOL
bought earlier this
year-into one that focuses
on small businesses. AOL
could overlay
electronic-commerce
applications on customized
business sites it builds
for Netcenter clients,
they say.
AOL
in November plans to
relaunch Netcenter,
spokeswoman Ann Brackbill
said, although she would
not provide details.
- Are
you ready for the $200
PC?
Time:
04:50
EDT/09:50 GMT Source:
ZDNet
Posted By: Matt
Just
when big PC makers are
dropping prices below
$500, a few small guys
are readying
stripped-down PCs for as
little as $200. And
consumers might buy
them.
While
PCs from eMachines Inc.
and others now sell for
less than $400, ZDNN has
reviewed documents for
new, more eye-pleasing
designs aimed at even
lower price levels. Some
analysts think that the
availability of these
lower-cost models is not
far off.
"Probably
toward the end of next
year, (the $200 PC) will
represent a significant
portion of the retail
space," said Matt
Sargent, an analyst at
ZDNet (NYSE:ZDZ)
affiliate InfoBeads Inc.
Right
now, that market is
limited to smaller
companies, but Sargent
expects that eventually,
"people like
eMachines and HP --
these guys who are the
leaders in the low-end
retail space -- are
going to get into this
market."
- Online
Industry Seizes the
Initiative on Privacy
Time:
04:48
EDT/09:48 GMT Source:
New
York Times Posted
By: Matt
By
the stilted linguistic
standards of
government reports,
the Federal
Trade Commission
gave the online
industry a pistol
whipping in June 1998.
After reviewing the
privacy practices of
World Wide Web sites,
the commission told
Congress that the
industry had
"fallen far short
of what is needed to
protect
consumers."
Only
a tiny fraction of Web
sites, the FTC noted,
told people what the
sites did with the
personal information
they collected --
names, e-mail
addresses, credit card
numbers. Even fewer
sites offered
consumers any choice
about how their
personal data were
used, allowed them to
access the data or
gave assurances of its
security.
Industry
self-regulation, the
FTC concluded, was not
working.
Its
scathing report
increased the chances
that Congress would
enact sweeping
Internet privacy
legislation. And the
findings hardened
resolve in Europe to
reject the American
self-regulatory
approach to privacy
online, a dispute that
threatened to escalate
into the first
Internet trade war.
Christine
Varney, the
commission's Internet
activist until she
left in August 1997,
had long warned the
industry that if it
did not move to
shoulder
responsibility on
privacy, the
government would
surely step in.
Suddenly, that threat
seemed imminent.
News
Date:
Friday 8th
October 1999
Today's Top
Business
Headlines:
Visor - IBM -
Internet |
- AltaVista
plans huge ad blitz,
relaunch
Time:
19:21
EDT/00:21 GMT
Source: News.com
Posted By: Matt
Internet
investment firm CMGI
plans to spend more
than $100 million on
a 12-month
advertising campaign
that trumpets major
changes aimed at
transforming its
AltaVista Web
directory into a
top-tier portal
player, sources say.
AltaVista
is redesigning the
look and feel of its
Web site as part of
the relaunch,
according to people
familiar with the
plans, and is even
working on a new
logo and slogan. The
site will add local
guides powered by
Zip2, which CMGI
acquired this year,
as well as a
commerce section
featuring
Shopping.com, a news
section called
AltaVista Live, and
a new search page.
The
company expects to
launch the new site
this month at a gala
event in New York,
CNET News.com has
learned. Sources
said the overall
marketing drive
could cost as much
as $120 million,
though a
representative for
the company said
that figure was
"exaggerated."
"Get
ready for the
TOTALLY NEW
AltaVista--dynamic
new media offerings,
unmatched new
commerce offerings
and our legendary
AltaVista Search
with
industry-leading
relevance and a far
more powerful
interface,"
read an electronic
version of an
invitation to the
gala party, which
carried AltaVista
chief executive Rod
Schrock's tagline.
A
member of the ad
team working on the
campaign confirmed
that the event is
planned for October
25, as stated in the
invitation.
- Visor
Closing In on Palm
Time:
05:25
EDT/10:25 GMT
Source: Wired
News Posted
By: Matt
 Watch
out Palm and CE,
the Visor is close
at hand.
The
Visor, a sleek
palm-sized device
from Handspring,
is drawing raves
from consumers and
developers at
Internet World and
is threatening to
steal the
limelight from
Palm and Windows
CE devices.
Handspring’s
large booth has
been swamped with
anxious onlookers,
and ringed by more
than 20 companies
displaying a range
of add-on
products.
Developers love
working with the
company, and fans,
intrigued by its
flexibility, are
leaving the Palm
fold.
"The
Palm is pretty
good, but it is
too expensive for
the average
person," said
Marsha Russell, a
consultant who was
eager to try out
the Visor.
Standing at the
edge of the
Handspring booth,
she whipped out
her PalmPilot and
compared it to an
orange-colored
Visor.
"This
is thinner, and
you can upgrade
and get more
memory without
having to open
it," she
said. "The
software is easily
transferable. The
expansion slot is
the thing, plus,
it’s a nice
funky color."
Palm,
which decided not
to exhibit at
Internet World,
seems to be
standing still or
even losing ground
in many eyes.
Developers said
the Palm will
remain a sexy
status symbol for
executives, but
that Visor could
attract a mass
audience.
- IBM
to cut up to
1,000 jobs
Time:
04:10
EDT/09:10 GMT
Source: ZDNet
Posted
By: Matt
Reassignments
and layoffs will
eliminate 5 to
10 percent of
workforce in
10,000-person PC
group, as IBM's
consumer
business
continues to
lose money.
In
an effort to
finally turn a
profit, IBM
Corp.'s Personal
Systems Group is
shaving 5 to 10
percent of its
10,000-person
workforce,
according to a
memo sent to PSG
employees
Wednesday by
Executive Vice
President Dave
Thomas.
The
company is also
seriously
considering
pulling out of
many retail
outlets next
year in favor of
a major new Web
sales push,
sources said.
IBM's (NYSE:IBM)
consumer
business
continues to
lose money for
the company.
"There
will be
increased online
sales,
especially to
consumers,"
said one source.
Sources
added that the
currently
separate
consumer
manufacturing
and marketing
efforts will be
merged into the
rest of PSG.
- Cyberattacks
Against U.S.
Are A Matter
Of Time
Time:
04:04
EDT/09:04 GMT
Source:
TechWeb
Posted
By: Matt
As
cracking
incidents
accelerate, it
is only a
matter of time
before a
malicious
attack against
the U.S.
critical
infrastructure
does major
damage, the
nation's top
cyberlaw
enforcement
official has
told
lawmakers.
"Foreign
nations are
developing
information-warfare
programs
because they
see that they
cannot defeat
the United
States in a
head-to-head
military
encounter,"
said Michael
Vatis,
director of
the FBI's
National
Infrastructure
Protection
Center.
"They
believe that
information
operations are
a way to
strike at what
they perceive
as America's
Achilles Heel
-- our
reliance on
information
technology to
control
critical
government and
private-sector
systems."
Damages
in the first
half of 1999
from viruses
alone topped
$7 billion,
Vatis said,
citing a
report by Computer
Economics.
The FBI has
over 800
pending
investigations
of hacking and
network
intrusion.
Increasing
U.S.
vulnerability
has been the
lack of a
national plan
to handle
cyberattacks
and respond to
incidents. The
Clinton
administration
is expected to
release a plan
addressing
intrusions at
federal
systems by the
end of the
month or early
November,
Vatis told the
Senate
Judiciary
Committee.
"If we're
going to ask
the private
sector to get
engaged in
protecting the
critical
infrastructure,
the government
has to get its
own house in
order
first,"
he said.
Central
to that plan
will be the
Federal
Intrusion
Detection
Network, which
generated
concern when
it was first announced.
"FIDNET
will be run by
the General
Services
Administration,
not the FBI,
will not
monitor any
private
networks or
e-mail
traffic, will
confer no new
authorities on
any government
agency, and
will be fully
consistent
with privacy
law and
practice,"
said John
Tritak,
director of
the
administration's
Critical
Infrastructure
Assurance
Office.
Audits
show 22 of the
largest
federal
agencies have
significant
computer-security
weaknesses,
said Jack
Brock Jr.,
director of
the accounting
and
information-management
division at
the General
Accounting
Office, the
government's
investigative
arm.
Vulnerability
was found in
national
defense, law
enforcement,
air-traffic
control, and
benefit
payments,
Brock said in
releasing the
GAO's report,
"Critical
Infrastructure
Protection:
Fundamental
Improvements
Needed to
Assure
Security of
Federal
Operations."
The Defense
Department
experiences up
to 100 hacker attacks
daily, Vatis
said.
- Network
Solutions
Beefs Up Dot
Com
Directory
Time:
04:02
EDT/09:02
GMT Source:
TechWeb
Posted
By: Matt
Network
Solutions
will
introduce
local
versions of
its dot com
directory
for the
United
Kingdom and
for
Australia,
the company
said
Thursday.
The
Herndon,
Va.-based
company is
marketing
the new
services
free to
business
that
register
domain names
with it. The
enhancements
are part of
the
company's
strategy to
compete with
new Internet
registration
companies.
Previously,
it was the
sole
registrar
for Internet
domain
address
ending in
.com, .net,
and .org.
"It
is the third
reason for
registering
a domain
name,"
David
Wolford,
general
manger for
registration
and
value-added
services,
said at the
Internet
World trade
show.
Previously,
people
registered
domains to
retain the
address for
a site or to
make use of
the domain
as an e-mail
address, he
said.
The
company
calls the
directory
the
Internet's
first
"find
engine,"
making it
easier for
people to
find
businesses.
Wolford
said NSI
plans to
build
Swedish,
German,
Chinese, and
Korean
language
versions and
will add a
transaction
capability
early next
year.
News
Date:
Thursday
7th
October
1999
Today's
Top
Business
Headlines:
AT&T
-
AOL |
- Tribal
Voice in
new
challenge
to AOL
Time:
18:21
EDT/23:21
GMT
Source:
ZDNet
Posted
By: Matt
Joining
the fray
in an
escalating
competition,
Alta Vista
has signed
a deal to
use Tribal
Voice's
instant
messaging
software.
Alta
Vista
joins
AT&T's
WorldNet
and
FreeServe
in using
the Tribal
Voice
client.
Tribal
Voice is
one of the
few
competitors
to America
Online
Inc.
(NYSE:AOL)
which
dominates
the space
with more
than 45
million
users.
Yesterday,
AOL signed
a deal
with Lycos
Inc., to
license
its
software
to Lycos
(Nasdaq:LCOS)
users.
That
followed
deals with
Internet
service
providers
Earthlink
Network
Inc.
(Nasdaq:ELNK)
and
MindSpring
Enterprises
Inc.
(Nasdaq:MSPG).
AOL
dominates
the
instant
messaging
market.
But it
faces
criticism
for its
refusal to
open its
service to
competitors
who want
their
customers
to be able
to
communicate
with AOL's
users.
After
making
some of
the code
public,
allowing
individuals
to develop
applications,
AOL pulled
the code
after
competitors
began
using it
to link
their
customers
to the
company's
online
service.
Microsoft
Corp.
(Nasdaq:MSFT),
which has
released
its
protocols
allowing
outsiders
to link to
its
system,
sparked
the fight
when it
devised a
way to tap
into the
AOL
service.
AOL has
since
repeatedly
blocked
Microsoft's
attempts
as the two
companies
engaged in
an ongoing
tit-for-tat.
Tribal
Voice says
the new
version of
its
software,
code-named
Chameleon,
will be
able to
communicate
with both
Microsoft
and AOL.
But AOL
maintains
it will
attempt to
block the
Tribal
Voice
service as
well.
- CompuServe
revamps
software,
PC
rebate
program
Time:
18:08
EDT/23:08
GMT
Source:
CNET
News.com
Posted
By: Matt
America
Online
said its
CompuServe
unit
upgraded
its
software
and is
giving
$400
instant
rebates
on
personal
computers
purchased
at
CompUSA
in
exchange
for a
three-year
contract.
CompuServe's
upgraded
software
includes
a
revamped
shopping
channel,
new
content
for
children
and
teenagers,
and
seven
email
names
per
subscriber,
compared
with the
five
offered
previously.
The
CompUSA
rebate
follows
a
mail-in
program
that
CompuServe
began in
July.
CompuServe
is
increasing
its
subscriber
base for
the
first
time
since
America
Online
bought
it in
early
1998.
Once
geared
to the
technologically
savvy,
it's now
targeting
people
who want
to spend
less on
Internet
connections.
The
rebate
has
helped
CompuServe
add more
than
300,000
subscribers
during
AOL's
first
quarter
ended
September
30.
"CompuServe
is in
the
midst of
a
dramatic
turnaround,"
said
Audrey
Weil,
CompuServe's
general
manager,
at the
Internet
World
conference
in New
York
City.
"We
are
finally
in the
black
and are
growing
members,
revenue,
and
profits."
The
$400
rebate
is
available
to
people
who
agree to
use the
service
for at
least
three
years
and pay
$21.95 a
month.
CompuServe
also
offers a
monthly
rate of
$9.95
for 20
hours of
service.
- Chief
Weather
Computer
Fries
Time:
04:09
EDT/09:09
GMT
Source:
Wired
news Posted
By: Matt
If
a
hurricane
whips
up in
the
Atlantic
this
week,
we may
not
notice
right
away.
The
nation
is
receiving
fewer
and
less
reliable
weather
forecasts,
the
result
of a
late
September
fire
in a
supercomputer
that
feeds
data
to the
National
Weather
Service
and
many
parts
of the
world.
Late
last
month,
the
Cray
C90
supercomputer
at the
National
Weather
Service
in
Suitland,
Maryland
caught
fire
and
burned.
The
computer
generates
numerical
weather
forecast
models
-- the
raw
data
and
programs
used
to
forecast
weather
-- for
the
National
Centers
for
Environmental
Prediction
(NCEP).
Firefighters
used
dry
chemicals
to
extinguish
the
blaze,
but
the
chemicals
damaged
critical
components.
Silicon
Graphics,
which
owns
computer-builder
Cray
Research,
subsequently
pronounced
the
machine
dead.
While
it
waits
for a
replacement
--
expected
to
take
about
five
weeks
-- the
center
will
run on
borrowed
cycles
from
other
national
weather
centers,
such
as
those
from
the
Air
Force
and
Navy.
That
is
sufficient
to
continue
critical
weather
tracking,
NCEP
officials
say.
- AOL
5.0
May
Be
Harmful
to
Net
Connections
Time:
04:07
EDT/09:07
GMT
Source:
InternetNews
Posted
By: Matt
Internet
users
who
downloaded
and
installed
the
latest
version
of America
Online's
client
software,
AOL
5.0,
have
found
that
they've
gained
some
spiffy
new
features.
But
in
the
process
some
have
found
they've
also
lost
their
ability
to
connect
to
the
Internet.
A
message
board
at
the
online
service
devoted
to
AOL
5.0
upgrade
questions
was
full
of
reports
Wednesday
from
users
who've
run
into
problems
accessing
Web
sites
or
other
network
content
since
installing
the
new
version
of
the
software,
which
was
officially
released
Tuesday.
The
bug
appears
particularly
to
affect
AOL
users
who
also
have
dial-up
accounts
with
other
Internet
service
providers,
or
who
connect
to
AOL
from
a
LAN
or
corporate
network.
AOL
(AOL)
offers
subscribers
a
"Bring
Your
Own
Access"
pricing
plan
with
reduced
rates
if
users
connect
over
an
existing
TCP/IP
account
with
another
ISP.
According
to
Usenet
newsgroup
postings,
also
affected
were
non-AOL
subscribers
who
had
downloaded
and
installed
a
demo
version
of
AOL
5.0
and
lost
their
access
to
their
ISP
as a
result.
The
culprit
appears
to
be
the
AOL
TCP/IP
adapter
installed
by
AOL
5.0.
In
some
instances,
it
may
establish
itself
as
the
default
network
adapter
and
disable
any
DNS
settings
required
to
connect
to
an
ISP.
- AT&T
Seeks
to
Deflect
Internet
Criticism
Time:
04:02
EDT/09:02
GMT
Source:
The
New
York
Times
Posted
By:
Matt
The
AT&T
Corporation,
facing
persistent
criticism
for
not
giving
independent
Internet
service
providers
direct
access
to
its
far-flung
cable
television
systems,
has
decided
to
offer
such
access
within
a
few
years
and
is
trying
to
find
concrete
ways
to
demonstrate
that
commitment,
executives
close
to
the
company
said
Tuesday.
With
such
a
step,
AT&T
could
hope
to
deflect
potentially
onerous
conditions
that
could
be
placed
on
its
cable
operations
by
municipal
and
perhaps
Federal
regulators.
AT&T's
move
to
assuage
its
critics,
which
could
be
announced
soon,
comes
as
mounting
consolidation
in
the
communications
industry
is
prompting
some
regulators
to
wonder
whether
the
business
interests
of
big
companies
--
be
it
AT&T
or
MCI
Worldcom
--
can
be
balanced
with
the
public's
interest
in
having
a
competitive
marketplace.
AT&T
has
said
that
it
cannot
move
more
quickly
to
open
its
cable
networks
because
of
a
contract
that
obligates
it
to
give
exclusive
cable
access
until
2002
to
the
Excite@Home
Corporation.
Excite@Home
was
formed
by
the
merger
of
the
Excite
Web
portal
and
the
At
Home
cable
modem
venture,
and
like
its
would-be
competitors,
it
uses
cable
systems
to
offer
consumers
high-speed
access
to
the
Internet.
AT&T
inherited
the
exclusive
contract
with
Excite@Home
when
it
acquired
the
cable
systems
of
Tele-Communications
Inc.
earlier
this
year.
That
relationship
has
prompted
America
Online
Inc.
and
other
Internet
providers
to
undertake
a
major
lobbying
campaign
in
Washington
and
around
the
country
to
force
what
is
called
"open
access"
to
AT&T's
cable
lines.
News
Date:
Wednesday
6th
October
1999
Today's
Top
Business
Headlines:
AOL
-
Disney
-
Reuters |
- Barnes
&
Noble
acquires
software,
game
company
Time:
19:29
EDT/00:29
GMT
Source:
CNET
News.com
Posted
By:
Matt
Barnes
&
Noble
agreed
to
buy
closely
held
Babbage's
Etc.
for
$215
million
in
cash
and
assumed
debt,
expanding
its
sales
of
video
games
and
entertainment
software.
Babbage's
Etc.
is
one
of
the
largest
U.S.
sellers
of
video
games
and
entertainment
software.
Barnes
&
Noble
will
get
495
stores
run
under
the
names
Babbage's,
Software
Etc.,
and
GameStop,
as
well
as
the
gamestop.com
retail
Web
site.
Barnes
&
Noble
said
it
expects
the
acquisition
to
add
10
cents
a
share
to
earnings
in
its
fourth
quarter
ending
in
January.
The
purchase
fits
Barnes
&
Noble's
strategy
of
investing
in
complementary
businesses
that
are
growing
rapidly.
It
also
wants
to
solidify
its
position
as
a
leading
retailer
of
books,
music,
video,
and
related
items.
Babbage's
principal
owner
is
Leonard
Riggio,
Barnes
&
Noble's
chief
executive.
The
transaction
was
examined
and
recommended
by
a
special
board
committee,
the
company
said.
The
purchase
is
subject
to
regulatory
approvals
and
will
be
financed
through
Barnes
&
Noble's
existing
$850
million
senior
credit
line.
- AOL
taps
Lycos
in
instant
messaging
war
Time:
19:25
EDT/00:25
GMT
Source:
CNET
News.com
Posted
By:
Matt
Packing
more
firepower
into
its
raging
battle
against
Microsoft,
America
Online
today
said
it
will
help
develop
a
custom
version
of
AOL
Instant
Messenger
for
Lycos.
AOL
Instant
Messenger
is
expected
to
be
available
for
Lycos's
32
million
registered
users
in
December,
allowing
them
to
communicate
with
each
other
as
well
as
with
the
45
million
registered
AIM
users.
The
recruitment
of
Lycos
will
likely
intensify
the
battle
over
instant
messaging
on
at
least
two
fronts.
For
AOL,
Lycos
is
an
important
ally
in
its
fight
against
Microsoft
and,
to
a
lesser
degree,
Yahoo,
over
which
version
of
the
important
communications
software
is
used.
For
Lycos,
the
move
allows
the
portal
to
catch
up
with
Yahoo
by
adding
a
critical
feature
in
a
market
where
all
rivals
must
match
each
other's
services
to
stay
competitive.
- AOL
users
warned
of
spam
scam
Time:
04:40
EDT/09:40
GMT
Source:
MSNBC
Posted
By:
Matt
Scam
artists
are
using
official-looking
Web
sites
and
the
lure
of
free
gifts
to
obtain
the
names
and
passwords
of
America
Online
subscribers,
then
sending
a
flood
of
unsolicited
email
using
the
pilfered
accounts,
an
anti-spam
consumer
group
warned
Tuesday.
SAYING
IT
had
received
approximately
1,300
complaints
from
AOL
subscribers,
the
Spam
Recycling
Center
issued
its
first-ever
consumer
alert
to
warn
other
users
about
the
ruse.
The
center
said
the
account
information
was
obtained
through
phony
offers
of
free
Internet
access
or
other
free
gifts.
The
offers
contain
hyperlinks
to
Web
sites
bearing
AOL
logos
that
request
the
user’s
screen
name
and
password,
ostensibly
so
they
can
receive
the
gift.
One
AOL
subscriber,
Gregory
Walter
of
South
Holland,
Ill.,
told
the
center
that
AOL
froze
his
account
two
days
after
he
responded
to
the
offer,
after
it
was
used
to
bombard
other
AOL
subscribers
with
unsolicited
commercial
e-mail,
commonly
called
spam.
“When
I
called
AOL
customer
service,
they
told
me
my
screen
name
and
account
had
been
used
to
send
7,000
spams,”
Walter
said.
AOL
spokesman
Rich
D’Amato
confirmed
that
the
world’s
largest
Internet-online
service
had
been
plagued
by
a
series
of
“password
fishing”
scams
and
had
warned
subscribers
not
to
provide
account
information
in
response
to
unsolicited
offers.
He
said
he
had
no
information
regarding
the
specific
cases
cited
by
the
recycling
center.
Bogus
offers
used
to
obtain
account
data |
|
 |
A
screen
grab
of
one
bogus
offer
used
to
obtain
AOL
members'
account
information.
|
- Disney's
Go
Network
bids
on
auctions
Time:
04:10
EDT/09:10
GMT
Source:
CNET
News.com
Posted
By:
Matt
Going
where
other
portals
have
gone
before,
Disney's
Go
Network
will
announce
tomorrow
that
it
is
jumping
into
the
auction
business.
The
site
offers
free
auction
listings
until
next
year,
but
it
charges
transaction
fees
of
up
to
5
percent.
Athough
the
auction
site
will
be
announced
tomorrow,
it
already
had
been
launched
by
this
afternoon.
Go's
move
comes
on
the
heels
of
last
month's
announcement
that
portal
sites
such
as
Excite,
MSN,
and
Lycos
were
forming
a
network
to
share
auction
listings.
Portal
leader
Yahoo
entered
the
auction
space
last
year
and
is
the
next
largest
after
eBay,
with
some
750,000
simultaneuous
listings.
eBay
has
about
2.9
million
simultaneous
listings.
The
Go
site
has
about
1,300
auction
listings,
but
more
listings
will
be
added
tomorrow,
said
Andrew
Hamel,
vice
president
and
general
manager
of
Go
Network
Auction.
- Reuters
beefs
up
online
information
services
Time:
04:05
EDT/09:05
GMT
Source:
CNET
News.com
Posted
By:
Matt
Reuters
Group,
the
world's
largest
financial
information
provider,
introduced
a
set
of
products
to
deliver
live
stock
exchange
quotations
and
news
over
the
Internet
as
it
seeks
to
reach
more
customers
and
cut
costs.
The
"Reuters
Inform"
products
initially
will
offer
market
prices,
news,
and
other
information
to
traders,
utilities,
farmers,
and
others
interested
in
agriculture
and
the
commodities
and
energy
markets.
The
company,
which
already
provides
some
delayed
price
and
information
services
online,
declined
to
say
how
much
it
has
spent
on
developing
the
real-time
product.
Growth
in
Reuters's
sales
of
terminals
to
the
financial
services
industry,
its
biggest
source
of
income,
has
slowed
as
clients
merged,
cut
costs,
and
closed
offices
in
weaker
markets.
Reuters
has
responded
by
finding
ways
to
deliver
its
products
to
a
wider
range
of
users
at
a
lower
cost
through
the
Internet.
The
company,
which
will
advertise
in
trade
magazines
and
on
Web
sites,
expects
to
attract
"thousands
or
tens
of
thousands"
of
customers
to
the
Reuters
Inform
service,
John
Parcell,
chief
executive
of
Reuters
Information,
said
in
an
interview.
He
declined
to
estimate
the
size
of
the
potential
market.
Users
will
be
able
to
download
the
service
and
upgrades
from
the
Internet
and
pay
to
get
customer
service
online.
News
Date:
Tuesday
5th
October
1999
Today's
Top
Business
Headlines:
Travelocity
-
Y2K
-
IRS
-
Internet |
- RealNames
to
open
source
code
Time:
18:36
EDT/23:36
GMT
Source:
News.com
Posted
By:
Matt
In
a
bid
to
win
broader
acceptance
for
its
simplified
Net
addressing
system,
RealNames
tomorrow
will
unveil
plans
to
give
away
its
technology
and
develop
it
under
the
open-source
model.
Like
a
growing
list
of
companies
and
independent
software
developers,
RealNames
(formerly
called
Centraal)
is
betting
that
by
making
its
software
freely
available,
it
can
hasten
the
technology's
adoption.
Its
success
could
have
a
dramatic
impact
on
the
way
Web
users
find
Web
pages
and
how
companies
market
their
online
properties,
by
allowing
ordinary
words
to
stand
in
for
complex
URLs,
which
point
browsers
to
specific
Web
pages.
The
company's
software
is
already
featured
on
Microsoft's
Internet
Explorer
browser
but
has
faced
hurdles
in
getting
universally
accepted.
In
RealNames'
example,
a
user
can
enter
the
RealNames
keywords
"Ford
Explorer"
in
his
or
her
browser
instead
of
having
to
type
in
the
URL
"http://www.fordvehicles.com/vehiclehome.asp."
Unlike
domain
name
registrar
Network
Solutions
(NSI),
which
registers
Net
addresses
with
generic
terms
like
"car,"
RealNames
said
it
will
not
register
a
generic
term.
- UPS
Delivers
the
Net
for
Free
Time:
06:47
EDT/11:47
GMT
Source:
Wired
News
Posted
By:
Matt
UPS,
the
parcel
delivery
service
with
plans
to
go
public,
said
it
will
offer
free
access
to
its
online
network
for
customers
who
don't
already
have
Internet
service.
The
company
on
Monday
announced
plans
to
launch
UPS
OnLine
World
Link,
a
service
that
will
let
all
of
its
customers
track
packages
and
|
