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18th August 1998 Archive

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  • Millennium bug hunt uncovers Windows 98 quirk

    Bug will affect "small number of users"

    Software designed by Prove It 2000 to test for Millennium compliance has picked up an entirely different date-related bug in the Windows 98 operating system. Both companies are keen to stress that the bug will affect a very small number of users, and Prove It 2000 has emphasised that it is working alongside Microsoft. The window …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 11:16

  • Size does matter, monitor manufacturerers claim

    The bigger the better - honest

    Fourteen members of the Computer Suppliers Federation have joined forces to sponsor research into the impact of monitor size on office productivity. The project, titled Monitors Matter, will be carried out by City University in London. The CSF says that the aim of the research is to educate businesses on the elements to consider …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 11:28

  • Syquest lets the good times roll

    Putting on a brave face?

    External storage device manufacturer Syquest claims it is putting the bad times behind it following a 41 per cent increase in sales for Q3 1998. The quarter ending 30 June 1998, saw Syquest sales rise to $44.7 million, up 41 per cent on $31.7 million in the same period last year. This was down from $47.0 million in Q2 98. The …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 11:31

  • DVD comes of age –nearly

    Japanese vendors pump out more, more, more

    The leading DVD manufacturers are to ramp up drive production in a bid to double the number of units available in the next year. Projections for DVD drive demand show the market for Europe, US and Asia doubling to 4 million units next year, as compatibility issues are worked out and more software become available. In response to …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 12:14

  • RAID transition costs Adaptec dear

    Components, not boxes

    Loss-making storage vendor Adaptec has slashed its work force by 10 per cent and is likely to take a charge of "several million dollars" in Q2 next year. The axing of around 100 jobs is part of a move by Adaptec to edge itself away from the cut-throat, low-end SCSI business, and to reposition itself as a mid-range RAID vendor. …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 12:23

  • Cisco secures mobile tunnel capability

    It’s a bandwidth thing

    Cisco has added Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol (L2TP) to its IOS software for Access VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). It will reduce network management costs, simplify WAN operations and allow companies to focus on their core competencies, said Cisco. L2PT is a hybrid produced from the crossing of Cisco’s Layer 2 Forwarding (L2F) …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 12:24

  • Granada buys Control Data division

    Builds European data archiving business

    IT services company Granada Computer Services International, has bought the Systems Integration Services (SIS) division of Control Data Systems. Granada, which was itself the subject of an MBO last September worth around £89 million, claimed the move will help it establish a stronger presence in mainland Europe. It bought SIS …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 12:26

  • Telewest strengthens grip on UK cable business

    Snaffles up Comcast Birmingham stake

    Telewest Communications is to pay £130 million to gain a 99 per cent stake in Birmingham Cable, from Comcast and General Cable. Birmingham Cable currently has consolidated net assets of £71 million. The company has agreed to buy Comcast’s 27.47 per cent stake for £125 million, the additional £5 million will be paid to cover …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 12:30

  • Hewlett Packard starts UK Connect programme

    But only scoops four dealers up

    HP has kicked off its Connect reseller marketing programme in the HP3000 channel, but has so far managed to sign just four resellers in the UK. The Connect programme - an attempt by HP to bring all its channel branding under one roof - was launched earlier this year. The mid-range HP3000 channel, which has a small number of …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:10

  • Siemens blames IMF-backed Koreans for DRAM closure

    More scapegoats than you can shake a fist at

    Dr Ulrich Schumacher, president of Siemens Semiconductors has spoken out about the impending closure of the chip maker’s Tyneside plant, blaming the EU, the IMF and the Korean chip manufacturers for the decline in the Dram market. In an article published in Electronics Weekly, Schumacher doesn’t pull his punches when speaking …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:12

  • Lucent strikes unified messaging deal with Sun

    Aimed at corporate marketplace

    Lucent and Sun have teamed up to develop unified messaging systems that will combine voicemail, email and faxes on a single network. This is not the first unified messaging system, but the two technology companies claim to be the first to try to make it work on a corporate scale. Customers will be able to access a three types of …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:16

  • BSA welcomes software compliance

    Pressure on UK businesses increases

    The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has warned UK businesses that it will still be keeping up the pressure on them to get their software licences in order despite giving tacit support for a new body claiming it can ensure companies run their IT systems within the law. The BSA is expected to issue a statement later this week …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:19

  • HM Customs denies it is heavy-handed

    VAT the name of the game...

    Customs and Excise has denied that its national investigation service is specifically targeting IT inward investors - viewed as high-profile and lucrative targets - in a revenue-raising plan. But representatives of inward investors have met Customs to seek reassurances that they are not being singled out for heavy-handed …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:22

  • DRAM prices expected to bounce back

    Has Dataquest changed its mind?

    The DRAM market is on the brink of a boom time, expected to start early next year, according to Dataquest senior analyst Richard Gordon. His comments came in response to reports from analysts in the Far East which suggested the DRAM market was about to enter into a period of rapid consolidation with only three major vendors left …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:34

  • Column: The Big Fat Pipe

    Taylor made - by Roy Taylor

    Suppose I was to tell you that you could get something really wonderful that could change the way that you use your PC forever. Furthermore, you could get this wonderful thing for about £150 and pick it up from your local PC store. Once home you could get it up and running in 10 minutes. Interested? I was – and still am. A …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 14:59

  • CHS? Just say world domination…

    Distie finds itself in Boston "situation"

    Just a few weeks ago, The Register found itself sitting with a hangover in Boston, as two suits talked earnestly about a US distributor called Pinacor involved in an odd takeover situation. (See a previous edition of Bootnotes). And so it came to pass. We heard what the US suit called the "scuttlebutt" that CHS Electronics was …

    Business 18 Aug 1998, 20:39