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19th October 1998 Archive

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  • Microsoft considers buying banknote printing outfit

    Death of satire imminent as company gears-up to integrate money. Real money...

    Microsoft is planning a bid for the international banknote printing outfit De La Rue, according to a report in yesterday's Sunday Times. Such a move would transcend satire: Gates in move to secure supply chain? Microsoft to challenge Intuit through integration of Money? Sorry, we give up. But although the scheme might on the …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 07:49

  • Gates wanted to buy Palm's software business, says report

    If he did, it looks like an aggressive, dangerous and ill thought-out move

    Microsoft made an offer for 3Com's Palm Pilot software business in August, but was rebuffed, according to this morning's New York Times. The story seems genuine, and (along with the company's plan to buy De La Rue) suggests that Microsoft has decided to resume an aggressive acquisition strategy, no doubt taking the view that …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 08:44

  • Music companies block Diamond Rio launch

    A judge has granted an injunction blocking the shipment of Diamond's Rio, which is claimed to be an aid to piracy

    A US judge has barred Diamond Multimedia from producing its Rio portable MP3 player for ten days, pending discussion of a permanent injunction on 26 October. Diamond and the Recording Industry of America (RIA), which is backed by the major music companies, are locked in legal combat over the device, which was due to ship this …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 09:14

  • Wal-Mart busts Amazon in ‘espionage’ case

    The trad retail giant says the e-commerce guys have been playing fast and loose with its systems

    US retail giant Wal-Mart is suing Amazon and another Internet sales operation, Drugstore.com, claiming theft of trade secrets. Remarkably, the highly traditional low-cost chain founded by Sam Walton is suing on the grounds that it thinks the e-commerce outfits have been trying to swipe the secrets of its computer systems. But …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 09:40

  • Typhoon Zeb disrupts DRAM supplies

    Bad news: some people dead. Good news: prices are rising

    Memory prices have started to improve, despite problems caused by typhoon Zeb in the Far East last week. That is the feedback from two memory majors in the UK. According to Roy Taylor, joint managing director of Vanguard Microelectronics UK, said: "The typhoon did affect supplies, as well as killing some people, but now we're …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 10:14

  • Singapore kicked by HP when it's down

    Company to move PC assembly to Japan

    Japanese wires said that Hewlett Packard has decided to shift assembly of PCs in the domestic market from the island of Singapore. According to Nikkei Net, the move will happen next year and the decision was taken because it will help it to cut costs and delivery times, as well as satisfy local customer needs. It will also use …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 10:36

  • Linux plugless and playless without Intel-Aid

    Lack of USB and 1394 support leaves it lagging behind MS

    A serious lack of support of IO for the Linux OS is set to hamper its onward thrust in the commercial market, it has emerged. Linux lacks support for both USB and the 1394 Firewire interface, deficiencies which will seriously hamper its adoption by the corporate marketplace. And a remedy for those deficiencies is not likely to …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 11:13

  • Excite posts profit and loss

    Did it make money or not? Excite wants it both ways

    Excite has posted its first profitable quarter. The company announced a profit of $1.3 million on revenues of $44 million for Q3 1998. That said, the Internet company also made a cash payment to Netscape under the terms of the two operations' agreement to co-operate on an new Net search system. The payment dragged Excite's …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 11:14

  • DSL standard due by Friday

    Agreement now would lead to ratification in eight months' time

    A preliminary specification for a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem standard is due to be released by the end of the week. According to Intel Architecture Labs senior product manager Holland Wood, quoted on the C/Net newswire, there's "cautious optimisim" the standard will be determined in talks at the ITU this week. Intel is …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 11:42

  • Microsoft wriggles to keep DoJ off its data

    So what is it in there that Microsoft doesn't want people to see?

    Microsoft has refused to comply with Judge Jackson's Order to give the DoJ access to sales, shipment and pricing data for Windows and Internet Explorer. On Friday, the DoJ presented an Emergency Motion to the federal court asking for an Order requiring Microsoft to give immediate access to its OEM databases. Microsoft claims …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 12:03

  • Microprocessor Forum 98

    Announcements ahoy

    The Register attended this year's Microprocessor Forum, held in San Jose. Highlights at the Forum included announcements from Intel, AMD, Motorola, Cyrix, IDT/Centaur and Rise Technology: Intel doctors Foster to extend life of IA-32 architecture AMD K7 snatches at Intel high-end crown Cyrix, IDT/Centaur, Rise ready low-end …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 12:37

  • Round up: Markets 16th October

    Adobe looks cheerful

    The news from Japan is that corporate bankruptcies in September were at their highest level ever, with Y3 trillion of indebtedness. Nevertheless, the Nikkei was up 2 per cent on Friday, the Dow up 1.5 per cent, and Nasdaq essentially unchanged. Adobe is looking cheerful after the failed takeover bid by Quark and the gloomy Q3. …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 13:53

  • Open Group closes doors on De Feo

    De Feo must Geo

    The Open Group is in financial and leadership crisis again. Joseph De Feo, President and CEO, is now leaving "to focus on his other business interests", according to a confidential letter to members only. He left his job as IT supremo at Barclays but failed to deliver on his grandiose ambitions. The PR spin is that De Feo "re- …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 14:15

  • Dane-Elec's daily DRAM prices – prices continue to rise

    Daily prices: 19 October 1998

    1 x 32 EDO moved from £4.40 to £5.00 2 x 32 EDO moved from £6.90 to £7.40 4 x 32 EDO moved from £14.90 to £16.00 8 x 32 EDO moved from £29.50 to £32.00 On the PC66 SDRAM front... 2 x 64 moved from £11.50 to £12.50 4 x 64 moved from £20.90 to £22.90 8 x 64 moved from £47.10 to £49.00 16 x 64 moved from £95.80 to £98.00 On the …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 14:44

  • Concurrent in concurrence with profits forecasts

    Consolidation

    Concurrent Technologies consolidated its recovery in the third quarter, reporting net profits of £1.8 million on £2.1 million turnover, up from £0.5 million on £1.6 million turnover last time. Concurrent’s retained profit after a £1.8 million loss on currency translations is only £440,687, so no dividend this time, but an …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 14:48

  • ITG pumps up the volume with The Ministry of Sound

    Don't be a square, daddio

    The Ministry of Sound is stepping out with ITG, the UK’s largest independent ISP, launching a new branded Internet and subscription service called ministryofsound.net. ITG’s chief executive, Laurence Blackall, said: “Agreements like this are the beginning of a trend where services address a very specific community of interests. …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 14:54

  • South Korea's Kim holds out for DRAM reform

    Delivers stern message to family held businesses about corruption

    President Kim Dae-Jung has resisted pressure from the largest companies in South Korea. He still wants them to amalgamate their businesses, despite internal pressures. Last week, the federation of chaebols (family-based companies) criticised Kim and his government for attempting to force through changes they didn't want. …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 15:25

  • Intel beefs up remote access with Shiva buy

    There -- we told you Intel wasn't going to buy 3Com, didn't we?

    Intel is to buy Shiva in a stock transaction valued at around $185 million. The deal gives Intel access to a product line which includes a range of small to medium business remote access and Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology. Shiva is to operate as part of the Intel Network Products division, and according to Intel will …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 15:30

  • Memory Corp continues comeback route

    Confident of Q4 break-even

    Memory Corporation coined the really neat idea of repairing and selling damaged DRAM chips, but new prices plummeted and the bottom fell out of Memory’s market. The Scottish company could have been history, but it had a makeover and looks to be staging a stylish comeback. CEO David Savage said earlier this year that Memory would …

    Business 19 Oct 1998, 17:02