The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

8th December 1998 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • A year ago: Eckhard Pfeiffer named Man of the Year

    You've got to search for the Nero inside yourself

    Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer has been named Man of the Year in an extensive poll carried out by the editors of The Register. Pfeiffer, who bears the same relation to Michelle as The Register does to Time magazine, received the accolade after a high level meeting in the prestigious Nellie Dean of Dean Street where a distinguished …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 08:15

  • Gates moans to press in PR spectacle (Not)

    The Microsoft boss' charm offensive is sinking on the reef of his own intransigence

    The government is "trying to turn this into a PR spectacle," Microsoft legal consultant Charles F Rule told ranks of reporters as he stood in front of banks of video monitors yesterday. Rule was speaking at the Washington venue for a satellite interview with Bill Gates - but despite the apparent contrary signals, this is …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 09:42

  • Star challenges MS Office with Linux, Windows freeware

    German outfit Star Division wants to have 10 million personal users in a year

    German software outfit Star Division is aiming to hit Microsoft where it hurts, by giving away its StarOffice 5.0 productivity suite for free. The highly-regarded software is available on Linux, naturally, but the company also offers it in Windows 9x/NT, Solaris, OS/2 and Java flavours. Star Division claims to have sold 3 …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 10:27

  • Microsoft ‘compliant’ Java tempts Sun to sue some more

    With the launch of an 'upgrade,' Microsoft says it complies with the injunction. Hmmm...

    Microsoft yesterday launched the 'street legal' version of its implementation of Java, couching the announcement in terms that sounded suspiciously like a challenge to Sun to sue the company some more. Last month Sun won a preliminary injunction ordering Microsoft to stop shipping its non-compliant implementation of Java and …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 11:22

  • UK lifts C2000 performance

    Back in the black

    Computer 2000 has posted its "best year ever" results, citing the UK as one of the largest contributors to profits. On 2 December, the Munich-based PC distributor showed pre-tax profit of DM 150 million (£54 million) for the year ended 30 September, against last year's £25 million loss. Sales went up 22 per cent to DM10.1 …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 11:44

  • Plasmon doubles through Philips acquisition

    Optical and tape drive manufacturing capacity for first time

    Plasmon is beefing up its removable storage portfolio with the $26.4 million acquisition of Philips LMS, a manufacturer of magnetic tape drives and optical media. In a shareholder circular, Plasmon said the acquisition would help the company achieve its aim to become a leading player in the high-end stroage systems market. …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 12:36

  • US body votes to continue Taiwan anti-dumping probe

    Imports worth $290 million between January and September

    Influential US body the International Trade Commission (ITC) said that it would continue an investigation into alleged anti-dumping on DRAM of one Mbit and above. A panel voted by five votes to zero to continue the investigation and said it was likely to produce a preliminary report by March next year. That means the US …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 12:37

  • Apple and Palm alliance emerges

    Building machines, wireless Internet access services, all sorts of groovy stuff together

    Palm Computing's scheme to license its Palm handheld technology, outlined at Comdex by various Palm and 3Com officials, seems to have borne its first fruit -- Apple has entered into a "strategic relationship" with the company. According to "Apple sources" quoted on Mac-oriented Web site MacOS Rumours, Apple and Palm are to build …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 12:42

  • Semi recovery will be mixed blessing

    Less fabs mean less kit mean less revenue

    A report by Semico Research has predicted there will be no upturn in the semiconductor industry until the year 2000. Even then, not everyone will benefit. But the report has also pointed out that die shrinks mean there will be less investment in fabs, meaning that semiconductor equipment manufacturers may not recover as swiftly …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 13:26

  • PointCast to target telcos

    Push provider eyes portal opportunity with telcos' DSL services

    Troubled Internet 'push' provider PointCast is believed to be expanding on its recently signed deal with British Telecom to target other telcos and push its information services as a portal for their Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Net access offerings. PointCast's attempt to bring its Internet-based data delivery service to the …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 13:41

  • Fayrewood looks to Europe for acquisitions

    Autonomy key to success

    Fayrewood is seeking to expand its collection of distributor acquisitions in Europe after interim profits almost doubled. The holding company for distributors Interface Solutions, ComputerLinks and Banque Magnetique posted a 98 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £961,000 for the six months ended 31 October. Turnover was also up …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 13:52

  • Intel invests in Clarent

    IP telephony name of this Satanic game

    The Clarent Corporation, a privately held Californian company, said that Intel had made an investment in its technology. The amount was not disclosed. According to a release from Clarent, both companies will work together to bring IP telephony technology to the edge of the network including broadband, settop boxes and other …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 13:58

  • S Carolina defection fails to shake States v MS

    One state withdrawing from the antitrust action doesn't look like starting a flood

    South Carolina has dropped out of the parallel action against Microsoft by 20 states and the District of Columbia, apparently agreeing with Microsoft that the case is now pointless. State Attorney General Charlie Condon claimed yesterday that the AOL deal had proved there was competition in the marketplace. Condon said he had …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 14:02

  • S3, UMC claim graphics breakthrough

    First .18 micron graphics chip in ze world?

    S3 and Taiwanese foundry UMC Group claimed today they had jointly produced the graphics industry's first .18 micron design. According to the companies, the development of the process means higher performiung graphics accelerators that beat the Pentium II in terms of gate complexity. Paul Franklin, senior VP of operations at S3, …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 14:11

  • Hull home for UK's first commercial ADSL service

    Wired access is ultra fast

    Hull-based Kingston Communications has launched what is believed to be Europe's first commercial "fast Internet" service using ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology. The service -- Kingston Ultra -- is expected to deliver Internet access at speeds of up to two million bits per second over standard copper telephone …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 14:33

  • GTS snaps up Esprit Telecom

    $665 million buys greater access to Euro telecoms market

    US-based Global TeleSystems (GTS) is to buy Reading-based Esprit Telecom Group plc for $665 million in stock. The deal means that GTS and Esprit Telecom will have the largest independent cross-border carrier network in Europe. Greater competition from companies such as Cable and Wireless and the planned joint venture of BT and …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 14:36

  • Sony to re-sign artists in bid for full online rights

    Label to take control of artists' rights to online distribution and marketing

    Sony Music is to add full online rights to artists' recording contracts, paving the way for a major effort to exploit the Internet as a method of not only selling but distributing music. According to today's Financial Times, Sony has instructed its own record labels, which included Columbia, Epic and Sony Classical, plus …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 14:58

  • Net is ‘rude’ complain kids

    Rest are all surfing behind the bike sheds...

    Almost half a million kids in Britain -- 20 per cent of those using the Internet -- claim they have been 'upset' by something they have found on the Internet, according to a survey published by the NOP Research Group. Of these, two-fifths say that they found something "rude", a quarter something that they thought "would get them …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 15:02

  • Acal looks forward to ‘satisfactory year’

    Strength of PC parts business sees it through

    The Acal Group -- a distributor of electronics and IT products -- has reported increased sales and profits for the six months to 30 September despite suffering difficult trading conditions made worse by the strength of sterling. Much of the Surrey-based company's success has been achieved because of the improved performance of …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 16:20

  • Sun releases Java 2 under Open Source-style licence

    Java source available for commercial use -- just make sure you stay compatible

    Sun today made its much-anticipated move to open up its Java source code for commercial exploitation. The announcement came as the company rolled out the latest version of its platform-independent language, Java 2. Sun's new Java licence allows commercial software developers to do pretty much what they like with the Java source …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 16:28

  • AT&T buys Big Blue's Globule Newtwork

    How much..?

    AT&T is to buy IBM's Global Network business for $5 billion. As part of the deal -- which was announced this afternoon -- the two companies will enter into outsourcing contracts with one other. Big Blue will outsource a significant portion of its global networking needs to AT&T. In return AT&T will outsource certain applications …

    Business 8 Dec 1998, 16:52