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9th December 1998 Archive

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  • Publicists spin as MS seeks AOL-Netscape papers

    And the kinder, gentler Gates answers three questions. Take it easy, Bill...

    The court of public opinion, possibly more important than the DC court, has been active over the last few days. Microsoft's claims that the AOL-Netscape deal makes the case moot continue to reverberate, but a foul is still a foul, says ProComp, the pro-competition pressure group set up to take pops at Microsoft. Microsoft filed …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 08:22

  • Sun plan to run Linux apps on Solaris

    Flattering for Linux developers, to be sure - but is this a hi-jack?

    As expected, (Sun set to bring Linux to UltraSparc) Sun yesterday announced that it would work with the "Linux community" to complete a port of Linux to UltraSparc. But as part of the announcement Sun also tacitly conceded that it might have lost out to Linux - at least as far as applications are concerned. Linux for UltraSparc …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 08:49

  • A year ago: AGP chip to up the ante

    You want...everything for nothing

    Our colleagues at Computer Reseller News wrote in December that Intel is set to release the 740 graphics chip, an AGP sorta-thing which will come with 3D features. Our friends in the trade are horrified at this. It's only a month or so ago that a senior VP at Lentil admitted that his company had designs on the networking market …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 09:02

  • Netscape launches lightweight Communicator

    Good heavens, it's almost anorexic...

    Netscape Communications is launching a slimmed down version of its popular Web browser aimed at bringing Net access to anything other than a conventional PC. If it proves successful, it would make the widespread acceptance of using small lightweight devices -- including personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones -- to …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 11:35

  • Keep your worker bees sweet if you want your company to grow

    Are they serious?

    The secret of a growing company is to keep your staff happy, according to the latest IT winners in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 report out this week. This year's league table of the UK's 100 fastest growing unquoted companies was rich in entrepreneurial names from the computer world, all citing a happy workforce behind their …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 11:38

  • Motherboard manufacturers, channel angry at lack of 370-pin parts

    But Intel says 300, 333 parts shipping in volume

    Sources close to Intel said today that the company has already started shipping volumes of its 370-pin Celerons at speeds of 333Mhz and 300MHz. And Intel has also started shipping 366MHz 370-pin ships in engineering quantities, the same source said. That follows reports from a number of motherboard manufacturers and distributors …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 12:03

  • Evergreen introduces 370-pin upgrades

    Hey, it's the return of ZIF sockets!

    US company Evergreen Technologies has shown a family of upgrade platforms which will upgrade machines using the standard PCI slot. The first upgrade in the Eclipse PCI family supports the Intel 440BX chipset and the 370-pin interface at speeds of 266MHz, 300MHz and 333MHz with integrated L2 cache. That will be available early …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 12:27

  • No room at the inn?

    That's cos it's chocka with technology

    If hotels want to make even more money out of hard-pressed travellers they need to fill their rooms with technology. Business people, it seems, want interactive TVs, printers and Net access in their rooms rather than simply relying on the mini-bar and adult channel for entertainment. So much so, some people are actually booking …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 12:47

  • Flashpoint's Rayat upgraded to MD

    From GM to director to MD

    Sukh Rayat, the personable general manager of SEI Macro's components distribution arm Flashpoint, has been promoted to managing director of the unit. Rayat was general manager of the division when it started in 1994. He will have profit and loss responsibilities for Flashpoint, which had a turnover of $100 million last year. He …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 12:57

  • Sage knows its onions

    Healthy financials down to key acquisitions and strong channel

    Accountancy software vendor, Sage, has announced increased turnover and profit for the year ending 30 September. Turnover was up 26 per cent to £191.5 million, compared with £152.1 million for the previous year. Profit before tax stood at £47.6 million, up 27 per cent on last year’s figure of £37.6 million. Sage’s year was …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 13:57

  • Cadence, Quickturn merge

    Deal worth $253 million

    Cadence said today it will merge with Quickturn Design Systems in a share-for-share deal worth $253 million. Cadence is an electronic design software and services company while Quickturn specialises in emulation systems and other engineering services for Ics and electronic systems. Said Jack Harding, CEO of Cadence: "As the …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 14:52

  • Good Anite performance follows group-wide reshuffles

    Systems integrator reorganises to shed loss making divisions

    Interim results for the six months ending 31 October, show an improved performance from systems integrator Anite. This comes in the wake of a round of reorganisations and acquisitions within the group, but Anite’s chairman said more work still needs to be done in the future. Profit for the period stood at £4.5 million, compared …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 15:00

  • Red faces all round in NEC-PB Intel chip fiasco

    Right hand doesn't know anything about left hand, at all

    NEC Direct, a subsidiary of Packard Bell, slammed the use of non-Intel chips today as it introduced a sub-£500 Celeron based PC. Colwyn Munro, general manager of NEC Direct, said: "Basically people want entry-level PCs but they don't want non-Intel processors, 14-inch monitors and tiny hard drives -- and they are extremely wary …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 15:06

  • Irish eyes are smiling

    Encryption firms set to merge

    Cryptography specialist, Zergo, is in discussions with Dublin-based Baltimore Technologies, with a view to purchasing the Irish company. Both produce software for encoding data to be sent via the Internet, a market which analysts predict has the potential to grow in value to around $3.5 billion, from the $500 million it stands …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 15:35

  • Lies, damn lies and…E-commerce revenue predictions

    What's a trillion between market researchers?

    Market researchers are having a field day with e-commerce predictions. Last week e-Marketer said online retail sales for the year reached $4.5 billion and provided it's own prediction for future growth over the next couple of years. This week, those heavyweight researchers, Forrester, said that Internet Commerce could reach $3.2 …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 16:13

  • E-commerce sales to reach $3.2 trillion in 2003

    But shilly-shallying could cost us dear

    Sales over the Internet could generate $3.2 trillion by 2003 if governments and business co-operate to exploit the full potential of electronic Commerce. If they don't and miss a vital "window of opportunity", nearly $1.5 trillion could be wiped off the prediction severely denting the development of a global e-commerce economy, …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 16:44

  • Europe drives PC sales growth

    Compaq rises masks poor US performance, IDC says

    Champagne corks will be popping in PC sales departments this festive season, so says yesterday's IDC report predicting a 12 percent volume boost from October to December. European sales is the driving force behind this demand, with worldwide volume expanding 11 per cent to 89 million for the entire year. Vigorous growth for 1999 …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 16:56

  • Datrontech junks RD Computers assembly

    Disassembly only

    RD Computers, Datrontech's remarketing subsidiary, is putting PC assembly on the scrapheap. In future it will be a PC disassembler(dissembler?) only. RD Computers' plant in Witham, Essex will phase out computer assembly over next year to concentrate on its IT re-cycling business. The company makes budget PCs for resale through …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 17:12

  • Newbridge flogs Cambrian stake to Nortel

    Jurassic networking

    Newbridge Networks has agreed to pull out of Cambrian Systems and sell its stake to Nortel Networks. The Canadian networking vendor will sell its approximate 40 per cent holding in the company in a transaction valuing Cambrian at up to $300 million. Newbridge will continue to access Cambrian's dense wave division multiplexing ( …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 17:38

  • The New Standards War

    Taylor Made

    If you have been in the PC business for more than a few years, you might remember the time when Windows compatibility was a big issue. If you've been around even longer then you might even remember when DOS compatibility was an issue. The fact that this isn't spoken about anymore is testament to the power of Intel and Microsoft …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 19:05

  • Courtroom shock: Internet Explorer bites!

    The DoJ's toothmarked expert takes to parable to explain componentisation

    DoJ computer software expert witness can't uninstall Internet Explorer. And what's more, he says, it bites. David Farber of the University of Pennsylvania today described his efforts to deinstall IE and replace it with Netscape Navigator, and said that even with his expertise he found it difficult. "Internet Explorer would come …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 21:28

  • Sun recruits Insignia to boost embedded Java

    But there seems to be a sub-text of tough negotiation here...

    Sun is beefing up its embedded Java efforts by sharing Java source code with British software developer Insignia Solutions. The two companies today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding whereby the two companies would "work towards an agreement giving Insignia immediate [sic] access to Sun's source code for the …

    Business 9 Dec 1998, 21:30