11th January 1999 Archive

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A year ago: Intel goes like clappers

Yearly results show rest of industry has lots to learn

Despite the reams of paper spent on financial results by large companies, it's really rather easy to figure what's happening at a company by reading between the lines. Intel, for example, turned in its yearly results last year and this can be expressed easily in one sentence. In fiscal 97 it turned over $25 billion and made a …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 07:57
FTC attempting to widen case against Intel

In run-up to trial, other vendors get calls

Sources said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is widening its scope against Intel in the run-up to its anti-trust case which starts in February. According to the sources, FTC officials are calling a number of vendors and analysts with questions relating to other aspects of Intel's business activities. The case against Intel, …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 11:08
Dell moves to keep MS OEM numbers under wraps

The figures will be dealt with in closed court session today, and Dell wants to keep it closed

Late last week Dell moved to keep details of its OEM relationship with Microsoft secret. Microsoft OEM data is due to be covered in a closed session of the court later today (Related Story), but several news organisations have been trying to have the sessions made public. This mirrors the pre-trial arguments over whether or not …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 11:32
Compaq-AMD Alpha plans take Linux shape

Documents show Alpha will enter sub-$1,000 level

Further details have emerged about a joint strategy between AMD and Compaq to leverage the Alpha platform. And the companies are including the Linux OS as part of their plans. As reported here last week, both companies are embarking on a motherboard strategy where high-end Alpha machines will drop to around the same price as top …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 11:38
DoJ expert sums up case against Microsoft

Fisher's testimony might have been more contemporary, but it's still a serious charge-sheet

Professor Franklin Fisher many times states the obvious and contributes little that is new in his direct testimony, which was prepared in September before the trial started. It would have been more valuable had he prepared it more recently. He reiterates that Microsoft has monopoly power with Windows (which Microsoft obstinately …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:00
Acorn falls off education tree

Sells its half of Xemplar to Apple

Acorn has taken another step away from its traditional stomping ground by selling its half of Xemplar. The other joint owner, Apple, now takes full charge of the educational supplier. The deal valued Xemplar at £6 million, with Acorn bagging £3 million for its share. For the year ending 31 December, Xemplar recorded a pre-tax …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:23
Symbian deal lays ground for Web wireless standards

The components for the phone of the future are slowly being assembled

Symbian, the smartphone and low-resource operating system joint venture between Psion, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola, has struck a licence deal with UK developer STNC. The Bury St Edmunds-based company will provide low-resource, small footprint Web software for wireless devices using Symbian’s EPOC OS. STNC already has deals with …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:32
Chip company offers 30x PCI boost

Sebring claims networking extension to standard PCI

A US startup company has developed a system which expands the speed of PCI on networks and high end and networking systems by a factor of 30 over existing 32-bit bus technology. But although the company has developed a much faster PCI system, there seems to be little connection between its technology and the proposed PCI-X …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:39
Apache beats-off MS challenge with ease

The open source Web server leader remains... the open source Web server leader

The Apache open source Web server has marginally increased its lead over Microsoft’s rival products over the past year, according to the January 1999 Netcraft Web server survey. Netcraft regularly polls Web servers for data, and this month covered 4,062,280. According to the recent numbers Apache grew its share to 54.22 per cent …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:54
Hyundai to raise more Maxtor money

But LG horsetrading will delay semiconductor takeover

Reports in the Korean press said that Hyundai will hang onto its hard drive subsidiary Maxtor but will spin off other units to raise cash for an LG takeover. According to Hyundai, it is to seek a new rights issue on Wall Street this year but still wants to retain the hard drive company which it sees as having a future. Yesterday …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 12:55
MS lashes-out at economist's testimony

Judging by the response, Fisher may have touched a few nerves...

Microsoft's fear of the testimony of economist Franklin Fisher is seen in its extraordinary response to his testimony it has posted on its web site. It is far longer than any other Microsoft response to testimony, and it seems that Fisher's summary of Microsoft's anticompetitive actions has indeed touched a painful nerve. …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:15
Troubled AST finds new owner

Samsung ready to wash hands of loss-making PC subsidiary

Samsung has finally managed to rid itself of its long-term albatross, AST. The financially barren AST computer unit has been bailed out by ex-Packard Bell high flyer, Beny Alagem. The former Packard Bell chairman and chief executive yesterday agreed to acquire the ailing subsidiary for an undisclosed sum. Samsung will hang on to …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:28
UK ISP takes anti-spam crusade to US

Not so spamtastic as it sounds

An UK Internet company is taking legal action in the US in an attempt to protect its customers from junk email. London-based BiblioTech has pledged that if any of its customers falls victim to spam, it will track-down the offending individual or company and get them to stop -- even if it means going to court. BiblioTech runs …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:31
MS attorney lays siege to Fisher

A long, boring session looked like investment for an appeal

Michael Lacovara's excruciatingly boring cross-examination of Fisher must have had as its primary purpose to blunt Judge Jackson's recollection of Fisher's direct testimony. Lacovara's wins occurred with his frequent planting of landmines to catch Fisher, who performed appallingly on the witness stand. He resorted to "I don't …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:32
MS judge waxes poetical

His sudden interest in haiku error messages could be grounds for an MS appeal...

A cheery Judge Jackson last week introduced a lighter, poetical note to the trial. The court: Counsel, before we get started, I thought I would call your attention to a news item that was called to my attention recently, and I just pass it on to you. It's entitled "Serenity in the midst of madness." "In the wake of the federal …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:51
US viewers get TV on demand

One in the handheld is worth two in the VCR

The latest in handheld computing devices means US couch potatoes need never miss their favourite soap or radio show again. The Command Audio handheld unit, about the size of a television remote control, offers audio-on-demand from any location. US subscribers can receive over 100 programmes, including radio, TV or print magazine …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 13:51
Pentium III: year-old story dead at last

Whew...Katmai gone forever

Well, at 2 pm London time, Intel finally gave in to The Register and announced, as first revealed here a year ago...sigh...the Katmai is called the Pentium III. This was our original story...Intel to slash PII prices next month We promise never to write about it again after this one. There is a twist. People that use the Intel …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 14:01
Papal visit attracts pornographer’s attentions

Is that one of the stations of the cross in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me

The Archbishop of St Louis has successfully obtained an injunction against a Web site covering Pope John Paul II's visit to the US later this month. Archbishop Justin Regali and the Archdiocese of St Louis obtained the temporary order from a federal judge claiming that the site (www.papalvisit1999.com) contained sexually …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 14:04
Cream pies cheaper than upgrade

Windows everywhere but cream pies not allowed..

A reader from America points out that the fine a Belgian got, not for slapping a cream pie in Bill Gates' phace but for expressing the group's indifference to the Euro is less than the cost of an upgrade fee to Windows 98. ®

Bootnotes 11 Jan 1999, 16:27
Met Nets wanted man

Three-year man hunt ends in arrest

The Metropolitan Police's Web site has helped capture a man wanted for questioning in connection with the brutal killing of four people from the same family three years ago. Forty-year-old Ibrahim Aderdour was stopped at Amsterdam airport on Christmas day as he tried to leave Holland. Custom officials detained him after seeing …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 16:30
Banyan and MS get it together

Couldn't face that Novell stuff

After a troubled few years, Banyan, which once ruled the roost in name services on networks, has now agreed to team up with Microsoft to provide similar services for Bill Gates' customers. Banyan will receive a total of $10 million from Microsoft over a three year period and the deal means that 500 professional people will be …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 16:53
Sybase sheds jobs in attempt to boost figures

More cutbacks at database vendor

Sybase has cut its workforce by about eight per cent in an attempt to maintain its recent return to profit. The database vendor has laid off approximately 400 people as part of a wider shake-up, which has divided the company into four divisions. In December, Sybase broke the company into four divisions, Internet applications, …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 16:53
Meet The Register in persons

We're gonna be round and about...

Staff from The Register have a stand at this year's Computer Trade Show in Birmingham on the 20th and 21st of this month. We have some surprises for you. But then, there's nothing different about that, is there? The show has garnered many more visitors than last year's show and you can be guaranteed to meet lots of people from …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 17:47
Alta Vista set to go it alone

Compaq buys online shopping site - fuels speculation over portal sell off

Compaq's decision to buy beleaguered Shopping.com for its AltaVista Net guide only serves to fuel speculation that the world's second largest computer company is getting ready to flog the portal it acquired last year, The Register can reveal. The $220 million deal announced today would give Compaq a 90 per cent stake in Shopping …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 17:53
Cyrix now wins Tempo and John Lewis

Never knowingly undersoldered

Fresh from its success in making headway in retail stores in the USA, sources at Cyrix-NatSemi said today they had made new inroads into the home market. The source said UK superstore Tempo will now sell Compaq Presarios using Cyrix chips. And, real soon now, John Lewis -- whose motto is never knowingly undersold -- will follow …

Business 11 Jan 1999, 18:15