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14th January 1999 Archive

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  • Corel ships Linux/ARM-based departmental server

    The NetWinder strategy proceeds apace, and this one looks particularly tasty

    Corel has announced the availability of its latest Linux machine, the NetWinder Group Server. The new StrongARM and Red Hat-based box is aimed at departmental workgroups and small businesses, and is priced between $979 and $1,839. The entry level model is a diskless machine with 32 megabytes RAM, and pricing is $1,339, $1,629 …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 09:13

  • MS attorney caught plying witness with Linux numbers

    Judge tells them to cut it out - Chinese walls, we've heard of them...

    Microsoft's first witness for the defence collected a reprimand from the judge for talking out of class yesterday. Richard Schmalensee had suddenly come up with an estimate that there are something like 10 million Linux servers out there, having failed to mention this either in his written testimony or in earlier discussion. …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 09:15

  • Compaq goes back to school

    Wants slice of the education market

    Compaq has set its sights on the UK education market and plans to become a major player. The vendor said it would be working with 50 educational software vendors to grow its market share to 15 per cent by the end of 1999. It will offer products and services aimed at different types of educational establishment, and is working in …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 10:26

  • Record sales for AMD but analysts disappointed

    Chip maker now claims presence in 16 per cent of all PCs

    AMD failed to live up to analysts’ expectations, despite record sales growth during the fourth quarter of its financial year, ending 27 December. Sales were up 16 per cent on the previous quarter to $788.8 million, which was less than the $800 million Wall Street had anticipated. Q4 97 saw AMD record sales of $613.1 million - …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 11:03

  • ‘Make people use Explorer’ – Gates email

    The latest email deluge shows Bill leveraging the OS again. Tsk...

    More smoking emails poured out of the DoJ late last night, reopening the debate over when Microsoft decided to integrate IE, and why. And one of the most damaging is from Bill Gates himself. As late as February 1997 Gates was writing to Jim Allchin and Paul Maritz saying: "It seems clear that it will be very hard to increase …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 11:37

  • Apple chalks up $123 million Q1 profit

    High holiday iMac sales fuel strong growth

    Apple has posted its fifth consecutive profitable quarter, as promised by interim CEO Steve Jobs at last week's MacWorld Expo keynote. As anticipated (see Apple set to announce $1.7 billion Q1 revenue), the Mac maker recorded first quarter of fiscal 1999 revenues of $1.7 billion, up eight per cent on the same period a year ago. …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 11:54

  • NT fails US government crypto tests

    Shortcomings in the CryptoAPIs, so brace yourself for Service Pack 5...

    Major cryptographic shortcomings in NT 4.0 have forced Microsoft to engage in major surgery on the product, according to Web news service Network World . In a story earlier this week Network World revealed that NT 4.0 had failed US government cryptography tests. In order to be sold to the US and Canadian governments products …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 12:17

  • India issues red alert against US security software

    US crypto export rules mean their software isn't safe, warns Defence organisation

    The Indian government looks set to forbid Indian banks and financial institutions from using US-developed network security software if the US government does not ease the restrictions it applies to the export of encryption technologies. The announcement was made by India's Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), N Vittal, after …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 12:22

  • Many-coloured iMacs upset dealers

    The Register saves the day

    Recent reports in some weekly IT papers here in the UK (squeal if you know who you are) have pointed out the nightmare scenario facing Mac dealers when deciding which of the colourful new iMacs to hold in stock. The Register is pleased to announce that it has come to the rescue of Mac dealers everywhere. Mac retailers and …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 13:10

  • VAT-busters target business on the Web

    Illegal traders warned they cannot hide in Cyberspace

    UK companies trading on the Web but failing to declare VAT are being targeted by Customs and Excise officers using the Internet to track them down. The initiative has proved so successful in East Anglia -- where it's been up and running for the last year -- that it's likely to adopted nation-wide by all 14 regional Customs …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 13:12

  • Marimba prepares for IPO

    Once-feted push provider capitalises on new corporate application management focus

    Marimba, the once much-hyped Java push technology developer, is set to announce an initial public offering, according to sources quoted in US finance paper The Red Herring. The company is believed to be near to completing its IPO prospectus, though the size of the offering has yet to be set. Morgan Stanley and Hembrect & Quist …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 13:12

  • Analyst slams Softbank Yahoo! and ZD dealings

    Claims our old friends at ZD work for a "debt-bloated carcass." Oh dear...

    Internet stocks in general and those owned by Softbank in particular have come under savage fire from veteran US financial commentator Christopher Byron. Writing in his Back of the Envelope column in the NY Observer, Byron describes one such company, Ziff-Davis, as a "total basket case" and a "debt-bloated carcass." Byron is …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 13:16

  • Oracle sets up fund to help Web developers of tomorrow

    Not as philanthropic as it sounds though

    Oracle is setting up a $100 million venture capital fund to boost small business developing Web-based applications. The only snag being that companies interested in getting their hands on some of the filthy lucre have to doing their development work on Oracle 8i. The giant of the database world is planning to team up with …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 13:59

  • ATI reports record Q1 sales, profits

    Rage Pro Turbo, Rage 128 lead sales to PC vendors

    Graphics specialist ATI today reported record results for its first quarter of fiscal 1999. The company posted sales of $327.4 million, up 95 per cent on the same period last year, leading to profits of $52 million, a year-on-year increase of 112 per cent on the $24.5 million it made in Q1 1998. In fact, ATI's Q1 profits is …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 14:08

  • Chips are up for Acer

    Deal with SST to bring welcome cash boost

    Acer Semiconductor has signed a five year cross-technology deal with Silicon Storage Technology (SST). Acer will manufacture SST products and SST will licence its patented SuperFlash technology to Acer. Manufacturing is not scheduled to begin until year 2000. SST will get royalty payments from Acer, who in return will be …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 14:42

  • Norway hacks off Net community

    How liberal?

    A 13-year-old boy from Inner Mongolia received a cuff around the ear and was grounded for a week after Chinese authorities discovered he had hacked his way into a private information network. Under Inner Mongolian law, the boy is too young to be prosecuted. But if he does it again after his next birthday -- after which time …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 16:53

  • Ascend shareholders attempt to nix Lucent deal

    Lawsuits filed to block merger

    Four separate lawsuits were filed today with the Delaware Chancery Court. Their goal: to block the proposed $20 billion merger between Lucent and Ascend (see Lucent and Ascend tie the knot at last). The suits were filed by Ascend shareholders and allege that company's directors, many of them named in the suits as defendantsm, …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 16:54

  • Redundancy hits Elcom staff

    Reseller warns UK IT sector not recession-proof

    Elcom Group has slashed around four per cent of UK jobs following the proposed merger of its two ecommerce subsidiaries. The US-owned reseller and ecommerce software house cut 24 jobs before today officially uniting subsidiaries elcom.com and Elcom Systems. The company said the redundancies were designed to put Elcom on a …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 17:14

  • German ISDN vendor eyes UK channel

    Falling prices set to boost UK market

    AVM, the ISDN adapter and application software maker, is looking to recruit a network of resellers and a distributor to take on the UK market. The German-based manufacturer is looking for one broadline distributor and 30 to 40 dealers to sell AVM kit and hopes to have its revamped UK channel in place by the end of 1999. AVM is …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 17:36

  • Microsoft appeals Java injunction

    Claims judge made technical errors in granting it

    Microsoft has filed an appeal against the injunction granted against it in Sun's favour in November. In its filing today the company says that Judge Ronald White misapplied the law in granting the injunction. In court Microsoft had been arguing that its licensing agreement with Sun gave it the right to modify Java. Sun argued …

    Business 14 Jan 1999, 19:04