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1st March 1999 Archive

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  • AMD thrashes Intel at low end

    Will thrashing continue above the bottom line?

    A survey released by PC Data late Friday has shown the extent to which Intel underestimated the nature of the PC market. But Intel senior executives know they miscalculated. At Intel's Developer Forum last week, both Paul Otellini, senior VP of IA architecture, and Pat Gelsinger, GM of Intel's desktop products division, said …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 07:58

  • Intel employee saves UK journalist's life

    Trouble in Palm Springs...

    Graham Palmer, one of a limited number of quick thinking Intel PR representatives, saved the life of a UK journalist last week at the Palm Springs Intel Development Forum. Gordon Thorn, Labs Manager at VNU Business Publications in the UK, suffered an acute allergic reaction after being bitten by a desert nasty last week. Palmer …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 08:12

  • Compaq promotes Alpha as high-end solution

    Slide presentations confirm reports

    A slide presentation Compaq has shown its business partners and now in the hands of The Register, has demonstrated its serious intent to use the Alpha microprocessor at the high end. The presentation, delivered by Compaq 64-bit Win NT program and product manager Mont Francisco, is titled Win64 and Alpha, the future is now. …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 08:40

  • Intel makes The Register sweat IV

    Part IV: Photos from the fab inc. Mike Magee in bunny suit NB Graphics intensive

    Intel does not allow any cameras inside its fab besides from its own for obvious reasons. We did point out to them that these days you can get really good cameras that will fit in your tie if you're wearing one, but we didn't have one of those... Diffusion area A technician carries a lot box of wafers down an alleyway of …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 09:40

  • Intel decks more chips

    300a gone. Faster and faster moveth the Goliath

    Chip giant Intel has discontinued manufacture of the Celeron 300a desktop processor, the Pentium II 333MHz part and Pentium mobile with MMX 300, 266 and 266MHz low power chips. It explained the move by saying the company is experiencing a rapid market conversion to higher performance chips in both those segments. Intel is …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 10:07

  • How MS destabilised Netscape and Marimba

    MS on Trial Witness Eric Engstrom defends the DimensionX purchase

    During his evidence at the Microsoft trial, Eric Engstrom had some excuses ready about Microsoft's acquisition of DimensionX in 1997, which he engineered. He had wanted support from various people in Microsoft for the acquisition "so I put some statements in there that, you know, I was not fully briefed on, nor do I necessarily …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 10:16

  • The MS campaign to rein-in Intel multimedia development

    MS on Trial Engstrom admits MS need to "own all the driver software down to the metal"

    In the Microsoft trial, Eric Engstrom is being used to challenge the account of Microsoft's Intel relationship, as told by Steve McGeady and Intel's documents. Strangely, McGeady's name was never mentioned: he has evidently become a non-person. An Intel internal email from Gerald Holzhammer on 13 April 1995 summarised a face-to- …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 10:20

  • MS OEM boss shocked by Compaq-Netscape deal – allegedly

    MS on Trial Joachim Kempin expresses improbable surprise and ignorance on various occasions

    Just what could have been in the movie that Joachim Kempin, Microsoft's penultimate witness and longtime OEM sales vp, did not play to the court? The one that was played was only made on 11 February 1999, and Kempin was there throughout the day. Microsoft decided to cut some of the video demonstrations, and therein lies a …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 10:25

  • K6-2 PCs outsold Pentium II, Celeron machines in January

    Intel prepares to hand Great Satan of Chips title to AMD...

    US retailers sold more desktops PCs based on AMD's K6-2 processor than Intel-based machines in January, according to the latest data from market researcher PC Data. Overall, AMD-based PCs accounted for 43.9 per cent of the market. Intel was a gnat's whisker behind it with 40.3 per cent. NatSemi's Cyrix subsidiary accounted for …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 10:52

  • K7 chipset reported delayed

    Are slots dead for AMD too?

    Jonathan Hou, over at his new site at Fullon3D has posted an interview with Shuttle which suggests AMD is re-thinking its slot strategy for the K7. According to the unnamed executive at Shuttle, AMD's K7 chipset is still in its Alpha phase. Although other chipset vendors are backing AMD's K7, the Shuttle executive said that a " …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 11:07

  • Tetra accepts Sage offer

    Will there be a counter-bid?

    Sage is pumping up its mid-range capability with the takeover of UK rival Tetra. The Tetra board is recommending the all-share offer which values the company at £78.1 million. Tetra effectively came into play last month when it received an unsolicited bid approach from Lynx Group, a diversified computer services conglomerate. …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 11:17

  • MS exec wriggles over Hardcore Bill's Java support

    MS on Trial When he says he doesn't want to support it, he means they should support it - or something

    Like Kempin's Muglia's video was also clearly Muglia II, filmed on 19 February 1999 in Washington DC while Muglia was hanging around waiting for his moment of fame. Having made the point with Kempin, Boies was not inclined to spend time quizzing Muglia on this. A document that Microsoft dearly wished did not exist, by Farana …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 11:23

  • Update: Computerland UK issues profit warning

    Blamed on falling product sales

    Computerland UK has pumped out a profit warning, after seeing its product sales fall unexpectedly in December and January. The Nottingham-based company says it expects sales to continue at this new lower level for the rest of the financial year, ending 30 April 1999. This means results will be "materially below market …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 11:55

  • Quake III Arena leaked to Web

    Test version of ground-breaking 3D game sneaks past Id Software security

    Id Software's Quake III Arena beta programme has sprung a leak. Yesterday, an early test version of the highly-anticipated 3D network shoot-'em-up appeared on the Quake fan Web site ClanForums. The 16MB download is believed to have been developed for hardware manufacturers to test compatibility, released to them by Id under a …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 12:22

  • MS licences block Be's bid for PC market

    We explain why Gassee can't even give the OS away

    Be CEO Jean-Louis Gassee says he has had no takers for his offer (see Be boss offers free OS) to license BeOS free for a year to any OEM prepared to install it on their PCs as an option to Windows. But that's scarcely surprising, because the way he's suggesting they do it would be a breach of their licensing agreements with …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 12:27

  • How MS ‘publishes’ Java code by burying it

    MS on Trial I've shoved it on MSDN among 37 old files, and there's no index, says helpful gofer

    As the first phase of the antitrust trial drew to a close on Friday DoJ attorney David Boies contrived what appeared to be a neat exposure of the Microsoft dirty tricks department's Java activities. At least two Microsoft employees, it appears, took the view that Microsoft could fulfill its contractual obligations to ship …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 12:33

  • MS rebuttal exec deletes his email every two months

    MS on Trial But under the circumstances, this could get Engstrom into serious trouble

    When not cruising on his Harley and "enjoying world travel adventures" [that's how Microsoft PR puts it], self-taught programmer Eric Engstrom is currently trying to make a success of MSN (again), after an earlier career as Microsoft's games man and DirectX developer. Engstrom was one of the architects of DirectX, but it was six …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 12:56

  • Will MS roll out Gates to shore-up the defence?

    MS on Trial The imminent arrival of Gates 2.0 may keep him out of the box, Graham reckons

    The Microsoft trial has now taken 17 weeks (twice as long as initial estimates) and there are probably at least three more weeks to go with rebuttal witnesses and closing arguments. There remains an outside chance that Gates will be roped in as a third rebuttal witness, to rebut his own non-testimony so-to-speak. But with Mrs G …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 12:59

  • Did MS break QuickTime? It didn't help fix it…

    MS on Trial Eric 'no mail' Engstrom downplays key meeting as 'preliminary and exploratory'

    Eric Engstrom, Microsoft's witness about its relationship with Apple, wiped key email from his hard disk, he claimed, which meant there was less documentary evidence to contradict his account what had happened at the meetings with Apple - and very little to support it of course. So whatever actually happened, this gross …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 13:04

  • Java to drive home-Net link standard

    Open Service Gateway to connect the wired home to the wired planet

    A consortium of 15 major IT and telecoms companies today launched the Open Service Gateway (OSG), a Java-based interface standard for connecting consumer and small business appliances and systems to the Internet. The companies involved -- IBM, Sun, Toshiba, Oracle, Network Computer (so Larry Ellison is represented twice, Sybase …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 13:33

  • Mobile phones cause memory loss

    Adverse effect on cognitive function, memory and attention

    Mobile phones cause memory loss, according to today’s Daily Mail. The link between mobile phones and memory loss was established by some hospital in Bristol, which attached transmitters to the heads of loads of volunteers for quite a long time. Half of them received microwaves identical to those produced microwaves and the …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 14:21

  • MP3 developer to head SDMI

    Music industry body appoints executive director with a "repuation for neutrality"

    The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), the music industry-led attempt to define a standard for digital music delivery, kicked off its first major meeting, held in Los Angeles last Friday. While the meeting was little more than a chance to discuss the SDMI's aims and organisational structure, it did begin with a hand been …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 14:33

  • US telecomms giant homes in on UK ISP

    INS is target for Level 3 Web expansion

    Reports in yesterday’s Mail On Sunday claim Internet Network Services (INS) - one of the UK’s largest service providers - is the target of a takeover bid by Level 3. Level 3 is a US telecomms company, which is said to have £4 billion set aside with which it can go shopping. It has been around for only a year and has already …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 14:40

  • One-2-One to IPO

    Cable & Wireless planning £5 billion float

    Cable & Wireless (C&W) is gearing up to spin off its mobile phone division, One-2-One. The mobile phone company is the smallest of the UK’s four mobile operators and is owned 50/50 by C&W and MediaOne, the US cable company. It has around 2 million subscribers. MediaOne has a 30 per cent stake in UK cable company Telewest. If …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 14:52

  • Samsung pumps up the DRAM volume

    Forecasts 10 per cent sales growth in 1999

    What a difference a price upturn makes. Samsung, the world’s biggest DRAM producer, is pumping up its 1999 capital spending by 20 per cent, taking the pot up to $1.2 billion. Samsung said the investment would enable it to increase DRAM sales by 10 per cent over the year. The new money will boost Korean production of 128MB and …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 15:36

  • Sensaura parent prepares IPO

    Scipher flotation to generate £20 million for business development

    British technology development company Scipher is planning an IPO, to be completed later this year, the Financial Times reported today. Scipher is perhaps best known in the PC world for its Sensaura subsidiary which develops and licenses its eponymous 3D sound technology. Scipher claims 70 per cent of the 50 million multimedia …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 16:12

  • Intel NDA found on floor

    Interesting code words in here

    At the Intel Developer Forum, The Register was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. We never do so, partly for legal reasons and partly because we believe journalists should not and need not sign NDAs. We prefer to operate on trust and contacts and absolutely hate burning our contracts. For example, if an Intel …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 16:27

  • Hacker infiltrates military satellite

    UK installations under attack - ransom demanded

    The UK Ministry of Defence has come under attack from a hacker who is allegedly threatening to target military satellites unless a £3 million ransom is handed over. According to a story in today’s Daily Mail, the hacker has already seized control of one satellite, altering its course. The satellite in question is said to be …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 16:42

  • 3Dfx to promote Linux Voodoo development

    Graphics company goes cross-platform to protect market share

    3Dfx today hopped aboard the Linux and open source software bandwagon as part of the company's attempts to shore up its leadership of the 3D acceleration market against aggressive rivals nVidia, ATI and S3. On the Linux front, 3Dfx announced a programme whose goal is to encourage developers to release titles on Linux and other …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 16:45

  • AMD recruits IBM for 450MHz launch

    Publishes OEM price

    IBM has selected the spanking gorgeous 450MHz AMD 6-2 to power its latest Aptiva, the model 520. Priced at $1,299, the Aptiva 520 will be available "soon" in US retail outlets. The machine is decked out with 64MB of memory, 10GB hard drive, 32X CD-ROM and bundled with Windows 98 and Lotus SmartSuite. For good measure, IBM is …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 16:55

  • Merced – those pictures

    Developer Forum - Updated First the pictures and later the words

    See our original story Merced only slightly undead. We have also since published another story: Merced chieftain outlines chip futures, which is an interview with Stephen Smith, pictured below. And if you want to see a schematic of the Merced cartridge, go to Merced Solutions Overview Our full coverage of the Intel Developer …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 17:05

  • SAP confirms Linux interest

    You read it here first

    A reader has pointed our attention to a SAP Web site which shows how much the German company is interested in the Linux OS. We reported that SAP was on the Linux trail last month. If you tune your browser or micro browser to this site, and you have a smattering of German, you'll get the idea. The piece was posted today. SAP will …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 17:06

  • Intel completes Shiva deal

    Great Stan forms new subsidiary company

    Intel’s purchase of networking vendor, Shiva, has at last been completed. The deal will see Shiva rolled into the Intel Networks division to form a new company Intel Network Systems. Shiva shareholders will be offered $6.00 in cash for each outstanding share of common stock. Announced back in October,the deal soon encountered …

    Business 1 Mar 1999, 17:37