18th March 1999 Archive

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Polish shortfall may take shine out of Datrontech results

This looks like a profit warning

Datrontech is investigating a "profits shortfall' in its Polish subsidiary. In a statement to the Londond Stock Exchange, the British computer components distie said : " The exact nature and quantum of this shortfall in profits have not been ascertained and, potentially, it may have a material effect on Datrontech's results for …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 07:42
Korea investigates MS over Win98 pricing

I'll tell you what I Won, what I really really Won

Even more bad news for Microsoft, as now the Korean FTC (Fair Trade Commission, this one) mounts an investigation of possible price-gouging on Windows 98. The Koreans have been complaining that 98 is more expensive in Korea than in the rest of Asia. The tab is about 20 per cent higher than in Japan for example, and in dollar …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 09:42
MS could face French liability claim over Win98 Y2K issue

Form an orderly queue - they're all at it, apparently...

The French government is considering taking action against Microsoft over the non-Y2K compliance of several products, including Windows 98. Both 98 and Works 4.5 failed compliance tests carried out in January, and according to French small and medium business minister Marylise Lebranchu, possible liability on Microsoft's part is …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 09:44
Gates book 2: Now Bill contradicts key MS witness

His computer systems are so great he knows everything about what's selling where. After all.

The world according to Bill Gates' books continues to diverge from the one described in Gates' trial testimony - and now, too, in the testimony of other Microsoft antitrust witnesses. The first excerpts from Gates' new book Business @ the Speed of Thought earlier this week (I read all my email - Bill) showed Bill claiming he …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 09:47
AMD kicks butt with 600MHz K7 demo

Processor to take Intel head-on

Chip company AMD has shown a K7 processor running at 600MHz at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, and has revealed more details of its plans for the product. Our photographs are here. Gary Bixler, K7 product marketing manager at AMD's Austin microprocessor division, said: "The K7's going to very high performance and will allow us …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 10:43
Novell wins copyright case against ISP

Belgian service provider told he has legal duty to police user activity

A Belgian Internet Service Provider (ISP) has been convicted of copyright infringement after subscribers to a bulletin board were found to be using the service to upload copies of Novell software. Novell is heralding the conviction as a landmark case in the fight against software piracy. The owner of the service, Renaat C, was …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 11:54
Free ISP mania hits US

UK plague goes stateside - first we sent them The Beatles, now this...

The US is enjoying its first taste of subscription-free Internet access and according to the latest figures it appears punters over there think it's simply scrumptious. Californian-based NetZero -- which began offering a free dial-up service five months ago -- has confirmed that it now has 500,000 registered users and the …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 12:16
Chipzilla strikes back with 800MHz PIII Xeon overclock

Intel attempts to queer AMD pitch

Intel today launched 500 and 550 MHz versions of the Pentium III Xeon chip, along with previewing "the Formula One race car of processors" – a PIII Xeon running at 800 MHz. Pat Gelsinger, Intel VP and general manager desktop products group, announced the chips to CeBIT this morning. The high-end 500MHz, 412KB, 1MB and 2MB …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 13:25
Users smash up PCs in outbreaks of network rage

Survey reveals mice are frequently assaulted – cables ripped out, balls stomped on etc

Violent acts against computers have become such a problem that behavioural psychologists have branded this digital vandalism as "network rage." Eighty-three per cent of network managers surveyed reported abusive and often violent behaviour by users as a result of computer problems. Acts of wanton violence resulted in shattered …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 14:01
Siemens to spin off chip business

Flotation hopes for sinking chip concern

The long and painful saga of Siemens’ semiconductor business continues to unfold. The German electronics giant has said it wants to spin off the chip concern as a separate division, with a view to eventually putting it up for a listing. The most recent chapter in the chip business’ history saw a failed attempt to get an MBO off …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 14:53
CDR shortages to hit Europe this summer

Falling prices to blame as demand goes through the ceiling

Europe faces shortages of CDR disks due to unexpected demand, a CeBIT exhibitioner told The Register today. Distributor Pine Technology, has warned that the current shortages are likely to last until the summer. Nigel Lippard, managing director of Pine Technology, has predicted the situation will worsen for European consumers …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:21
Intel breaching spirit of FTC deal already?

Depends if you reckon the FTC Order is technical info it's impeding dissemination of...

Intel VP Pat Gelsinger was asked at his CeBIT presentation this morning about the FTC deal. He said he was happy that it was settled, and he didn't "believe Intel would change its behaviour in the market." But perhaps just a little bit of change in behaviour might be advisable, under the circumstances. The Register reported …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:25
CeBIT numbers in steep decline

The numbers are thin, indeed

Conference organisers are denying it but the evidence on the ground at what the German organisers call the biggest computer show on Earth seems to confirm it. Every hall in the show was visited by less people than last year and now CeBIT has the look of Comdex last autumn, which also showed a decline. The organisers refuse to …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:31
Cyrix claims huge retail win in UK, now

CeBIT 99 Romtec figures say it all

National Semiconductor's decision to aim for the low end has been vindicated by the latest Romtec results, released at this year's CeBIT. According to the figures, Cyrix has won market share of 53.4 per cent in the sub 500 pound market, beating Intel which has 45.2 per cent of the market and making AMD look at a dwarf at 1.3 per …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:34
Kodak digicameras in big lay off in Heidelberg

Jobs must go

A representative said today she had no knowledge of an estimated 1,700 jobs lost in Heidelberg, yesterday because of a huge slowdown in the digital camera business. She said she could neither confirm nor deny the reports, caused, according to our information, because of a drop of sales in the pricy consumer items. She promised …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:38
Euro blighters block anti-spam fighters

First vote to stop unsolicited email fails

Supporters of a Europe-wide anti-spam campaign have been dealt a massive body-blow today after a committee of European MPs voted to legalise unsolicited commercial email. According to an observer at today's meeting of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC), Conservative MEPs voted against an amendment to ban spam …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 15:46
Official: Win98 new version to ship in Q3

And is this a browser we see disintegrating itself slowly at version 5.0?

Microsoft has now officially conceded that there will be another version of Windows 98, and says that what is likely to be called Windows 98 Second Edition will ship in late summer or autumn of this year. The company still hasn't admitted that its plans for a convergence of code on the NT/Win2k kernel are therefore toast, but …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 16:06
Hooray, hooray, it’s IE5 release day

Great Satan of Software releases latest browser to a waiting world

It's amazing what some people will do to avoid the release of yet another software upgrade. Two men have been so keen to miss the launch of Microsoft's latest Internet browser they decided to seal themselves in a tin can and float around the Earth at 35,000ft rather than face the media hype. Rest assured the Great Satan of …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 16:28
CeBIT 99: Cisco praises Singapore, bitches about Europe

And what about all those politicos queuing for photos with Gates?

Cisco CEO John Chambers said at CeBIT that he thought that Singapore had the best educational system in the world, and he could not find enough praise for the plan to wire the whole country (about the size of the Isle of Wight, it seemed to us). Of course his view is completely objective and unrelated to any Cisco contact to …

Business 18 Mar 1999, 17:05