27th April 1999 Archive
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Cyrix revamps CPU roadmap
Positions processors against Celerons, K6-2s
The latest roadmap from National Semiconductor subsidiary Cyrix has demonstrated the limits of its x.86 ambitions. The company is determined not to be caught in the crossfire as Intel and AMD battle it out during 1999 and next year, the roadmap reveals. Nevertheless, the modest position Cyrix is taking shows it is determined to …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 06:53
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Market forces Osmosis out of hardware business
Still trading in software, but big changes on the way
Osmosis today ceased dealing in hardware, but despite obviously difficulties, will continue to sell software. The Middlesex-based distributor is telling suppliers that it no longer sells hardware, peripherals or PCs. But Alex Campbell, Osmosis products and marketing director, was at pains to stress that the company was still …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 07:33
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Computacenter to sign pledge with racial equality group
Updated: Will become model ethnic minority employer for UK IT industry
The UK’s largest reseller is taking advice from the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in a move which could result in the whole industry improving its track record of recruiting staff from ethnic minorities. The Register has learned the CRE and Computacenter are to sign an agreement covering race equality issues. A spokesman …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 07:34
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Caldera closes UK thin client development unit
Development being moved over to Utah
Events have overtaken our report (Earlier Story) that Caldera Thin Clients work was carrying on in Andover, UK. Following a decision by the Caldera board, the British Caldera development team has disbanded, although it is anticipated that some work will continue in Salt Lake City, with a new team. But it may prove hard to …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 08:05
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Gem, the GUI that beat Windows to market, goes open source
And Caldera's move makes a certain writer all misty-eyed...
Gem, the PC GUI that beat Windows to market, has finally gone open source. It was originally developed in 1984, when Windows was still a shaky beta. Current Gem owner Caldera has now made it available under a GNU public licence. Caldera inherited it from Novell, which in turn obtained it when Novell acquired Digital Research, …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 08:09
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Caldera spin-off pushes Linux thin clients
The ones who don't want to go to Utah reckon there's thin client life in old 486s
iCentrix is a Hampshire-based Internet software company formed by some former Caldera employees, led by Roger Gross, after the Caldera operation in Andover was closed (separate story). iCentrix sees its main thrust as being to develop browsing for very thin clients by putting the browser on the server and using a Linux client. …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 08:14
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Dell to preinstall Red Hat Linux 6.0 on 4-way servers
First company to gain Red Hat MP certification
Dell is to factory install Red Hat Linux 6.0, released yesterday, (Earlier Story) on a range of servers, workstations and desktops from next month. The machines covered will include the 4-way PowerEdge 6300 server and dual processor Precision workstations. Dell is the first company to receive multiprocessor certification from …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 08:53
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i752 on the road
Chipzilla goes Graphics 'r' Us
A day after it released its i810 "Whitney" chip set, Intel has rolled out its i752 chip set aimed at business and consumer software applications. As already revealed here, the i752 includes 2D graphics, 3D rendering and digital video acceleration. (See story: Intel has (late) designs on your graphics) According to Gary Thomas, …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 09:36
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SCO boss blows stack over Linux, Linus
Michels goes into lather over litigious Norwegian (sic) kids, and much else
SCO president and CEO Doug Michels has lashed-out at Linux, describing it as "not particularly scalable" and some kind of packaging operation that has turned into a religion. Michels' reckless assault comes in an interview published this week by Computerworld - as yet we have no reports of vengeful mullahs camped on his lawn. …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 09:44
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UK's GEC buys Fore
Playing catch-up with the big boys
Fore Systems is set to become a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric Company (GEC) after the networking company agreed to be acquired for $4.2 billion ($2.8 billion). GEC offered to buy FORE at an agreed price of $35 per share -—a premium of 43 per cent above the closing price of Fore's stock last Friday. Not only does …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 09:45
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Intel's copper to Cu real soon now
Coppa whoppa in P860 shocka
Sources only a cat's whisker away from Intel's plans have told us that its future copper (Cu) technology will arrive far sooner than anyone has thought. The copper technology is included in the .13 micron P860 process, and Intel already has test structures and test chips functioning with copper interconnects and .13 micron …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 09:51
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Hard facts emerge about Willamette
Architecture details show 1Mb L2 cache on die
Intel's eagerly anticipated Willamette IA-32 technology is taking shape as hard details have emerged from highly authoritative sources. Few details from Intel have been available, although at the Intel Developer Forum in Palm Springs in February, senior VP Paul Otellini said the technology was on time and was a completely new IA …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 10:01
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Iridium boldly going… nowhere
Q1 profits way down -- userbase a third of anticipated figure
Pity poor Iridium. A damn clever idea, this satellite-driven go-anywhere mobile phone service, but that hasn't helped company behind it attract a solid base of users. Or make money. In the first quarter of its current fiscal year, Iridium received revenues of $1.45 million, nowhere near enough to offset the company's loss of $ …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 10:37
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ARM acquisition sees Acorn dismembered
Pace takes set-tops, managers take DSPs
ARM is organising a share buyback, through the imaginative device of acquiring its former parent company Acorn. After the agreed acquisition, Acorn effectively no longer exists. The company is selling off one operating business -- the set-top box business to Pace Micro Technology and its second operating business -- the DSP …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 10:39
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Celeron trashes PII in new RegMark™ tests
We publish the figures Intel is afraid of
Celeron delivers five more Bangs Per Buck than PII The Celeron is Intel's best processor right now. The embarrassment of the original Covington's lack of performance panicked Chipzilla into rushing out the far-superior Mendocino version complete with on-die L2 cache. This certainly did the trick as far as addressing the …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 10:54
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Apple beats schoolboy
Domain name ownership fight goes against 17-year-old
Apple's attempt to wrest ownership of the Appleimac.com domain name from a Canadian schoolboy succeeded last week when he agreed to hand it over. Calgary-based Abdul Traya registered the domain name for his own Mac-oriented Web site last summer. Six months later, Apple began a major move to grab as many Apple-related domain …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 11:00
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Police issue Net appeal to find Dando's killer
Stalker Web sites track Golden Girl of British TV --Daily Mail
Police in London are using the Internet to help track down the killer of one of Britain's most popular TV presenters after she was found outside her Fulham home yesterday with a single gunshot wound to her head. Jill Dando -- the golden girl of broadcasting famous for her endearing personality and easy-going charm -- was adored …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 11:12
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Worldwide PC sales beat doom merchants
Shipments up nearly 20 per cent
The number of PCs shipped throughout the world during the first three months of the year grew by 19 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest stats from IDC. The US saw the greatest growth, rising 24 per cent to 9.8 million units out of the total 24.5 million machines shipped globally during the period. Curiously, IDC …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 12:03
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Kingfisher swoops on free Net access
Plans replica of Freeserve model for all of Europe
Europe is on the verge of an all-out Internet revolution following the announcement this morning that UK-based Kingfisher has joined forces with the investment house Group Arnault to offer subscription-free Net access throughout the Continent. Initially, it will only be available in France but both companies have plans to roll …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 13:56
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WRQ to boost UK channel presence
Re-launch of reseller scheme aimed at ISVs and systems integrators
Web-to-host connectivity vendor, WRQ, is re-launching its UK reseller recruitment programme in a bid to bolster its channel. The company, which has three distributors – Wick Hill, Sphinx CST and Entropy – said it was looking to sign up a greater number of systems integrators and ISVs to its channel. WRQ channel manager for UK, …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 15:14
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Japan to outlaw kiddie Net porn trade
World’s worst offender to clean up its act
The Japanese government is taking steps to clean up the Internet by introducing legislation to outlaw the trade in child pornography. A report in today's Guardian says the bill to ban the country's "Lolita trade" is supported by all major political parties. The bill is due to be debated today by Japan's parliament and many …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 15:45
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Now McKinley looks a tad delayed
Forget Merced, think presidents
Insiders at Intel have told The Register that while Merced remains living and breathing, McKinley, the generation after Merced, also has its problems. One Intel engineer told us today that Merced is now unlikely to be taped out until August at the earliest, while another hinted at problems with McKinley too. So the pressure is …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 15:47
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AMD marketing budget higher than Intel's
Strange, but true
A close examination o the annual results of Intel compared to its closest competitor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has revealed a strange but true fact. While Intel is seen as being a bit of a marketing genius, somehow turning the world round into accepting its microprocessors, mainly through its Intel Inside programme, the …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 15:57
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Is MIPS up for sale?
Spun at $14, rose to $64 and now $39
MIPS, the 64-bit technology that Compaq's ex CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer loved to love, span off this time last year. Its bitter rival is Brit chip company ARM and we're talking embedded here folks, so don't get bored. Nevertheless, despite the fact that SGI owns 85 per cent of its stock, the rumour mill is currently ramping up. As in …
Business 27 Apr 1999, 15:58
