17th June 1999 Archive
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Samsung sets up Alpha S&M arm
A year ago Aims to capitalise on Compaq boost for chip
Posted 17 June 1998 Compaq's decision to push Digital's Alpha chip line (see previous week's issue) has given heart to Samsung, which via licences from Digital is an Alpha developer and second source. The Korean company now says it's setting up a Boston-based subsidiary to market and distribute Alpha, chipsets and motherboards, …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 07:29
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Taiwanese spy agency claims computer company acquired by reds
Local spooks allege big dollar investment
The Taiwanese press is reporting that Mainland China is attempting to get its hands on electronic technology by investing huge sums in local companies. But the allegation, made by the National Security Bureau, has put the wind up Taiwanese computer companies with plants on the mainland. The NSB claimed earlier this week that …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 08:00
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Ghost of Pfeiffer stalks Compaq
Mother of all re-orgs arrives today
Just after Ben Rosen executed Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer, he announced there was to be no major reorganisation at the company. He obviously lacked prescience in the affairs of the Big Q, because Compaq will make huge changes to its structure today. Whether Rosen will announce a new CEO to replace Pfeiffer, however, is not clear …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 08:24
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MS compiled ‘friends and enemies’ list of companies
MS on Trial They'd none of them be missed, no they'd none of them be missed
A Microsoft "enemies list" popped up during the cross-examination of witness Gordon Eubanks in the trial yesterday. Microsoft's lawyers shrugged the list off as concerning a niche product, and having been compiled by a new and inexperienced employee, but it was still another minor victory for the DoJ. The document concerned a …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 09:06
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‘Cooked’ MS memo – could Gates be in contempt of court?
MS on Trial MS lawyers caught filing made-up 'evidence'
A highly dubious piece of spinning exposed yesterday could have several Microsoft executives, including Gates himself, and sundry hangers-on taking the rap for contempt of court. A memo from Bill Gates that was written specifically to be leaked via Associated Press had been presented to the court as important and confidential …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 09:53
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Naked PowerPC G4 seen on Web
Mac site offers first view of next-generation Motorola CPU
Mac-oriented Web site AppleInsider has uncovered a pic of Motorola's upcoming PowerPC G4 processor. We've known for some time that the new chip will be officially dubbed the PowerPC 7400, but it's good to get confirmation of the fact from the pic of chip itself. The chip also appears to be a 350MHz, which is rather less than …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 10:13
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Apple crippled G3 Macs to bar PPC G4 upgrades
It's all in the firmware, alleges Mac Web site
Apple has deliberately nobbled the firmware built into its latest generation of Power Macs to prevent them being upgraded to Motorola's upcoming PowerPC 7400 (aka G4) processor. That's the shocking claim being made by Mac-oriented Web site AppleInsider, citing unnamed sources. According to the source, "Apple has intentionally …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 10:23
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Pentium III erratumnotbug updated
Spec sheet shows huge list of NoFixes
Intel has released the latest update to the Pentium III specification and has published a list of 46 errata. Erratum is Intel's marchitecture-speak for a bug. But the majority of the 46 bugs shown are unlikely to be fixed, according to the document. That is likely to be because there are either workarounds for the bugs or they …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 10:40
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Fujitsu takes control of Siemens PC business
Staged exit for the Germans?
We wrote this story on 6 May. And now it's come true. After a failed PC dalliance with Acer, Siemens has tempted Fujitsu into bed. Its dowry is a middling-huge, heavily-loss making PC assembly business. Fujitsu will merge its European PC operations into the Siemens PC operations, including its German budget PC subsidiary …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 10:44
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Doom-mongers forecast Y2K gloom
Stockpiling our way into recession
Companies are stockpiling products out of fear of shortages due to the Millennium Bug, according to a report by the Cranfield School of Management. Firms are building up stocks of raw materials and finished goods in preparation for the Y2K menace, the report revealed. Of the 500 organisations questioned, 70 per cent said they …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 11:29
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Mergers a la modis
Combines 11 companies
modis Incorporated, the US services company, has bought a batch of UK companies to create its European arm, it announced yesterday. modis International is a mixture of eleven IT services and recruitment companies, with estimated sales of £210 million for 1999. Based in Tottenham Court Road, London, it has three operating units, …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 11:31
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Vodafone calls for phone health study
Wants to quash consumer fears
Vodafone has called for an independent body to research the health effects of mobile phones. The phone operator, which has 5.7 million customers in the UK, told the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee yesterday that the public would not accept the industry’s world that its products were safe. Tim Harrabin, Vodafone …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 12:03
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Open up Windows source code, says Sun boss
MS on Trial Meanwhile, the MS bid to integrate the English language proceeds apace
Sun boss Scott McNealy sallied-forth against Microsoft again yesterday, recommending that Microsoft's source code should be opened up, and that it should be compelled to use open and non-exclusive contracts. As trial junkies will be aware, these two - if policed adequately - would have a devastating effect on Microsoft's …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 12:07
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BT warned off Scoot's patch
Get your scooters off my lawn
BT was told to stop a free offer linked to its Talking Pages by Oftel yesterday. The industry watchdog labelled the new call completion service on BT's directory search service "anti-competitive", according to a government statement. David Edmonds, Oftel director of telecommunications, ordered the offer to be withdrawn …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 13:15
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Samsung's Alpha to exceed 1GHz in year's time
However, it's possible Compaq will be gutted
Alpha Processor Inc (API) has finally realised that The Register exists and will meet us next week. However, we now know for sure that there will be volume shipments of Alpha at over 1GHz by this time next year. This is interesting, given that Compaq's plans for the Alpha and Intel IA-64 platforms are in a state of flux, as …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 13:22
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Fresh profit warning from Compaq
Ben Rosen delivers bad news
Compaq has failed to produce a CEO and this morning chairman Ben Rosen delivered a further profits warning to Wall Street. Rosen said revenues and profits will be flat compared to Q1, a move that is bound to send shivers down shareholders' backs. He blamed competitive pressures in the marketplace for the future shortfall. But, …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 13:33
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IBM, Compaq plan Euro slimline notebook roll-outs
Compaq Armada coming in Q3, IBM ThinkPad later due before year end -- maybe
Both IBM's ThinkPad 240, and Compaq's new lightweight Armada will be entering the US mini notebook market soon, with European launches later in the year, but Compaq looks set to win the race over here by rather more than a nose. IBM has not set a date for the European launch. A spokeswoman for IBM said that the laptop would be …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 13:55
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Fujitsu Siemens aims for top two PC slot
'No indication' of Siemens withdrawal
Fujitsu and Siemens today cemented the merger of their European operations, with the new company aiming to be Europe’s number two PC vendor. The two agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) so, providing both companies are in the positions stated in discussions, the merger will go ahead. The new company, called Fujitsu …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 16:15
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Cisco buys another company, shock horror
It's a phone thing, called Transmedia
Cisco is buying Transmedia Communications with $407 million of its stratospheric stock. It's a Cisco getting into the telecomms market thing. Transmedia technology splits phone calls and data traffic on telecoms networks, This means quicker routing for both types of traffic. Transmedia is based in San Jose, California -- the …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 16:38
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Barth retires, as Compaq pushes direct sales
Redundancies across the group
Compaq today confirmed a huge overhaul, warning plans to split into three parts would mean a third quarter charge against earnings. Direct sales will account for 25 per cent of the PC giant’s PC shipments by the fourth quarter, it said. In Europe, Andreas Barth, has retired as senior V.P. president and general manager for EMEA, …
Business 17 Jun 1999, 17:06
