26th November 1999 Archive

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Even the EU thinks BT is a rip-off

Latest report recommends price ceilings for leased lines

The European Commission has published a report recommending maximum charges for leased lines which backs industry-wide criticism that BT is overcharging companies. Monopolistic suppliers are, due to a lack of competition in some European countries, grossly overcharging for their lines, and this in turn has greatly reduced the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 08:38
Cancer investigation at NatSemi plant

Staff to have health checked by HSE

National Semiconductor in Scotland is to be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over cancer fears from staff. The HSE said it would conduct a one-year study on the health of current and ex-employees at the chipmaker's factory in Greenock. The announcement follows concerns from local pressure group Phase Two. …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 09:09
eBay in Nazi memorabilia row

Refuses to ban sale of WWII trophies

eBay has refused to withdraw Nazi memorabilia from its online auction site claiming the items' historical worth is more important than their ideological context. The Internet company was responding to an appeal from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which campaigns for Holocaust remembrance, and the defence of human rights and the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 09:09
Toshiba gives disties reseller status

Giant IT vendor in "we've only got one contract" shocker...

Two giant trade-only distributors have been given the green light to sell to end users thanks to Toshiba's contract policy. Last week the Japanese vendor made Ingram Micro its second broadline distributor in the UK, but the newly appointed company is not operating under a distributor's contract. Neither is Computer 2000, the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 11:19
Internet complaints shoot up

News that isn't news: Luddites moan

The number of complaints over Internet-related activities nearly doubled last year, according to the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA). Apparently, between 1996 and 1997 they went up by 23 per cent, and between 1997 and 1998 by 39 per cent. This is hot stuff. Right up there with "Internet use set to …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 11:30
Don't trust foreign Web sites, Americans warned

A sad tale of xenophobia and killer cheeses

On Thursday, the New York Times ran a story warning e-shoppers in the US to be on their guard against the perils of buying goods from foreign Web sites. It quoted a Mr Laity, an Andersen Consulting managing partner who is charged with advising overseas Web sites. Frankly, he should have known better. "The United States as a …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 11:31
US shopping mall bans the Net

Don't even mention the evil e-commerce

A shopping mall in the US has banned all references to the Internet and e-commerce for fear of losing sales. Not only are retailers up in arms that they can't cross-promote their .com sites, some are refusing to abide by the draconian measures and are openly flouting the regulation, ABCNews.com reported. Gap, FAO Schwartz and …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 11:37
NEC, Hitachi to merge DRAM operations

Design and development coming together first, then marketing and manufacture

NEC and Hitachi are about to combine their DRAM development operations, according to sources close to both companies and cited by Japan's Nikkei Microdevices newswire. To be called NEC Hitachi Memory, the JV will be announced before the end of the year and will go live next April to unify both companies' next-generation DRAM …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 11:52
MS mediation headed for tough talks

MS on Trial But we're under the gun here, apparently...

The Microsoft mediation attempt will start next Tuesday in Chicago, and effectively if a solution is to be found, it will have to be found by 31st January, according to a source. This deadline is rather tighter than might be expected, and a lot tighter than would suit Microsoft. Judge Jackson is holding his hearing on the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 12:20
The Register climbs into bed with IT Network

It's a content agreement kind of thing

Today, The Register becomes partners with The IT Network, developer of possibly the world's biggest product comparison database. The IT Network is republishing some of our news on its Trade Only section (targeting system builders and resellers). And from time to time we will be calling on The IT Network's editorial team for …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 12:49
Memory Plus gets new head, plans online sales

MemCorp division prepares for next stage growth

Memory Corporation has appointed Jon Blows as general manager of its Swindon-based subsidiary, Memory Plus. Blows' job is to head up the division, which provides memory upgrades to resellers, and to develop the company's Internet business. He was previously MD at systems integrator Reflex. "Blows hopes to use his extensive …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 12:54
City faces up to hack attack

Anarchist groups threaten banking sector

The City of London is on a high state of alert after a number of banks received threats this week from hackers taking part in next week's anti-capitalism demonstrations. "Several of our customers in the City have received telephone threats in the past week from people claiming to be hackers associated with the 'reclaim the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 13:08
MS pushes ‘no net taxes’ message for Seattle WTO

But as protesters gather, it looks like the meet will end in tears

Microsoft's objective for the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle next week was confirmed in Brussels today when European chairman Bernard Vergnes said that "Ministers should agree that customs duties shouldn't apply to the Internet". He wants this to be a permanent and binding move set in concrete by WTO rules rather …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 13:44
WildTangent to simplify DirectX game creation

Makes cross-platform work easier too, apparently

3D graphics specialist WildTangent is to bringing its Web-oriented API to Microsoft's DirectX API, to games developers. WildTangent's Web driver allows designers to code interactive 3D graphics into their sites using JavaScript, Java or Visual Basic. At the client end, Web driver takes that basic, low-bandwidth code and hook it …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 13:47
Cross my Palm with Sony

Analysis Roll up! Roll up! It's Sony vs Microsoft, round one

Apple's Steve Jobs must be now be really pissed off that 3Com CEO Eric Benhamou wouldn't sell him Palm Computing when he offered to buy it. How come? Well, last week, while the PC industry was focusing its attention on Comdex, its annual shindig, held in Las Vegas, a deal between Palm and Sony slipped quietly by, barely …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 13:51
PlayStation 2 much better than Dreamcast, says extremely biased man

Eidos CEO damns console that he doesn't write games for

Mike McGarvey, CEO of games manufacturer Eidos, has declared that the as-yet-unavailable PlayStation 2 is "a superior piece of hardware to the Dreamcast". He's entitled to his opinion, of course, but there is a niggling little doubt about his independence in the console market. Eidos, as well we know, has built its success on …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 14:40
CallNet boasts big numbers in spite of problems

But no end in sight for backlog of subscribers waiting to join the service

Toll-free ISP, CallNet 0800, claims 100,000 people are now using its service and that it will meet its target of 200,000 users by Christmas. Although the figures reveal that at least some people managed to register for the service -- especially in the wake of the calamitous start to the venture -- the ISP would not say how many …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 14:56
Intel to intro Cumine 750MHz Pentium III Jan 10th

800MHz late Q1 and a host of flip chip Coppermines

Internal Intel documents we have seen give the release date of the 800MHz Pentium III Coppermine processor as being towards the end of quarter one. And Intel will attempt to fight AMD by introducing a 750MHz Coppermine Pentium III in early January. The documents also show release dates for a number of other parts, with the 10th …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 15:35
Athlon 750 found on Compaq site

Big Q tries to hide premature ad behind Thanksgiving turkey

Compaq was today caught advertising Athlon 750MHz PCs ahead of AMD's launch date. The US vendor was advertising two desktops in its Presario range on its US site with the 750MHz chip, which it is understood will be officially launched by the chipmaker on Monday. The Presario 5900Z-750, based on the 750MHz chip, is priced at $2, …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 15:48
Dixons chins AOL over ‘too dear’ remarks

Get your facts straight, high street giant says

Dixons yesterday received a scathing attack from AOL Europe, which accused the retailer of being anti-competitive with its PC prices. The verbal assault coincided with a deal between the ISP and Dixon's old sparring partner Intel to sell PCs in Europe. Andreas Schmidt, head of AOL Europe, accused Dixons of being a "dominant …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 16:02
Copying students targeted by Web

We know where you nicked your stories...

Undergraduates who plagiarise the intellectual efforts of others and claim them as their own could soon be outed as the thick, thieving idiots that they really are, thanks to a new Web site. Plagiarism.org checks submitted material against millions of online pages, separating the real students from the pseudo-scholars with the …

Business 26 Nov 1999, 16:03