6th January 2000 Archive

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Turnover up, membership churn down at Freeserve

ISP bucks trend of falling tech stocks

Freeserve shares rose 16.25 p (3.32 per cent) in early trading this morning despite announcing losses of £3.6 million for Q2 -- £8.6 million for the half year ended 13 November. Q2 turnover hit £3.8 million, with average weekly turnover up 49 per cent compared to Q1. A little more than half of its income (£1.93 million) came …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 10:29
Net rumours boost CCM share price

It's news to us, says UK distie

CCM Distribution was surprised to find its share price leap 131 per cent earlier this week after speculation over a Web deal. The Cheshire-based company's shares climbed 5.25 pence to 9.25 pence in Tuesday's trading. Brent Cutler, CCM distribution MD, said the price surge seemed to stem from analysts predicting that CCM was …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 10:53
Backlogged CallNet has new year hangover

Service yet to materialise despite promises and cash injection

CallNet 0800 has failed to clear the backlog of unprocessed registrations for its service that plagued the ISP following its launch at the tail end of last year. The toll-free dial-up service had promised that the backlog would be clear before Christmas and that the ISP would be accepting registrations in time for the festive …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 12:31
UK is mobile phone laggard

Xmas sales bonanza still leaves us trailing most of Europe

The UK is lagging behind its European counterparts in mobile phone use, despite surging Christmas sales. More than four million UK punters bought a mobile in the final quarter of 1999, making a total of 24 million users or almost 40 per cent of the population. Orange gained the most new subscribers, netting 1.4 million new …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 12:50
Dotcom IPOs master the universe

Frothy stocks lose steam

Dotcom IPOs in the US yielded a massive $702bn in equity value last year - more than half of the sector's total market capitalisation. Last year, web-related IPOs generated 53 per cent of the web sector's combined stock market value of $1.32 trillion, according to a study by researchers Paul Kagan Associates. On average, 1999 …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 13:17
The chips were up in 1999

Intel leads pack as semiconductor market booms

World chip sales increased 18 per cent last year to a value of $160 billion, with growth set to rise in 2000, according to Dataquest. The spurt from $136 billion in 1998 was the biggest for four years, with no surprises as Intel stayed on top with over a fifth of the market – notching up sales of $26 billion. Chipzilla claimed a …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 13:53
ATI launches dual-chip board for hardcore gamers

Destroy all enemies

ATI Technologies today launched its RAGE Fury MAXX graphics card aimed at hardcore gamers. The device has two RAGE 128 Pro chips and 64MB memory on one 64MB board. The Rage Fury MAXX boasts 500 megapixels per second to help power-hungry gamers destroy their on-screen opponents. In the words of the Ontario-based manufacturer: " …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 14:03
Railtrack, Lloyds of London Web hacker explains motives

Interview Credit card numbers not safe for e-commerce, he warns

A member of a group which hacked into the Lloyds of London web site twice in one day has explained his intent in an exclusive interview with The Register. Over the New Year, Lloyds and a number of other sites including Railtrack UK, Eidos, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suffered attacks to their sites from groups …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 14:03
Oracle chief sues city of San Jose

Private jet at centre of bust up

If you thought the silly season ended once Christmas was out of the way, think again. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is suing the city of San Jose. Not one of the run-of-the-mill technology patent bust-ups this one, oh no. Ellison's beef is to do with his $38 million private jet and San Jose airport's takeoff curfew. According to the …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 15:02
Gates unveils new CE and Compaq-built Web appliance

Looks like the old CE with ClearType and MP3, if you ask us...

In his CES keynote last night Bill Gates went some way towards fleshing out Microsoft's strategy for the consumer electronics business, but not quite far enough for observers to see absolutely clear daylight. He demoed smart phones, a new version of CE, the latest rev of the MSN Web Companion and Auto PC, but didn't entirely …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 15:05
Free Net via satellite ISP to hit UK

Download speeds of 2Mbps on cards

A new venture is promising to offer free broadband access to the Net via satellite for ten million people in the US and five million people in Britain. InternetHyperGate.com claims it has the technology to turn a PC into a "multimedia monster" by providing free set-top-boxes and PC cards to consumers who want to take up the …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 15:13
Security back-door leaves Intel mail servers open

Remote access is a double-edged sword

A security glitch in Intel's InBusiness Email Station has left servers open to attack, according to a US security analyst. The hole was part of the original design in 1997 to allow remote control of servers in the event of serious technical problems. Without submitting a password, an intruder can issue commands to delete files, …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 15:37
Gateway to use AMD because of Intel chip famine

Issues profit warning for Q4, blames Intel drought

Gateway has come clean on its plans to use AMD microprocessors in its PCs, after issuing a profits warning yesterday blaming shortages of Intel components. The company said that it expects to post earnings for its fourth financial quarter that are less than expected, because of difficulties getting hold of enough Intel …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 16:20
Tomb Player fire-sale knocks Gameplay over

Copies of Lara's latest on offer for £1

A top games Web site played hide and seek with its regulars today after offering 4,000 copies of Tomb Raider Last Revelation for just £1. By two o'clock this afternoon (1400hr GMT)Gameplay had received 81,000 requests for the game although it insisted many of the orders were duplicated. The bargain-basement offer -- which …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 16:31
Compaq shows 1GHz Kryotech-AMD system

Big Q chooses to focus on Athlon

Compaq is showing a 1GHz Presario which uses Kryotech's Super G technology in combination with an AMD Athlon. Kryotech introduced the supercooled system at the end of last year, but the fact that Compaq is showing a product based on it is a plus for both it and for chip company AMD. The system is being demoed at a consumer show …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 16:35
800MHz Athlon hits Intel in the face

Updated And price drops from AMD arrive 23rd January

Chip company AMD has confirmed the release of an 800MHz Athlon, further compounding embarrassment for Intel in the Megahertz Wars. Both IBM and Compaq will use the 800MHz part in systems they will sell. Sources close to the company's plans expect the .18 micron 800MHz microprocessor to become available to PC companies on the …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 16:51
China bans Win2k, developing Red Flag Linux instead

We've got the trade deal, so now we can get back to shafting foreign companies...

China is to ban government use of Windows 2000 and is developing its own Linux-based operating system instead, according to reports this morning from Beijing. The move, which doesn't seem to have been entirely confirmed as yet, follows on from claims last year that China intended to ban both Intel processors and Microsoft …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 17:10
LinuxPPC readies retail release

Boxed set to see Mac Linux distro seek broader customer base

Mac Linux distributor LinuxPPC is preparing to widen the appeal of its PowerPC implementation of the open source OS with a push into the Mac retail and resale channel. The drive will centre on the company's upcoming LinuxPPC 2000 release, to be made available in a box set comprising dual source and binary CDs, and, at long last …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 19:04
3dfx pledges native Mac support in Voodoo 4, 5

VSA silicon still absent though...

Graphics specialist 3dfx took its presence in the Mac gaming market up a notch yesterday when it announced its upcoming Voodoo 4 and 5 cards would ship with native MacOS support. The downside is that Mac gamers will have to wait a little longer than PC players for the new cards, which are based on 3dfx's Voodoo Scalable …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 19:05
Apple iBook falls from top-selling notebook slot

But Mac maker on course for record $2.4bn Q1 revenues

Apple's ebullience over shipping 1.35 million Macs in the three months to 31 December 1999, as joyfully proclaimed by CEO Steve Jobs this week, was tempered today when it emerged the iBook's two-month run as the best selling notebook has come to an end. According to the November stats from market researcher PC Data, which …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 21:06
Microsoft hires distinguished woman singer to throw tantrums

Digital Diva takes centre stage

Good grief. Microsoft is hiring a well-known arrogant and temperamental opera singer to serve as its new consumer ambassador and "simplicity spokesperson". Her name is Stacy Elliott and she is Microsoft’s new Digital Diva. Does anyone at Microsoft know what "Diva" actually means? Here’s the definition: diva n. 1.WOMAN OPERA …

Business 6 Jan 2000, 23:05