Do your self a favour and pick up a copy of TIME magazines June issue (yes I know it's a little late but there's always the library or www.time.com). Turn to page 60 to read the latest and some interesting facts on the over publicises Microsoft v DoJ v rest of the planets computing world. If that's not your cup of coffee (Java preferably), turn to page 68 and see Apple's iMac on it's gorgeous TIME debut. The story covers Jobs renewed muster and the comparison between a Compaq Presario 4540 and the outstanding iMac....and yes the iMac in my and their opinion comes out fighting, Rocky style head down with an Aqua blue gum shield. If the new G3's sold nearly 500,000 units I can bet here and now that the iMac will sell double. You think I'm joking watch the ad men do their thing and with the power the G3 chip it all speaks for its self. Love or hate the iMac it's innovative and value for money, just hope they fit it with a faster modem before the August release.
US government on the prowl
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has made all the headlines in just about every country lately, in every medium, from web to satellite. Not to be out done the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed anti-trusts suits against INTEL. The suits concentrate on Intel withholding vital processor information from the Likes of Compaq, Digital (before the take over) and Intergraph.
Intel is already in all sorts of trouble. Its much hyped 64 Merced processor has hit design problems and its official launch is now being time tabled for the first quarter of 2000, add to that slipping market share and the result does not look good at board meetings.
The only good news of late for Intel was that fellow competitor AMD hit the skids with the release of its cheaper K6 Mark 2 chip losing support with PC builders. Most of the large companies still favour the Intel to stay inside....for now.
This year could be interesting one for the computing world at large, given that the Largest chip maker Intel and software vendor Microsoft will both be in court and under the US's lawyers close eyes.
Department of Justice trips on the facts.
The American Department of Justice seams to have given the slumber kings at Microsoft more room to bloat their moneyboxes all the way to the bank. The DoJ has let M$ go ahead with the June 15th launch of Win98. With M$ predicting over 20 Million sales of its upgrade to the tired Win95 by the September court cases, the DoJ has failed to see the bigger picture. The DoJ have now given the Seattle Software company all the space it needs to establish even more reasons to leave it alone and chase parking ticket violators instead.
Not just about browsing.
Most people are not fully aware of the deep do doo M$ is in. The issue and reasons for the anti-trusts against M$ are not confined to the browser 'thing', but the Java 'thing', the WinNT 'thing', the WinCE (we'll upgrade your PC for free) 'thing' and not quite forgetting the (alleged) bully boy anti competitive business practices 'thing'.
On the subject of browsing. Take a look at Netscape's site. The company is launching counter offensive to tightening competition from the likes of M$ and online services such as Yahoo. New services include smart browsing, software update watch and ecommerce business services all this on the back of major PC manufactures giving the choice of browsers to end users. Netscape are looking towards a future not solely dependant on a browser product. Nice to see a company fight its way out of the mud, just hope they've not left it to late.
Linux gets a ray of Sun.
Sun Microsystems has stamped its growing support behind the Free Linux OS. The deal(s) have not been made more public as yet, for now it's just thought to be bundled software and lots of public hand shaking. But who knows we may see a Linux Java motivated Sun box in an IT department near you soon, remember to watch out the window for those low flying pigs.
Government on time (maybe).
Our Labour government displayed quite typical political prowess of diverting criticism, when addressing the commons the week ending 13th June 98, on the subject of 'the Bug budget'. Note the difference with the normal budget is that the government uses a red briefcase, the bug budget is a Pandora's box with the words 'keep quite till after the next election' and 'don't open till 2000' written in small writing on the side.
A minister told the commons that the UK government departments were on course with year 2000 compliance problem. There were also reassurances that the fixes would not cost much more than the £390 Million stated at the end of this February. This estimation I can assure you will increase, probably in the last two quarters of 1999 when the panic sets in.
The Department of Trade and Industry has also launched an awareness campaign in London called Business Link London, designed to help small and medium seized business come to grips with the approaching date change in the capital city. Providing solution software and help centres. Other lager cities will be following suit in the next few months with their own respective schemes.
Action 2000 the government's agency set up to alleviate ignorance and solve the year 2000 problem. Have made published plans to bring the public and private sectors together in a bid to tackle the ticking problem. The main areas the government has rightly targeted as priority are public services. The agency will be contacting the heads of all local and national services such as gas, electricity, water, and communications.
BT seam to be leading the pack in the private sector. It strongly believes its compliancy program will all but be completed by the end of this year.
Other areas the agency is keen to step up compliance is in the transport sector. Aircraft and shipping use respective lanes and flight paths, these navigational routes leave little room for error. Airports and harbours become very congested and technical or navigational problems could lead to disasters. All sizes of company will have to meet the compliance orders as we step close to the millennium, or I'm sure the Health and Safety Executives will have a field day grounding aircraft or confining ships to docks.
UK online book store.
Amazon online bookstore have proven it is a profitable venture selling over the internet, low cost little overheads and a savings for the customer. WH Smiths has seen an opening in catering for the UK and Europe. WH Smiths have purchased the loss making Internet Bookshop, with its site accountable for just over 22% of the UK online sales.
1998 has seen Smiths increase its market share when it bought out John Menzies at the start of the year and now with its latest acquisition all indications are that the company is taking a new aggressive and positive step towards ecommerce. There could yet be bonuses for the UK book and magazine reader with slightly cheaper prices but no one at WH Smiths would confirm the possibilities as yet.
Stronger tools for Anti virus.
Old rivals Network Associates in a deal worth nearly £400 million have bought out Dr Solomon's. Dr Solomon's toolkit will now slowly integrate with other present Network Associates Anti virus software.
IBM link up with Java.
The Java object orientated architecture received another little boost this month by getting backing by Big Blue herself. IBM will use the software technology for corporate financial and stock control packages bundled with IBM's mainframe systems.
Naughty Compaq.
The UK's Advertising Standard Authority are to investigate Compaq for false advertisement. Earlier this year Compaq ran a series of advertisements in leading national newspapers suggesting their computers are year 2000 compliant.
ProveIt 2000 who carried out the tests on the computers believe otherwise.
This new indecisiveness on the facts could well jeopardise a deal Compaq has lined up with Phillips to supply over 90,000 of its computers to by the year 2000. If Compaq can't prove it then the deals off.
One good piece of news for Compaq came on June 11th when the company finally took over Digital for a whooping industry highest of £5.5bn. This new acquisition puts the company at the same table as Hewlett-Packard and Big Blue, no more scrabbling for leftovers, Compaq wants a big piece of the corporate world markets.
Xerox woes continue.
Bogged down ex-flyguys Xerox has been hit by patented rights lawsuits from rival Hewlett-Packard. The clams lay with user interface speculation of rip off architecture. If substantiated Xerox face a huge damages payment to HP.
Symantec makes life easy.
Norton software for the WinPC is to get a little tweak to help our friends on the other side to connect to networks. Apparently the new software will isolate the problem and either fixes its self or recommends what the user needs to do. I have yet to hear if the program will make it our way as Mac people tend to know which lead does what and where the on button is.
New Internet competition growing.
Alta Vista's contract with it's now growing rival Yahoo Internet Directory will come top an end in the middle of July. This marks the end of the relationship the companies on the Internet have shared. At source at Yahoo said 'the two companies are now entering the same field as each other'. The Alta Vista search engine owned by Digital/Compaq is reportedly going to be replaced by the new engine Inktomi, hopefully the outcome of the competition will spell good news for all Internet folk alike.
It was on the cards.
Motorola and IBM have called it a day. The split has been on for some time and the end of June saw the whole thing tied up.
The split came about not over either company wavering from its commitments to the PPC chip, just the implementation in its core designs. IBM has long wanted to introduce copper conducting instead of the present aluminium into the PPC market. Motorola meanwhile want to pursue its technology called AltiVec. Both are promising to boost the chip performance way out past Intel's x86 reach. Motorola is also about to execute a drastic staff cut program to regain profits. Nearly 15,000 jobs are to be streamlined worldwide.
At this point Apple has stayed quiet to which would be the preferred supplier.
