Archive

In the immortal words of philosopher and cultural critic George Santayana, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' famous play A Christmas Carol, likely would have agreed with this sentiment. In a similar vein, as the holi...

Intel has said it will combine two unprofitable business groups in its communications industry segment in a bid to repair one of the few glaring flaws in the company's performance in recent quarters. Specifically, the chipmaker plans to meld its wireless communications business with the Intel Commun...

Outsourcing may be a bane to many U.S. technology, finance and manufacturing employees, but it has proved a boon -- and a catalyst for cultural change -- to nations like India that are reaping the benefits of this trend. Although Indian employees typically earn less than their U.S. counterparts, the...

As the holidays dawn, shiny gadgets displayed in store windows and pictured on Web sites highlight the attraction of upgrading to the latest technology. Though visions of Dells and Macs may be dancing in consumers' heads, those yearning for a new computer would do well to consider some slightly out-...

In a sign of the growing popularity of hosted e-business, Buy.com subsidiary BuyServices has announced it will manage hosted Web sites for several MTV Networks properties, including MTV, VH1 and CMT. BuyServices will provide back-end and front-end e-commerce capabilities, distribution, payment and c...

As part of an ongoing effort to trim costs, America Online has laid off 350 workers in its California offices and has offered another 100 the choice to relocate to the East Coast or be fired. AOL said most of the affected employees work in software creation for the core online service product in sho...

Since the unveiling of its Unix-based OS X operating system, Apple has been releasing "point upgrades" about once per year, charging $129 for each one -- a pretty stiff fee for staying current. This in itself might not be so bad, except that in the process of speeding development through the pipelin...

The U.S. Congress has passed the most sweeping anti-spam legislation to date, authorizing creation of a do-not-e-mail list that allows consumers to opt out of all unwanted messages. President Bush has indicated he would sign the so-called CAN SPAM legislation, which could become law as soon as next ...

Although dial-up is still the dominant method by which most U.S. residents access the Internet, DSL and cable are making inroads. Of course, not all high-speed Internet providers are created equal. Customers must choose a provider on the basis of availability, rates, customer service and reputation,...

With perhaps another 18 months before its case against IBM for copyright infringement goes on trial, SCO has chosen (perhaps ironically) to take its battle against open source out in the open. On Thursday, company CEO Darl McBride posted the first of what he said would be "a series of letters ... ex...

A federal judge in Utah has given The SCO Group 30 days to respond to demands that it reveal more information about the proprietary Unix source code it claims IBM infringed when Big Blue contributed Unix code to the Linux platform. IBM claims SCO has provided it with nearly 50 CDs containing thousan...

Online learning has come a long way from its roots in simple how-to Web pages. Today, corporations hoping to enhance their employees' skill sets and individuals seeking to advance their careers can choose among a smorgasbord of online tutorials, courseware and classes. What is the state of the growi...

In a legal move that ultimately could affect the size of search engines' revenue stream, Google has asked a court to clarify whether or not its keyword-based advertising program is infringing on company trademarks. Google filed the request following complaints from American Blind & Wallpaper Fac...

The Web hosting industry is vast and growing -- but for potential customers, the array of choices can be mind-boggling. Faced with hordes of vendors vying to win their business, companies must determine their goals before leaping into the fray. Questions prospective customers should ask themselves, ...

In its latest attempt to stem the flood of membership losses that has besieged it for more than a year, America Online has partnered with Systemax to offer a complete PC for just $299. The computer comes complete with monitor and printer, but there is a catch in the form of a required 12-month subsc...