Archive

In a massive upgrade and testing initiative, Microsoft is set to release 500,000 "beta 2" copies of Microsoft Office System, an enlarged and modernized version of the company's office productivity suite. The beta release marks one of Microsoft's most extensive testing programs ever, and by far the l...

So, you have a product or two. You want to expand your reach. The Internet sits at your fingertips. If you build it, will they come? Not necessarily. That is the big lesson of the bubble years -- and a quandary for small e-commerce companies at a time when venture capitalists are not feeling adventu...

Despite the ugly economic conditions facing IT, there are a few bright spots, and the computer gaming sector is one of them. Computer games continue to sell at a brisk pace, and the hot trend right now is online gaming. Ultima Online, EverQuest and Neverwinter Nights have developed huge fan bases, a...

Microsoft has shipped a beta version of its much-hyped Greenwich platform in an effort to elbow its way into an already-crowded market for enterprise instant messaging (IM). The company hopes to woo enterprise customers away from existing IM technology, such as corporate shareware sold by IBM and ne...

The phrase "Real Time Enterprise" (RTE) is a siren song of unquestionable allure for many enterprises. Whether a company wishes to respond to customer data more quickly or communicate better internally, having a back end that responds immediately to the rapid flow of corporate information represents...

In an effort to solidify its niche in the online advertising market, search engine Google has launched an advertising service that will deliver Web pages with targeted, sponsored links instead of random banner ads. "Relevance is what matters to users," Google spokesperson David Krane told the E-Comm...

It is a common business scenario: A new CEO takes over a struggling company and vows to put it on more solid financial footing. He assures investors that he will cut only the fat from the ailing organization, leaving the muscle and bone the company will need to thrive intact. But when it comes time ...

EMC and Hitachi have settled simmering patent infringement lawsuits with a long-term agreement that calls for cross-licensing and cooperative development of new technology. As part of the deal, Tokyo-based Hitachi will make undisclosed payments to EMC, which first filed suit against Hitachi last Ap...

Lucent Technologies has cleared what could have been a major obstacle to its ongoing turnaround. The telecommunications equipment maker has reached a settlement to close the books on a probe into its accounting practices by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lucent said the agreement will ...

IT wizards have been praising Web services for some time now, but the concept continues to elude much of the rest of the world, masking the massive promise this technology holds for e-business. In plain English, Web services allow a company to link its applications with those of its partners, custom...

E-commerce grew at a pace that put the overall economy to shame in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which said online sales surpassed $45 billion during the year. The DOC also said e-commerce is an increasingly large part of the overall retail economy, with 1.6 percent of the tota...

The e-commerce sector's recent successes are staggering. Combined sales of Amazon and eBay totaled US$19 billion in 2002, according to Forrester Research, and robust fourth-quarter numbers bucked the lackluster offline trend. But the path to those lofty results was paved with the failures of countle...

In the latest round of a corporate boxing match that has persisted for more than five years, Microsoft has filed a court brief accusing Sun Microsystems of unfair competition and violation of a previous settlement agreement. The brief is part of an ongoing private antitrust case brought against Micr...

In the wake of a spectacular meltdown that featured financial shenanigans, overspending and broken promises, can the telecom industry recover and grow strong again? The answer is yes, industry experts say, but telecom faces a long road back -- and it will not recapture the heights of three or four y...

Echoing reports of similar deals from such competitors as IBM, computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) said it won a five-year contract to handle technology outsourcing for Telecom Italia, a fixed-wire and wireless communications firm. The companies said the deal is worth 225 million euros, or about US$...