ACM TechNews - Monday, January 10, 2000 (fwd)

["S. E. Goodman" <goodman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 17:24:23 -0500
From: technews <technews@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: TECHNEWS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: ACM TechNews - Monday, January 10, 2000

Dear ACM TechNews Subscriber:

Welcome to the January 10, 2000 edition of ACM TechNews,
providing timely information for IT professionals three times a
week.  For instructions on how to unsubscribe from this
service, please see below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACM TechNews
Volume 2, Number 4
Date: January 10, 2000
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Today's Top Stories:
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html


"AOL, Time Warner Merge in $350 Billion Deal"
"Xilinx Makes a Chip for All Seasons"
"IBM, Motorola to Speed Interactive Technology Into Vehicles"
"Security, Privacy Issues Make Net Users Uneasy"
"IBM to Roll Out Weblet Technology"
"New Products, Different Names"
"A Y2K Glitch for Lawyers: Few Lawsuits"
"Online Healthcare Expected to Reach $370B by 2004"
"Promise of a New Year"
"XML Eases Network Monitoring"
"Trouble Ahead for Cable Modems"
"Portals Push for New Revenue"
"IT Officials Weigh Software Security Standards"
"The Holy Grail: Wider Pipes"
"Consulting's Next Big Thing"
"Rebalancing Acts"
"Certification: Is It Worth Your Time?"


******************* News Stories ***********************

"AOL, Time Warner Merge in $350 Billion Deal"
AOL and Time Warner have announced a merger of colossal
proportions, with the two companies combining to become AOL Time
Warner in a $350 billion deal.  The combination of AOL's online
services with Time Warner's media and cable operations will...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item1

"Xilinx Makes a Chip for All Seasons"
Chipmaker Xilinx today plans to launch a new line of programmable
chips called Spartan II that will let consumers upgrade digital
devices without having to buy new hardware.  Manufacturers will
be able to provide software updates for consumers to download...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item2

"IBM, Motorola to Speed Interactive Technology Into Vehicles"
IBM and Motorola have partnered to equip cars with Internet
access, navigation, email, and emergency assistance capabilities.
The companies plan to team with automobile manufacturers and
parts companies to develop systems that connect to 24-hour...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item3

"Security, Privacy Issues Make Net Users Uneasy"
A number of recent examples highlight the continued importance of
privacy and security in the online world.  A consumer, Joel D.
Newby, is suing Amazon.com's Alexa Internet unit for allegedly
failing to inform Newby that his personal information was being...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item4

"IBM to Roll Out Weblet Technology"
IBM this month will release free tools to enable developers to
incorporate the company's new Weblet technology into e-business
applications.  The tools will be released on IBM's Alphaworks Web
site.  With the Weblet technology, users can add specific...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item5

"New Products, Different Names"
A range of new technologies and devices are in store for this
year, says the Edmonton Sun's Greg Michetti.  Among the most
highly anticipated technologies for the year 2000 is Bluetooth,
which provides wireless communication between various handheld...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item6

"A Y2K Glitch for Lawyers: Few Lawsuits"
Many lawyers in the U.S. were prepared to capitalize on
Y2K-related lawsuits, but the number of suits filed so far is
significantly lower than had been expected.  Some experts
predicted that Y2K litigation would amount to $500 billion, with...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item7

"Online Healthcare Expected to Reach $370B by 2004"
Internet-based health care business will total $370 billion by
2004, predicts Forrester Research, largely driven by
business-to-business transactions.  Based on a survey of 71
health care firms, Forrester said that by 2004, 8 percent of...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item8

"Promise of a New Year"
Several products will be released in the first half of this year
that will boost e-business by improving communications among
applications and making it easier for companies to share data
internally and externally.  For example, Microsoft's Windows...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item9

"XML Eases Network Monitoring"
Many enterprise management system vendors, including Microsoft,
Cisco Systems, Tivoli Systems, and others are working to
integrate XML into their applications, and within the next six
months these vendors will have products that support XML using...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item10

"Trouble Ahead for Cable Modems"
Cable modems' sales growth is about to see a substantial
slowdown, predicts Cahners In-Stat Group in a new report that
notes that the unit sales growth rate dropped from 478 percent in
1998 to 171 percent the following year.  The report expects the...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item11

"Portals Push for New Revenue"
Many portals and e-business sites lost money last year, after
realizing advertising revenue is not enough to generate profits.
Walt Disney's Go.com lost $1 billion, as portals found
increasingly harsh competition for visitors.  Each portal is...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item12

"IT Officials Weigh Software Security Standards"
Federal agencies might soon adopt a higher standard for software
security as a result of a proposal from Richard Guida, security
official for the interagency Government Information Technology
Services Board.  The proposal calls for higher federal standards...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item13

"The Holy Grail: Wider Pipes"
Although intelligent routers and switches will improve network
performance, they will not be sufficient for Web services that
need round-the-clock uptime.  Redundant components are being
added to the mix, allowing servers to maintain their links if a...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item14

"Consulting's Next Big Thing"
With Y2K no longer dominating consulting services, several new
areas are gaining prominence within the field, according to a
recent Computerworld study.  The field of consulting is changing
rapidly, as new technology needs and business trends such as
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item15

"Rebalancing Acts"
The IT industry, particularly in the area of software, allows
vendors too much control over customers, and CIOs should strive
to bring vendors and customers together to even out the balance
of power.  Software currently lacks quality, consistency, and...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item16

"Certification: Is It Worth Your Time?"
IT professionals, and by extension their employers and customers,
benefit when they seek out and obtain certification from
reputable and recognizable organizations.  Vendors understand
that through certification programs professionals gain...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0110m.html#item17


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- To review Friday's issue, please visit
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0107f.html

-- To visit the TechNews home page, point your browser to:
http://www.acm.org/technews/

-- To unsubscribe from the ACM TechNews Early Alert Service:
Please send a separate email to listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the line

signoff technews

in the body of your message.

-- Please note that replying directly to this message does not
automatically unsubscribe you from the TechNews list.

-- To submit feedback about ACM TechNews, contact:
technews@xxxxxxx

-- ACM may have a different email address on file for you,
so if you're unable to "unsubscribe" yourself, please direct
your request to: technews-request@xxxxxxx

We will remove your name from the TechNews list on
your behalf.

-- For help with technical problems, including problems with
leaving the list, please write to:  technews-request@xxxxxxx

----
ACM TechNews is sponsored by Gateway