ACM TechNews - Friday, March 24, 2000

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ACM TechNews
Volume 2, Number 34
Date: March 24, 2000
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Top Stories for Friday, March 24, 2000:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"PC Prices Catch a Wave"
"Study Shows 300 Mil Worldwide Web Users"
"Study Finds Gaps in Internet Content"
"Hope for Microsoft Settlement Renewed"
"Getting Down to Business"
"For U.S. Internet Portals, the Next Big Battleground Is Overseas"
"EU 'Dot.com' Summit"
"Bill Would Protect Firms That Share Hacking Info"
"What Price High-Tech Workers?"
"Online Patents: Leave Them Pending"
"E-Services Scramble"
"Cyber Hackers Targeted"
"Is IT Ready to Support Ubiquitous E-Commerce?"
"The B2B Tool That Really Is Changing the World"
"More Than Fun and Games"
"When to Outsource"
"Love It, or Lease It"

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

"PC Prices Catch a Wave"
After a long period of falling, PC prices began rising in
September and dropped again slightly in February, reflecting the
fast and unpredictable changes that take place in the industry.
The average sale price for a PC rose from $772.69 in September to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item1

"Study Shows 300 Mil Worldwide Web Users"
The number of Internet users worldwide will shoot up from 300
million today to one billion by 2005, according to a $1 million
study spanning 34 countries carried out by the Angus Reid Group,
which operates out of Toronto.  The study finds that U.S. and . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item2

"Study Finds Gaps in Internet Content"
Two recent reports from the Children's Partnership and the
Conference Board suggest ways to help bridge the digital divide
in the U.S. by making technology more accessible and relevant to
low-income and immigrant groups.  The nonprofit Children's . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item3

"Hope for Microsoft Settlement Renewed"
Settlement talks between Microsoft and federal government lawyers
were renewed recently, leading some to believe the antitrust case
against the software giant may yet be resolved out of court.  The
discussions, mediated by Chief Appellate Judge of the Seventh . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item4

"Getting Down to Business"
America Online and Yahoo! are both attempting to enter the
profitable B2B e-commerce market and achieve the same widespread
brand name recognition among businesses as they have among
consumers.  AOL unveiled plans to partner with e-marketplace . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item5

"For U.S. Internet Portals, the Next Big Battleground Is Overseas"
Larger U.S. Internet companies such as AOL, Yahoo!, and Lycos are
expanding their brands to Europe, Asia, and Latin America in
hopes of establishing themselves before the local competition
becomes entrenched.  The European portal space is heating up.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item6

"EU 'Dot.com' Summit"
E-commerce will be one of the foremost issues addressed during
the special Euro summit in Portugal.  U.K. Prime Minister Tony
Blair, who arrived in Lisbon Wednesday, says European countries
should move in the direction of making Internet access more . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item7

"Bill Would Protect Firms That Share Hacking Info"
Reps. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.) this week will
introduce a bill that aims to foster a greater amount of
information sharing between companies, law enforcement agencies,
and industry groups regarding hacker attacks.  Many companies . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item8

"What Price High-Tech Workers?"
The high-tech and e-commerce job markets are growing faster than
any other sector, but few people are trained for these positions.
Only 5.5 percent of the students who received bachelor's degrees
last year in the U.S. received engineering degrees, while jobs . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item9

"Online Patents: Leave Them Pending"
The number of Internet-related patents is growing, and Congress
should consider imposing a moratorium on software and
business-method patents until it completes a study based on the
economics of the field, writes Lawrence Lessig, professor at . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item10

"E-Services Scramble"
The market for e-business consulting and services will double
this year to $19.5 billion, leaving many IT companies and
consulting firms scrambling to bring themselves up to speed with
proven solution providers.  To shore up its services, Microsoft . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item11

"Cyber Hackers Targeted"
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening is proposing increased penalties
for hacking and other cybercrimes as part of new technology
legislation designed to attract high-tech industries to the
state.  The proposed law would upgrade any computer intrusion . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item12

"Is IT Ready to Support Ubiquitous E-Commerce?"
The age of ubiquitous computing is fast approaching, but IT has
several issues to address before the Web can be integrated
seamlessly into everyday life.  In the future, household
appliances will communicate with one another and with . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item13

"The B2B Tool That Really Is Changing the World"
Glen Meakem became a General Electric employee in 1994 and on
only his second day thought of a brilliant idea:  electronic
purchasing auctions.  Since the Internet at that time was still
primitive and unreliable, most GE executives were wary of the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item14

"More Than Fun and Games"
Sports fans can go online at any time to check up-to-the-minute
scores and pictures from major tournaments, thanks to IBM's
e-Business Services group.  The group, a mobile band of computer
experts and sports enthusiasts, travels to events such as the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item15

"When to Outsource"
Consulting firms are lined up to offer Web design and technology
outsourcing services to Internet companies that want to free up
their teams to focus on mission critical duties and get the
expertise and personnel for the Web project that they could not . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item16

"Love It, or Lease It"
The decision of whether to lease or buy office technology is
somewhat simplified by an understanding of what sort of person
typically leases or buys, according to a Pitney Bowes study.
Three types of customers tend to buy technology outright:  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0324f.html#item17


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