ACM TechNews - Monday, April 24, 2000

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ACM TechNews
Volume 2, Number 47
Date: April 24, 2000
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

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



"U.S., States Favor Plan To Split Up Microsoft"
"Growth of PC Market Continued in First Quarter"
"U.S. High-Tech Jobs Going Abroad"
"Report: Asia-Pacific E-commerce Poised for Boom"
"Japanese Firms Vie for U.S Partners to Build Fortresses for Data Storage"
"A New Concept for Web Sellers: Profitability"
"New Zealand Seeks to Protect Online Consumers"
"White House: Net Security in U.S. Hands"
"Kizoom Puts Travel Updates on WAP Phones"
"Euro ASP Market to Hit $1.19B in 2005, IDC Says"
"Central Question: Whose Internet Is It?"
"Shortcut to the Web"
"Tech: The Virtual Third Party"
"Changing of the Guard: CIOs, CTOs in Flux"
"A New Game of Cops and Robbers"
"Effectiveness of Antispam Bill Questioned"
"Linux Support: Who Ya Gonna Call?"
"Haggling Over Digital Signatures"


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


"U.S., States Favor Plan To Split Up Microsoft"
The Justice Department and 19 states are nearing completion of a
remedy proposal with the goal of removing barriers to companies
entering into competition with Windows and ending Microsoft's
monopoly on the U.S. PC operating system market.  The proposed . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item1


"Growth of PC Market Continued in First Quarter"
The worldwide PC market showed strong growth in the first
quarter, largely because of strong consumer demand, according to
reports from International Data (IDC) and Gartner Group's
Dataquest.  While the consumer market grew, especially in the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item2


"U.S. High-Tech Jobs Going Abroad"
Many U.S. companies say the labor shortage and visa restrictions
are forcing them to send high-tech projects to foreign countries,
while critics say the firms are simply trying to reduce costs.
In Southern California, 10 percent of software firms are sending . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item3


"Report: Asia-Pacific E-commerce Poised for Boom"
The Asia-Pacific region will become a major force in the overall
global Internet economy in 2004, concludes a new report from
Forrester Research.  The predicted $1.6 trillion in e-commerce
transactions would give "the Asia-Pacific market more than 20 . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item4


"Japanese Firms Vie for U.S Partners to Build Fortresses for Data Storage"
In a recent trend, Japanese businesses and U.S. technology
companies are teaming up to build data centers in Japan to
provide Web hosting and various other e-commerce-related
services.  The recent flurry of partnerships is due in large part . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item5


"A New Concept for Web Sellers: Profitability"
Although Internet businesses have historically concentrated on
generating greater site visitation, a new focus on the bottom
line has gained momentum among e-commerce venues due to a
newfound investor interest in profitability.  Boston Consulting . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item6


"New Zealand Seeks to Protect Online Consumers"
The New Zealand government will huddle with merchants and
consumers during the next couple of months to draft guidelines
for e-commerce conduct.  The guidelines are meant to help enforce
consumers' rights to seek legal redress and are expected to look . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item7


"White House: Net Security in U.S. Hands"
The newly-created federal Critical Infrastructure Assurance
Office held several meetings recently with IT executives on
computer security issues.  Commerce Secretary William Daley told
IT leaders that they, not the federal government, must take . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item8


"Kizoom Puts Travel Updates on WAP Phones"
Kizoom will offer up-to-date traveling information for WAP cell
phones.  The Internet accessible phones--still moderate in
number--are expected to jump to nine of every 10 mobile phones
manufactured.  The services, which can currently only access . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item9


"Euro ASP Market to Hit $1.19B in 2005, IDC Says"
An IDC study released this week predicts the European high-end
application service provider (ASP) market will be worth $1.19
billion by 2005, up from $10 million in 1999.  Entitled "The
European ASP Industry: A Strategic Perspective," the study also . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item10


"Central Question: Whose Internet Is It?"
Business interests are facing off against consumer, Internet,
free speech, and privacy advocates, over Internet issues.  The
advocates recently met in Toronto for the Computers,
Freedom and Privacy conference sponsored by the Association of . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item11


"Shortcut to the Web"
Brick-and-mortar companies are rushing to take advantage of low
stock market prices among dot-coms by buying Internet startups to
quickly and cost-effectively obtain the relationships with
suppliers, technology, and marketing expertise required for . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item12


"Tech: The Virtual Third Party"
Partisan fighting has mired much pending legislation, but a
coalition of Democrats and Republicans is coming together to work
on technology initiatives--an indication that the tech boom is
altering the political landscape.  The coalition constitutes a . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item13


"Changing of the Guard: CIOs, CTOs in Flux"
E-business is changing the role of CIOs, forcing some to become
involved in corporate strategy while still managing operations,
and others to pass IT strategy issues on to CTOs.  Charles Schwab
CIO and vice chairman Dawn Lepore says CIOs need to master . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item14


"A New Game of Cops and Robbers"
As the Internet revolution explodes in Asia, so does the
possibility for online crime.  Asia is experiencing not just a
wave of hacking, but is also seeing traditional street crimes
such as prostitution and drug trafficking moving onto the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item15


"Effectiveness of Antispam Bill Questioned"
Congress moved a step closer to enacting an anti-spam law when a
key subcommittee endorsed the Unsolicited Electronic Mail Act,
which combines the three anti-spam bills of Reps. Gary Miller
(R-Calif.), Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), and Gene Green . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item16


"Linux Support: Who Ya Gonna Call?"
Despite the growing corporate interest in Linux, the question
remains of how to obtain the expertise needed to integrate the
application with existing systems and the support needed to
maintain Linux networks.  When Home Depot decided to create a . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item17


"Haggling Over Digital Signatures"
A bill that would allow electronic signatures for contracts has
been held up in Congress.  Urged by Internet companies, Congress
decided two years ago with its Paperwork Elimination Act to
permit digital signatures to substitute for written signatures on . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0424m.html#item18



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