Feb 24 2002 News

Technical, Business and Product News from the Modern Computer World... Updated Once Per Month

BetaNews: Microsoft to Beta Wireless Network Hardware
Microsoft's Home Networking Group is preparing to beta test a new hardware and software product that will enable multiple wired and wireless PCs to share a broadband Internet connection. Although current details are slim, the beta is described much like current wireless gateways from companies such as Linksys and D-Link. As Microsoft's first foray into networking hardware, this new product may prove vital to Redmond's efforts to dominate the newly-connected living room. The beta program is slated to begin late March and run into early May.

IT World Canada: HP Employees Vote "No" to Compaq Merger
By Joris Evers IDG News Service
...a survey commissioned by David Packard... Employees in the Corvallis area, home to part of HP's printing and imaging business, oppose the merger by 63 per cent to 31 per cent...

... It represents the latest salvo in the battle by the HP founders' families against the multibillion-dollar merger spearheaded by HP chief executive officer Carly Fiorina...

...The most common reasons given for opposition to the merger are the belief that a merger would not add value to the company and concerns about Compaq's profitability. Those in favor of the acquisition say it would make HP stronger and add to the long-term success of the company, according to the survey.

CNET - Yahoo News: Sun to Charge for StarOffice 6
Stephen Shankland CNET News.com
In a move that could undercut its anti-Microsoft campaign, Sun Microsystems plans to start charging for the next version of its StarOffice software, a suite of programs that competes with Microsoft Office but runs on Linux (news - web sites) and Solaris as well as on Windows.

Sun has been offering StarOffice as a free download since acquiring the German company Star Division in 1999. But Sun plans to start charging for version 6.0, due to arrive in the second half of May, a source familiar with the plan said....

...Charging could undermine Sun's anti-Microsoft campaign. With a free StarOffice, Sun has been able to argue that it's offering a way around the "Microsoft tax," the cost of buying Microsoft products essential to business, said IDC analyst Dan Kusnetzky.

But a price tag on StarOffice would mean "they lose the ability to use this as an attack weapon" against Microsoft, Kusnetzky said.

Sun also could alienate Linux users--customers Sun has been courting in its battle to undermine Microsoft.

"Bearing in mind that there is not exactly an overwhelming demand for Linux on the desktop, charging for the Linux version will mean that they will basically get no money from that direction," wrote one reader at the Slashdot.org "news for nerds" discussion site. "It's a bad idea because Sun is a competitor of Microsoft, and Linux is challenging Microsoft for the desktop, and your enemy's enemy is your friend."

...The source familiar with Sun's plan said a likely price range was between $50 and $100, though many details remain unsettled.

Others said they'd still use OpenOffice, the open-source version of StarOffice that Sun launched in 2000.

One key difference between OpenOffice and StarOffice is in spell checking. OpenOffice comes with spell-checking software but not a dictionary, though one can be downloaded. Other features missing from OpenOffice are some Asian fonts, the Adabas personal database, clip art and some filters for importing files from other software products.

Sun's free StarOffice plan was hatched in the days of the Internet business boom, when Sun was riding high, Linux was heavily hyped and investors had patience with money-losing strategies that could pay off in the long term...

PCMag.com: How 'Bout Winux?
By John C. Dvorak Feb 19, 2002
...saying that these are trademark violations and create market confusion? Let's see...Lindows OS and Windows XP—yeah, they sound exactly the same to me. Puh-leeze... Who at Microsoft thinks this is a good idea?

...Upside. The lawsuit does give me the opportunity to think of some jazzier names for Lindows, though. There's Linudo, like menudo. How about Lin-DOS? My personal favorite would be Winux...

..So what's happening with Lindows, and what's the current buzz? Most Linux experts actually hate the idea of this product and say it won't work anyway... The fact is, the Linux community does not want to see Linux become a popular desktop OS, because Linux is the current bastion of the new Unix priesthood. Heaven forbid Linux should become popular and be used by millions. That would ruin it for everyone.

On the other hand, if Microsoft insists on suing Lindows and making a fuss, the suit could create a buzz that might make the product irresistible...

In 1987, IBM changed the architecture of its machine and changed the licensing arrangements regarding its bus. Earmarks of Windows XP are architectural changes and new licensing arrangements. The cyclical coincidences over time always fascinate me. People quickly moved away from Micro Channel Architecture to the AT-standard bus, then to EISA, although they were inferior products. Though Linux works well, most insiders admit that as a desktop OS, it's an inferior product. So what? It works well enough, and it's cheaper. I wonder whether the brass at Microsoft are noticing these parallels unfold...

PCMag.com - Finally a DVD Burner Standard
By Mary E. Behr
...The as-yet unnamed new standard will be cross-platform, encompassing consumer set-top hardware and PC hardware. "The goal is to have one standard and not have anybody jump ship on it," says Andy Marken, communications coordinator for the Recordable DVD Council.

The nine companies are Hitachi, LG Electronics (maker of Zenith products), Matsushita, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Thomson. Toshiba is not currently involved but is expected to join soon.

According to one estimate, the standard could be published as soon as mid-2003. Whether the standard will be backward-compatible with existing DVD formats is not yet clear.

The standard supports recording, playback, and rewriting of up to 27GB of data. That may sound like a lot, but it boils down to 13 hours of standard TV, 2 hours of digital high-definition TV, or a backup of one of today's gigantic hard drives.

In order to pack so much on a disc, the laser used to record the information will undergo a color change. Gone will be today's ruby laser; this new laser is blue-violet. The format is being called Blu-ray Disc. The blue-violet laser uses a shorter wavelength, which decreases beam spot size and increases recording density...

Yahoo News - Reuters: Intel to Release New Server Chips with 80% Boost
...its first server chips to use what it calls Hyper-threading technology to speed performance, are aimed at servers that have two processors each.

The Hyper-threading technology and its Netburst chip design can boost performance by 80 percent above currently available two-way servers that use Intel Xeon chips, the Santa Clara, California, company said...

...Hyper-threading technology essentially "tricks" the operating system software into thinking there are actually two microprocessors instead of one, said Lisa Hambrick, director for enterprise processor marketing...