Coop's Scoop: Gaga for gigahertz and other St. Patty's Day hijinks
Far more worthy fare is being served up at George Mason University, which is sponsoring a cross-fertilization conference for heavyweights from government and the Internet. The subject du jour: What will -- or should - the new cyber order look like, and how do we go about drawing up a road map.
Is the Linux thrill gone? Caldera's IPO is on tap, but sharp correction in Linux issues may signal that the IT world's embrace of the OS may be a lot slower than many investors believed.
IBM will share more details on its pervasive computing initiative. Hats off to the PR genius who thought Paris would be the best locale for the announcement. Hey, it beats Armonk, N.Y.! This is part and parcel of Big Blue's EON (Edge of the Network) wireless effort. This time around the company is announcing the software and services pieces to accompany the hardware that got trotted out earlier this month.
Xerox, in danger of becoming know as the "Who Cares?" company, will announce its latest small-office, home-office push. After a string of disappointments, CEO Rick Thoman badly needs a home run.
Look for the Webby Awards to announce nominees for slots in 27 Internet categories. I'm hoping there's a category for most handsome bald pundit.
So Admiral Halsey has turned in his stripes at CNet, turning over day-to-day to a subordinate as he retreats to his Fortress of Solitude as full-time visionary. Anyway you slice it, this guy has had a remarkable career. Hard to say what's next on tap, although associates say his ultimate ambition is to replicate the success of his hero, Ted Turner. If so, he doubtless knows Jane Fonda remains -- currently -- available.
Fresh from the PR triumph of its X-Box rollout, Microsoft was left stuttering when it came to questions about why it remained mum about lingering holes in Win95 and Win98 that could lead to system crashes. Meanwhile, Redmond will face a challenge meeting its self-imposed deadline to ship its Millennium upgrade on time. Beta testers say the interim releases remain buggy, although Microsoft says all is hunky-dory. Seems that I've seen this movie already.
Lou Gerstner got it right when he urged the industry to wake up and take responsibility for resolving the embarrassing privacy flaps that still haunt the cyberscene. Bottom line from Big Lou: If private industry doesn't step up to the plate, the government will. Who can tell how this will play out? Mealy-mouthed excuses and promises from suits at DoubleClick don't exactly inspire much confidence that these guys really get it.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com had an epiphany of sorts, which he shared with the world in an open letter about the subject of patents on his company's Web site. Polite and conciliatory, he nonetheless remained adamant about not giving up Amazon's patents. The critics believe Bezos & Co. is using patents to curtail competition. If this was an attempt to douse the flames, Amazon miscalculated. If anything, Bezos only fanned the controversy.
Does anyone really think it matters who shipped the first 1GHz system? AMD wins bragging rights because its Monday announcement beat Intel's by a couple of days. This battle will turn on who does a better job convincing PC makers to take their chips.
Dunno if it was a harbinger, but it was interesting to watch Intel snatch a deal away from AMD at the 11th hour to provide Microsoft with the processors for its X-Box.
Beside the fact that it grossly overpaid for the privilege, what should we take away from the multibillion-dollar acquisition of Network Solutions by Verisign? Does the word "monopoly" ring a bell?
Don't shed too many tears for Qwest, now that its awkward attempt to get acquired by Deutsche Telecom is kaput. Greed was the order of the day, and if not for the threat of a lawsuit, these guys were ready to leave prospective bride U.S. West at the alter.
Halsey Minor quits as CNet CEO
Bezos calls for patent reform
Millennium meltdown?
Transmeta CEO previews Crusoe devices
Chip upstart takes on Intel
Cyber slacking pays off
Linux: Is the thrill gone?
Chip makers not stopping at 1GHz
Hacker nailed for Web defacement
Gerstner to industry: Take responsibility
Verisign buys Network Solutions
Deutsche Telecom fails in 'Qwest'