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---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: Wednesday, December 08, 1999, 1:49 PM -0500
From: Faulkner Information Services <flash@faulkner.com>
To: ???
Subject: Faulkner Systems Flash - 12/08/99 - (Part 2 of 2)

Mergers/Acquisitions (Cont'd)

         Intel reported successful completion of its tender offer for all
outstanding shares of common stock of DSP Communications (DSPC). Intel also
reported it will complete the acquisition of all remaining shares by merging
its wholly owned subsidiary, CWC Acquisition, into DSP.
	 Lycos signed a definitive agreement to acquire Gamesville.com for $207
million. Gamesville will become part of the Lycos Network, adding a
multi-player game environment.
	 ISP PSINet took a minority stake in CSPSource, a small application service
provider. The move could signal further movies into the ASP market by
PSINet. CSPSource offers e-commerce packages designed to be resold by ISPs.
	 Siebel Systems closed its acquisition of OnTarget pursuant to the terms of
the definitive acquisition agreement executed on November 17.
	 Sybase reported that it will acquire Internet financial services company,
Home Financial Network, in a $130 million deal. The company plans to combine
HFN with Sybase's Financial Server business unit to create an independent
subsidiary

Operating Systems 
	 Computer Associates formed the CA Enterprise Linux Advisory Council, a
business initiative that will focus on identifying and defining new projects
and products that will address the needs of Enterprise Linux users. The
Council will work with CA's development team and include a diverse group of
companies, such as eToys, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Red Hat.
	 Top direct PC seller Dell Computer reported that it would begin installing
Red Hat Linux on its entire line of PowerEdge servers. Dell already offers
Linux on select models of its PCs and workstations, but doing factory
installs of Linux on its entire server line represents a much higher level
of commitment to the opensource platform. The move marks another victory for
Red Hat, which has taken a firm position as the industry's top Linux vendor.

PCs and NCs 
	 Apple enhanced its Power Mac G4 line to include the new Rage 128 Pro
graphics card, designed to offer up to a 40 percent increase in 3D graphics
performance and a digital video interface which supports Apple's
digitally-driven LCD displays. In addition, the 350 MHz configuration has
been upgraded to the same architecture used in the 400 MHz and 450 MHz
configurations, and comes with a DVD-ROM drive, AGP graphics and support for
Apple's AirPort wireless networking.

Peripherals 
	 WizCom Technologies launched a pen-sized, hand-held scanner that can store
up to 1,000 pages of printed text and then transfer the data to a personal
computer. The device, called the QuickLink Pen, measures six inches in
length and weighs three ounces. Data stored in the device can be inserted
directly into any computer applications that recognize ASCII text.

Personnel and Organizational Changes 
	 Carl Yankowski, a former executive at Sony and Reebok was appointed CEO of
3Com's Palm Division.
	 Deloitte & Touche appointed Steve Riordan as the firm's national director
of e-business consulting services for emerging strategic clients.
	 Informix laid off 66 employees in an effort to restructure and focus on
Internet businesses. Informix CEO Jean-Yves Dexmier said that the employees
laid off did not have necessary Internet skills. The former employees
represent less than two percent of Informix's work force.

Notebooks and Handhelds 
	 ICL introduced the Fujitsu TeamPad, a handheld computer that features
	 Radio Frequency (RF) wireless communications and an integrated bar-code
scanner. It is designed to offer retailers point-of-service capabilities.
	 RF Micro Devices rolled out a high-power, high-efficiency 1900MHz
CDMA/TDMA/PACS 3V linear amplifier. It is designed for use in handheld
digital PCS devices, PACS handsets and base stations, and spread spectrum
systems.

Security 
	 AXENT Technologies introduced the NetProwler/Intruder Alert SmartBundle,
	 an intrusion detection system which combines network and host-based
intrusion detection, a security assessment scanner, installation, training,
and one year of product upgrades and support. This includes the company's
NetRecon vulnerability scanner, which also offers test IDS implementation.
	 BorderWare Technologies introduced three security products designed to
secure e-business transactions. These offerings are based on the company's
BorderWare Firewall Server and its S-CORE operating system. The BorderWare
Office Gateway is an Internet gateway designed for businesses with ten users
or less. The BorderWare Document Gateway is can be used to store, share, and
publish files and documents over the Internet. BorderWare Mail Gateway
offers secure mail relay, virus and spam protection, and remote mail access
using a standard browser.
	 Computer Associates International and Symantec reported immediate
availability of upgrades for antivirus offerings, following detection of a
new Y2K virus that infects Windows and Windows NT environments through
e-mail. Like the Melissa virus, "W32.Mypics.Worm" sends itself to the first
50 MS Outlook e-mail addresses listed. It will then lie dormant, awaiting
the clock transition to year 2000, at which time it will create a file
(c:%5Ccbios.com) which will act as an autoexec.bat to preclude boot-up.

Servers 
	 Amdahl rolled out the Omniprise line of System/390-compatible servers.
Similar in performance and capacity to IBM's Multiprise 3000 family, the
Omniprise servers afford flexible configuration potential and high
availability, while also conforming to IBM Growth Opportunity License Charge
requirements for inexpensive applications costs.
	 Fujitsu introduced new 700MHz dual process servers to its series of
teamserver business servers. Designed for utilization as web,
workgroup/groupware, and departmental application servers, the Pentium
III-based models offer a potential 15 percent increase in processor
performance. Fujitsu Siemens Computers unveiled two Pentium III Xeon 8-way
	 servers as part of the new PRIMERGY line for enterprise applications. The
new models feature the technology of Siemen's PRIMERGY server management
and storage subsystem with the profusion architecture of the Fujitsu
teamserver. Hitachi introduced a line of strategic enterprise servers that
	 are designed to meet the Internet needs of medium-sized companies by
enabling them to use existing processing resources to build Web and
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
	 Interleaf's e-content company introduced a dynamic XML content server,
Bladerunner Web, that is designed to allow the publication of virtually any
format of content to a range of Web-enabled devices.
	 NEC reported it is developing a 64-bit enterprise server designed to
support up to 16 Intel Itanium processors that are based on the IA-64
architecture. The server's prototype is designed to run Microsoft's 64-bit
Windows operating system.
	 Progress Software introduced Version 3.2 of its Java application server,
Apptivity. Improvements included performance upgrades in page caching, data
base connection pooling, and page merging algorithms. 
	 Progress Software also introduced SonicMQ, a standalone enterprise Java
Message Service (JMS) server for global e-commerce.

Outsourcing 
	 USWeb/CKS unveiled iAMcommerce, an offering that bundles outsourced
applications with strategic consulting and backend integration services.
iAMcommerce, which was developed with the support of Microsoft, will charge
a monthly fee based on the capacity that customers use rather than on a flat
rate, as is typical among ASPs.

Storage 
	 Micron Technology introduced SyncFlash technology. The technology is
designed to allow DRAM and SyncFlash memory to reside on the same bus and
execute from a single DRAM memory controller. This is designed to simplify
system busing and eliminate the additional pins needed for a separate
flash-only memory interface.
	 Sun Microsystems introduced the Sun StorEdge L700 tape library, an
enterprise-class offering designed to address increasing tape backup
requirements spurred by Internet data growth. The system is designed to
allow customers to backup 3.5 TB of data in less than eight hours.

Super Computers 
	 IBM introduced a $100 million exploratory research initiative to build a
supercomputer 500 times more powerful than the current world's fastest
computers. The computer, nicknamed "Blue Gene" is expected to be capable of
more than one quadrillion operations per second (one petaflop).

Network/Systems Management 
	 Frontline Test Equipment reported that its Serialtest ComProbe is now
available for Windows NT. The software allows any Windows-based notebook or
desktop to function as a serial data and protocol analyzer. ComProbe can
analyze data being sent to and from a PC and a modem or a serial transport
device. Protocols supported include PPP, SLIP, TCP/IP, Frame Relay,
HDLC/SDLC, X.25, SNA, and Bisync.

Year 2000 
	 The Bank of Israel doubled the amount of cash allowed to circulate ahead
	 of an anticipated bank rush during the transition to the year 2000. Even
so, the bank said that there is no cause for concern; bank computers have
passed their Y2K tests. The banks in Israel will be closed Dec 31 through
January 2 to run system checks.
	 Argentina's Central Bank reported that its final round of testing for Year
2000 computer problems in the nation's banking sector found key systems
still ready to handle the date change. The tests, carried out on 112 banks
and other financial institutions, checked automatic teller machines and
other important systems.
	 Josef Capek, a spokesman for the Czech Republic's State Center for Nuclear
Safety, said that his country's nuclear plants will not be affected by the
Y2K computer bug, partly because they are not fully computerized yet. The
country has two nuclear power plants. One, the Temelin plant, designed by
the Soviet Union, will be switched off at midnight December 31. The other,
Dokovany, is run by an analog system and is therefore in no danger from Y2K.
	 Mykola Dudchenko, head of Ukraine's nuclear energy authority Energoatom,
stated that his country's systems would not be susceptible to the Y2K
computer bug. "We have checked and tested all equipment at all reactors.
These checks showed that there is no equipment at our stations susceptible
to the year 2000 problem in management, defense or security systems," said
Dudchenko at a press conference. According to a US government report,
computers are less prevalent in the Ukraine, making Y2K problems less likely
to occur.
	 Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi prepared a nationwide television
appeal to ease concerns about the Y2K bug. Nevertheless, he will still be on
hand on New Year's Eve in case a crisis breaks out. He will be joined by
some other ministers at his residence, and might hold a press conference
after midnight on January 1.
	 Airports and air traffic control systems around the world reported that
they completed their Y2K programs and are ready for the date rollover,
according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The
association, which has been monitoring airport and air traffic service
providers for year 2000 compliance, said its data showed "a high level of
Y2K readiness in all regions."
	 Japan reported that it would put tens of thousands of military personnel
	 on alert at the end of the year to deal with possible Y2K-related
problems. About 96,000 Self-Defense Forces staff will be on call throughout
the country for two days from New Year's Eve to deal with possible
emergencies triggered by the Year 2000 (Y2K) computer glitches, officials
at the Defense Agency said.
	 Ijaz Khawaja, Pakistan's national Y2K coordinator, said that the country's
airports, hospitals and at least one major electrical company remain
vulnerable to the Y2K bug. While Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority says
that the airports will be ready in the first week of December, Khawaja
pointed out that they've consistently missed deadlines, and even if they
make this one it doesn't leave much time for testing. As a result, Pakistan
International Airlines might choose to keep its planes on the ground between
6 PM December 31 and noon January 1.
	 Sergei Gorbunov, a spokesman for the Russian Space Agency, said that Mir
will not suffer any problems due to the Y2K bug. The 13-year-old orbital
station is scheduled to be abandoned and sent into the Pacific Ocean
sometime after August next year. The station's computer systems have been
upgraded several times since being launched in 1986.
	 Representative Stephen Horn (R-CA) gave the US government a "B-Plus" grade
for its handling of the Y2K bug but stated that air traffic control and
services for the poor caused continued concern. Horn chairs the House
Government Reform subcommittee tracking Y2K readiness. He stated that
progress has been made since he awarded a failing grade three years ago but
said that important areas of government activity were still not ready. An
FAA spokesman disagreed with Horn's assessment that air traffic control
systems are not ready for the date change.
	 The government of Turkey said it will close the Bosphorus strait to sea
traffic for ships weighing more than 3000 tons for 12 hours from 1600 GMT on
December 31 to minimize possible effects from the millennium bug problem in
computers. The government will also forbid ships longer than 200 meters from
going through the strait unless they present certificates of Y2K compliance
and state that their cargo is not dangerous.

		 Lauren Newman

COMPANY WEB SITES

Advanced Micro Devices	http://www.amd.com/
Affinity Internet Holdings	http://www.affinity.com/
Allaire	http://www.allaire.com/
Amazon.com	http://www.amazon.com/
Amdahl	http://www.amdahl.com/
American Management Systems	http://www.ams.com/
AOL	http://www.aol.com/
Apple	http://www.apple.com/
Ardent Software	http://www.ardent.com/
Ariba	http://www.ariba.com/
AXENT Technologies	http://www.axent.com/
BorderWare Technologies	http://www.borderware.com/
Bull	http://www.bull.com/
Cap Gemini	http://www.capgemini.com/
Chase Manhattan	http://www.chase.com/
Chrystal Software	http://www.chrystal.com/
Compaq	http://www.compaq.com/
Computer Associates	http://www.cai.com/
CSC	http://www.csc.com/
CSI	http://www.choiceseat.net.com/
Dell	http://www.dell.com/
Deloitte & Touche	http://www.dttus.com/
Department of Justice	http://www.usdoj.gov/
Deutsche Bank 24	http://www.deutsche-bank-24.de/
DSP Communications (DSPC)	http://www.dspc.com/
eBay	http://www.ebay.com/
EDS	http://www.eds.com/
Electronic Data Systems	http://www.eds.com/
Enron Communications	http://www.enron.com/
Ernst & Young	http://www.ey.com/
Excite@Home	http://www.home.net/
Extricity Software	http://www.extricity.com/
FAA	http://www.faa.gov/
First Union	http://www.firstunion.com/
Frontline Test Equipment	http://www.fte.com/
Fujitsu	http://www.Fujitsu.co.jp/
Fujitsu Siemens Computers	http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/
Gamesville.com	http://www.gamesville.com/
Getronics	http://www.payment.nl/
Hewlett-Packard	http://www.hp.com/
Hitachi	http://www.hitachi.co.jp/
Hyperion	http://www.hyperion.com/
IBM	http://www.ibm.com/
ICL	http://www.icl.com/
Informix	http://www.informix.com/
Inktomi	http://www.inktomi.com/
Inprise	http://www.borland.com/
Intel	http://www.intel.com/
Interleaf	http://www.interleaf.com/
Justice Department	http://www.usdoj.gov/
KPMG	http://www.kpmg.com/
Lawson Software	http://www.lawson.com/
Lotus	http://www.lotus.com/
Lycos	http://www.lycos.com/
Micron Technology	http://www.micron.com/
Microsoft	http://www.microsoft.com/
NEC	http://www.nec.com/
Nokia	http://www.nokia.com/
NTT Communications	http://www.ntt.com/
OnTarget	http://www.ontarget.com/
Oracle	http://www.oracle.com/
PricewaterhouseCoopers	http://www.pwcglobal.com/
Progress Software	http://www.progress.com/
PSINet	http://www.psi.net/
QUALCOMM	http://www.qualcomm.com/
RealNetworks	http://www.realnetworks.com/
Receipt.com	http://www.receipt.com/
Red Hat	http://www.redhat.com/
Reebok	http://www.reebok.com/
RF Micro Devices	http://www.rfmd.com/
Salesforce.com	http://www.salesforce.com/
SAP	http://wwwe.sap.com/
SAS Institute	http://www.sas.com/
SGI	http://www.sgi.com/
Siebel Systems	http://www.siebel.com/
Siemens	http://www.siemens.com/
Sony	http://www.sony.com/
Sprint PCS	http://www.sprint.com/
Sun Microsystem	http://www.sun.com/
Sybase	http://www.sybase.com/
Symantec	http://www.symantec.com/
Tegic Communications	http://www.tegic.com/
Texas Instruments	http://www.ti.com/
Tivoli Systems	http://www.tivoli.com/
USWeb/CKS	http://www.uswebcks.com/
Verio	http://www.veriointeractive.com/
Wells Fargo	http://www.wellsfargo.com/
WizCom Technologies	http://www.wizcom.com/
Xerox	http://www.xerox.com/
XUMA	http://www.xuma.com/
Yahoo	http://www.yahoo.com/

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---------- End Forwarded Message ----------



Missy Harvey
Computer Science Librarian
Engineering & Science Library
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA  15213

http://www.library.cmu.edu/usr/missy/

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