Stories by James Niccolai

LinuxOne offers a lite version for the masses

Users who are eager to try out the Linux operating system but don't have a lot of technical know-how may have a friend in LinuxOne. The software firm has released a version of Linux that has been simplified especially for first-time users of the OS.

StorageTek to cut up to 1,750 jobs as profits dive

Despite an earlier warning that profits would be down, Storage Technology yesterday reported lower-than-expected earnings of 5 cents per share for its third quarter. The network storage company also revealed plans to cut up to 1,750 jobs as part of a broad restructuring plan designed to save $US150 million.

ISPCon99: 3Com Chief Heralds 'eNetworks'

Tomorrow's networks must be more reliable, easier to use, and able to handle rich applications that merge voice, video and data if they are to support the emerging "knowledge economy," Eric Benhamou, chief executive officer of 3Com Corp., said today.

Sun Earnings Jump 32 Percent in First Quarter

Sun Microsystems Inc. said first-quarter earnings jumped 32 percent over the previous year, to 33 cents per share, on record revenues of $3.1 billion.
The results beat by two pennies a consensus estimate of financial analysts, who expected Sun to show a profit of 31 cents per share, according to First Call Corp. Last year the company reported earnings of 25 cents per share in the same quarter.

Intel Q3 earnings up but miss analysts' mark

Intel reported third-quarter earnings of $US1.9 billion, or 55 cents per share, excluding costs related to acquisitions, missing analyst's expectations by two cents per share, the company said today.

Alliance formed to secure PCs for e-commerce

Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel and Microsoft have formed the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, which aims to develop standard security technologies for use in personal computers, the companies said yesterday.

Microsoft to launch shopping Wallet for consumers

Microsoft said it will launch a new service this week called Passport Wallet, which allows consumers to store credit card, billing and other information at a single location and use it to shop at multiple online stores.

Sun Outlines Plan for Powerful Multimedia Chip

Sun Microsystems Inc. is developing a powerful microprocessor that will be capable of transmitting video, audio and graphics in real time over broadband networks, officials said.
Bill Joy, a Sun founder and the company's chief scientist, positioned the chip as a powerful engine for running new multimedia applications expected to emerge as broadband Internet access becomes more widespread among businesses and consumers. Joy made his comments in a speech Tuesday at the Microprocessor Forum in San Jose, California.

Nortel aims at Net with optical technology

Nortel Networks yesterday took the wraps off of a high-speed optical switching and routing technology that it says will help meet the surging need for bandwidth on the internet and relieve traffic congestion.

Cisco buys into online customer management

Cisco officials said yesterday the company has agreed to buy privately held WebLine Communications for $US325 million in stock. WebLine makes software that helps companies build online customer service and commerce applications.

Intel, Microsoft step up network security

With more and more sensitive data being exchanged over networks, Intel and Microsoft officials said on Tuesday the companies are building new features into their products aimed at making it easier for organisations to create networks with built-in security features.

Lucent boss sees high-speed, converged networks

Networks are at the dawn of a revolution that will see capacities increase by as much as 250 times by 2005, while usage costs will remain more or less constant, Rich McGinn, chairman and CEO of Lucent Technologies, said here yesterday.

Andreessen steps down as CTO at AOL

Marc Andreessen has stepped down from the post of chief technology officer at America Online less than seven months after he took the job.

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