Stories by IDG staff

Microsoft the Finding: Users speak out

Peter Rogers, IT infrastructure manager, Southcorp: "It's a decision we've been wanting for some time. "Microsoft seems to have a strong market share and monopoly, and the user community has suffered commercially."

Sun Consolidates Tools Offering, Buys Java IDE

With the goal of simplifying its tools and application-server offerings, Sun Microsystems Inc. last week added to its technology holdings, announcing the purchase of Java tools vendor, NetBeans, and completing its acquisition of enterprise software vendor, Forte.

Job Universe launches down under

IDG yesterday launched its latest Web service, JobUniverse, http://www.jobuniverse.com.au , a comprehensive online recruitment solution that combines the company's global reach with the market leadership of Australian online IT recruitment specialist Jobnet.

CIA Forms IT Firm

The CIA last week announced the creation of a commercial firm to conduct cutting-edge research on how information technologies can transform the way the intelligence community operates.

Telstra fails to meet service specs, ACA investigates

The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) announced this week that it will investigate the extent of Telstra's noncompliance with the customer service guarantee (CSG) standard following a decline in the carrier's service responsiveness.
ACA reported in its 'Telecommunications Performance Monitoring Bulletin' for the June 1999 quarter, released this week, that Telstra had failed to meet customer service guarantee standards in a number of areas.

New Dictionary Defines Cyber-Threats

The first official dictionary defining terms used to discuss computer systems vulnerabilities was released yesterday, and while it may be scary reading for laymen, it's been long-awaited by those working to defend against cyber-threats.

Web Watch

Free stuff online! We've reviewed the top e-mail, calendar, Web hosting, and community sites on the Net. Our picks are fast and efficient, feature-rich and advertising-poor -- and in most cases, you won't find them on portal sites. We've also tracked down the best free Windows and Web utilities, and the best sites for tech support.

IBM's DB2 update sharpens competition

The latest incarnation of IBM's DB2 Enterprise Edition 6.1 is a worthwhile upgrade for current customers and must be considered by companies seeking a stellar database solution. In particular, this version of DB2 is well-suited to sites with high-volume, complex electronic-commerce initiatives.

Compaq Diverts Tru64 to alpha

Compaq Computer Corp.'s move to stop Tru64 Unix development on Intel Corp.'s upcoming IA-64 chip architecture effectively ends its efforts to make Tru64 Unix a mass-volume operating system.

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