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Technology Stocks : All About Sun Microsystems -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lee who wrote (33085)	6/26/2000 10:00:00 AM
From: alydar	Respond to of 64865

Justice Department lawyers might think it no coincidence that Microsoft has chosen Sept. 14 as the release date for Windows Me. On Sept. 14, 1901, President McKinley took his last gasp, eight days after being shot by Leon Czolgosz. And in Microsoft's case, Windows Me (Millennium Edition) will be the last gasp for Windows 98, which was supposed to have been replaced by Windows 2000 but will instead be replaced by something still in development, code-named Whistler. Meanwhile, Windows 2000 is the new name for Windows NT. Is that conspiracy, or what? Beta versions of Windows Me have gotten some good press. And we have Microsoft's pious assertion that Me enhances ``PC health,'' which sounds as if it will occasionally work as advertised. But not to worry if it doesn't, because one of the new features, Microsoft says, will be ``System Restore, which enables users to roll back their PC software configuration to a date or time when it was working properly.'' How reassuring, and what an improvement over the October 1999 edition of Windows 98, which carried no built-in assumption that it ever worked properly (although it does, occasionally, just to keep users off balance). Another improvement is ``System File Protection, which prevents the accidental or unauthorized overwriting of critical system files; and AutoUpdate, which can automatically download important Microsoft updates without user intervention.'' Gee whiz! Protecting system files - what will they think of next? And automatically dialing up for bug fixes the manufacturer neglected before selling the program to you. Wow! Windows Me will also have a Home Networking Wizard in case you want to spread the frustration in your house among several users, and what is billed as ``simplified USB networking.'' Anyone trying to make a USB device work with the current version is probably convinced that USB is an acronym for ``U Sonofa B----,'' so any improvements there will be welcome indeed. The system also has utilities for handling digital media, as in pictures, video and sound, and an improved version of Internet Explorer. All this will be available as a $109 upgrade for current Windows users and at $209 for those who have somehow avoided Windows this long and are only now surrendering. So what to do? Windows Me is said to be the last DOS-based edition of Windows; and Whistler, which is based on Windows NT-Windows 2000, won't be ready until at least 2001. So if you buy much software, particularly games that tend to be on the cutting edge, you'll probably want to submit to Me. Besides, Microsoft's legal bills have been running higher lately, and it might need the money. But check your hardware first: The minimum requirements are a 150-megahertz Pentium or better with 32 megabytes of RAM and 320 megabytes of hard disk. But if you want to run Windows Me with all the optional bells and whistles, you'll need a 300-megahertz processor, 64 megabytes of RAM, 2 gigabytes of hard disk space, DVD-ROM drive, video capture card, TV tuner card and other widgets. The easiest way to check the requirements is, of course, at the Web site: microsoft.com. Questions and comments are welcome. Mail to Larry Blasko, AP, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020-1666. Or e-mail via the Internet to lblasko(at)ap.org. AP-NY-06-26-00 0754EDT Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

To: Steve Lee who wrote (33085)	6/26/2000 10:07:00 AM
From: JDN	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 64865

Dear Steve: You must have a rich girlfriend!! Anyhow, dont know if this has been posted as read your post before going to thread and I am so thrilled about this PR I just have to post it. JDN Sun Servers at Head of the Class Sun Continues Its Commanding Lead over HP and IBM in the UNIX Server Market - Stellar Performance Marks 12th Consecutive Quarter As the Number One Vendor PALO ALTO, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Lead by accelerating demand for its entry-level systems, Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) brought home top scores and widened its lead over IBM and HP in the UNIX(R) server market. According to International Data Corporation's (IDC) Q1CY00 Server Tracker report, Sun shipped twice as many UNIX servers as HP and nearly three times as many as IBM -- ending the quarter with a resounding 38 percent share. It was the 12th consecutive quarter that Sun lead in UNIX server shipments. Sun was also number one in UNIX server revenue with 32 percent market share -- a category the company has led for five consecutive quarters. The IDC report reinforces Sun's leading position in the UNIX server market. Sun(TM) servers continue to be voted "most popular" UNIX platform with corporate data centers as well as fast-growing service provider, e-commerce and dot-com companies. Customers are looking for high service levels, at low service cost and with low risk -- all while managing unpredictable user workloads and changing application environments. And Sun servers with the UltraSPARC(TM) processors and Solaris(TM) Operating Environment are delivering the highest grades. "Sun's aggressive, focused and seamless strategy continues to be a key differentiator and a competitive advantage as we're obviously aceing the test with customers," said Shahin Khan, vice president, product marketing and planning of system products at Sun. "Sun servers offer a unique blend of scalability and binary compatibility that is helping us grow faster than our competition. And while HP and IBM try to make up ground with new offerings, the marketshare numbers show that they're not scoring points where it counts -- customer choice is the true test." Astounding Growth Fueled by Commanding Lead in the Entry Server Market Sun servers continue at an unparalled growth rate. The company posted 51 percent higher shipments and 27 percent more revenue in Q1CY00 than in the same period last year, and in the process outpaced its nearest rivals in both UNIX and total (UNIX, Windows NT and other platforms) server markets. This growth was propelled by astounding performance in the entry-level UNIX server space where the popularity of the Sun Enterprise(TM) workgroup, Sun Enterprise 3500 and Netra(TM) servers were responsible for a whopping 62 percent growth rate (Q1CY00 over Q1CY99) to take a staggering 39 percent of the market in unit shipments -- well more than double the next closest vendor, HP with 16 percent. Sun also led this class in revenue scoring 39 percent of the market and a 29 percent quarter-over-quarter growth rate. This quarter's number one ranking in the UNIX entry server class marks 9 consecutive quarters of leadership in UNIX revenue and 12 consecutive quarters in shipments. In addition, the IDC report reinforces the continued success of the Sun Enterprise 10000 server, also known as Starfire. With this system, Sun solidified its leadership position in the high-end UNIX category with 83 percent revenue growth and 42 percent marketshare. Sun also led this segment with 51 percent unit marketshare, compared to HP and IBM which had 23 percent and 5 percent respectively.