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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/13/1998 5:24:00 PM
From: Flair	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "Bill Gates to testify before Congress". Reuters Story - February 13, 1998 16:51 WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Bill Gates will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, a committee spokeswoman said on Friday. "The committee is pleased that Mr. Gates has accepted the invitation to testify on March 3," said Jeanne Lopatto, spokeswoman for the committee chaired by Sen. Orrin Hatch.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/16/1998 1:53:00 PM
From: Flair	Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "Internet Explorer 5 on 3D". By Bob Trott and Ephraim Schwartz InfoWorld Electric Posted at 5:27 AM PT, Feb 14, 1998 Microsoft is forging ahead with an upgrade to Internet Explorer, preparing a graphics-friendly version of the browser that it hopes to make available by the end of the year, according to sources close to the company. Now in alpha testing, the upgrade -- currently dubbed Internet Explorer 5.0 -- will support the vector graphics file format, which is easier to deploy and has far-smaller file sizes than bit-mapped graphics. "You can render the image in any size or resolution you want and you lose nothing," said Peter Glaskowsky, a senior analyst at MicroDesign Resources, in Sunnyvale, Calif. "That's a big win. What you'll see is people will use tools like Illustrator and Freehand to produce Web art and won't have to guess at what resolution it will be displayed." For corporate customers, Microsoft will likely push the 3-D technology for CAD/CAM rendering, desktop conferencing, and other enterprise uses. "The desktop is evolving from GUI to a Web interface," said Michael Gotta, a program director at the Meta Group, in Stamford, Conn. "This is important for professional interfaces where better graphical engines can represent relationships between information and knowledge and get away from the GUI and page-based metaphor." The browser will include Intel's new Web graphics compression technology, QuickWeb, and add support for FTP uploads over TCP/IP networks, sources said. Netscape Navigator now supports FTP uploading and downloading. "If you use the FTP protocol you can grab a file on your desktop and drag it onto the browser," Gotta said. "It's a client/server way of doing file sharing. You can grab a Microsoft Word document and post it on a server for someone else to pull down." While Microsoft is slugging it out with the Department of Justice in court over the integration of Explorer with Windows 95, sources said the case is not affecting the company's development plans. "They'll offer the stand-alone browser regardless of what happens with Windows 98," which is due in the second quarter and will boast full integration with Explorer, said Dwight Davis, an analyst at Summit Strategies, in Seattle. "They won't talk much about it ... Why publicize the stand-alone iteration of it so opponents can say it is still a separate product?" The latest build is approximately four weeks old. Microsoft officials -- who would not comment on Explorer 5.0 -- have not indicated when the upgrade will become a beta release. "They haven't patched a lot of the fixes they have in [Explorer] 4.0," said one source familiar with the Explorer 5.0 alpha release, who requested anonymity. "They're leaving the code open-ended [in case] they have to go in a different direction by the release date." Microsoft will greatly enhance the browser's 3-D capabilities using the technology from its purchase of Dimension X.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/16/1998 1:58:00 PM
From: Flair	Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "Sound, vision invade PCs". infoworld.com By Jeff Walsh and Andy Santoni InfoWorld Electric Posted at 5:27 AM PT, Feb 14, 1998 Streaming multimedia is moving closer to the enterprise as products from companies such as Microsoft and Intel are enabled with standards, software, and hardware support. Next week RealNetworks will deliver a plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint 97 that will allow presentations to be produced in RealNetworks' RealVideo format. In addition to delivering the basic presentation, users can annotate and synchronize audio to the presentation using RealAudio. "This tie-in with PowerPoint 97 instantly connects the product with streaming media and legitimizes it for business purposes," said Jae Kim, an associate analyst at Paul Kagan Associates, in Carmel, Calif. The PowerPoint plug-in is part of RealNetworks' delivery of RealPublisher 5.1, a product with a $50 price tag that uses wizards to simplify the creation of streaming media. Corporate use will also increase as more standards are adopted, and companies no longer are locked into proprietary technologies. The International Organization for Standardization, commonly known as the ISO, this week adopted Apple's QuickTime file format as the starting point for creating MPEG-4 as a unified digital media storage format. Apple received support from industry heavy hitters -- IBM, Netscape, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics -- in proposing the QuickTime file format to the ISO. Microsoft had proposed using its Active Streaming Format as the basic file format, but the vendors supporting the specification said they chose QuickTime for its capability to read a variety of existing file formats. Up until now, end-users have had to re-purpose their media libraries if they switched between products, observers said. Attachmate, which used video materials for human resources training, previously stored this material in the MPEG-2 format. The company then had to decode this material when it decided to standardize on Real Networks' RealVideo format. "The fact that there could be a standard that everyone could use would help," said Fred Barrett, manager of electronic marketing tools at Attachmate, in Bellevue, Wash. Streaming media is more ubiquitous now that bandwidth constraints and hardware requirements are not as demanding, Barrett said. On the hardware side, Intel next week will fete its long-awaited i740 graphics accelerator chip, developed under the code-name Auburn, at the Intel Developers Forum, in San Jose, Calif. "The new chip is no faster than today's best 3-D accelerator," said Peter Glaskowsky, a senior analyst at MicroDesign Resources, in Sunnyvale, Calif. "But it is backed by Intel's powerful marketing machine." According to Brian Ekiss, graphics marketing manager at Intel, i740-based graphics boards should come from Asustek, Diamond Multimedia, Leadtek, Number Nine, Real3D, and STB.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/16/1998 4:04:00 PM
From: Brian Malloy	Respond to of 74651

As has been said on this thread before. This whole thing reference MSFT and NSCP is just a big smoke cloud. SUNW, ORACLE and IBM have done more to kill the NSCP browser and future upgrades than MSFT could even dream of doing. The only difference is that MSFT is considered a big bully and the other three are considered defenders of the Universe against the all mighty power of MSFT ;-). I prefer to just think of the three as backstabbers when it comes to their conduct with NSCP. NO, NETSCAPE ISN'T THROWING IN THE TOWEL The takeover rumors have receded, and it's still standing What would really help is some aid from the companies that have been past allies. But Barksdale may not be able to count on them. IBM, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun were happy to support Netscape when it was the Internet upstart challenging Microsoft. Some of them may be less eager to help Netscape compete for their corporate customers. Most are writing their own Net-based software. And so far, no company has said yes to Andreessen, who has been asking for help funding a new browser for so-called network computers. ''We like there to be competition,'' says David Roux, an Oracle executive vice-president. ''But it's not our business to subsidize other people's fights.'' Barksdale had better keep his sandbags handy. businessweek.com WHY I'M ROOTING FOR MICROSOFT A close look at its browser shows it should be linked with the operating system I don't want to belittle the public policy issues regarding Microsoft's dominance of desktop computing. If the company is using its near monopoly of operating systems to extend its control to the servers that run the Web, or to steer customers to Microsoft-run Web commerce sites, then it should be stopped. But it's clear to me that the incorporation of browsing and other Internet functions into Windows is a powerful innovation. It may be very inconvenient for Microsoft's competitors, but it's a big gain for consumers, who should be allowed to enjoy the benefits. businessweek.com

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/18/1998 5:50:00 PM
From: Flair	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, - "FedEx Backs Away From NCs In Favor Of Windows Machines" (02/17/98; 12:46 p.m. EST) By Mary Hayes and Stuart J. Johnston, InformationWeek A closely watched thin-client computing company is moving toward a strategy that would deal a giant blow to Java-based NC proponents such as Sun Microsystems. Federal Express, after months of testing different thin clients -- including Sun's JavaStations -- for a planned deployment of up to 75,000 desktops, is now focusing on a Microsoft Windows-oriented approach that includes both PCs and Win-based terminals. "We haven't found any NC product that would meet our needs," said Dennis Jones, executive vice president and chief investment officer for FDX, a newly formed holding company for FedEx. "With PC prices coming down to where NC prices were a year ago, we may very well choose PCs to serve in a thin-client role." FedEx was set last week to ink an initial deal with Hewlett-Packard, its primary PC supplier, for up to 1,000 HP PCs and Wyse Technology-built Win terminals. FedEx said it is not ready to award a contract for the full deployment, which sources said could be worth as much as $75 million. But several factors have caused FedEx to move away from Java-based NCs toward the Microsoft platform. ........................ Full text is in techweb.com

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/18/1998 5:54:00 PM
From: Flair	Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "Microsoft To Launch Office And Publisher This Spring" techweb.com (02/18/98; 12:36 p.m. EST) By Paula Rooney, Computer Retail Week This spring, Microsoft will launch a new version of its small-business edition of Office and an updated Publisher desktop publishing program. Microsoft Office 97 Small Business Edition 2.0, due to ship in late March, will incorporate the updated Publisher 98, Expedia Streets 98, Internet Explorer 4.0, and the updated Small Business Financial Manager 98, according to sources familiar with the Redmond, Wash., company's plans. The spring retail campaign promoting the enhanced suite will run from April through the end of May, retail sources said. Version 2.0, like its predecessor, will incorporate Word 97, Excel 97, and Outlook 97 and carry a suggested retail price of $499. Microsoft has Outlook 98 in beta testing, but that version will not ship with the updated suite as originally planned, sources said. The box will contain a coupon for a free upgrade to the e-mail application when it becomes available. The enhanced suite will also include a book about doing business on the Internet. Microsoft also plans to announce late this month Publisher 98 Deluxe, an updated desktop publishing program that features the company's Picture It image-editing application, more than 1,600 professional publication templates, and automated design guidance. It will also incorporate a redesigned wizard that lets users create professional color output, sources said. The deluxe version, which will ship in March, will carry a suggested retail price of $129.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/18/1998 5:57:00 PM
From: Flair	Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "Microsoft May Be Sending Win 98 Birth Announcements In May" techweb.com (02/18/98; 12:11 p.m. EST) Computer Retail Week Retailers reacted Tuesday with surprise to unconfirmed reports that Microsoft may move up the launch of Windows 98 to May 1. "I was told it would be July-August," said an executive at a national chain, echoing the expectations of most retailers contacted by CRW. He speculated the move could be timed to have Win 98 available within range of the introduction of Intel's 350-MHz and 400-MHz microprocessors this spring. If the Redmond, Wash., software giant can pull off a May 1 Win 98 launch, it appears PC makers may have to foot more of the bill to upgrade late purchasers of Win 95-based systems, said an executive at one clone maker. During the conversion from Win 3.11 to 95, PC makers offered a coupon for an inexpensive or free upgrade to the new operating system to PC purchasers who bought systems up to a month before the Win 95 launch. The cost to PC makers was said to be around $30. This time, said the source, Microsoft may charge as much as $55 for the upgrade. Microsoft hadn't responded to the reports at publishing deadline.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5125)	2/18/1998 6:00:00 PM
From: Flair	Respond to of 74651

Ibexx & all, "States and DOJ meet on Microsoft". By Dan Goodin Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM February 18, 1998, 1:00 p.m. PT Antitrust prosecutors from several states are preparing to meet next week with Justice Department officials to discuss strategies for legal action against Microsoft, sources familiar with the matter have told CNET's NEWS.COM. Prosecutors from six to a dozen states are expected to attend the session, which would be the first time federal and state officials have met face to face to discuss Microsoft's business practices. ...................... Full text is in news.com