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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scrapps who wrote (15644)	5/23/1998 10:03:00 AM
From: Moonray	Respond to of 22053

djane's notes from ASND's Thursday shareholder meeting: Message 4549678 Message 4553328 o~~~ O

To: Scrapps who wrote (15644)	5/23/1998 11:45:00 AM
From: Moonray	Respond to of 22053

Schwab Says SEC Examines Computers for Year 2000 Compliance Washington, May 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, adding a wrinkle to its effort to guard against the Year 2000 software problem, inspected computer preparations at Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., the largest online brokerage. The agency is taking a series of steps to make sure the Year 2000 computer bug doesn't wreak havoc in financial markets. These initiatives include a rule proposal that would require the nation's 2,200 largest brokerages to report on measures they're taking to ready their software for the turn of the millennium. San Francisco-based Schwab disclosed in a comment letter on the rule proposal that the SEC even resorted to on-site inspections of the company's computer preparations in December. The agency made similar inspections at other major brokerages, said W. Hardy Callcott, Schwab's deputy general counsel. ''They are going around to a bunch of different brokerage firms and looking at their Year 2000 plans,'' Callcott said in a recent interview. ''We were one of the earlier ones they looked at because we are very large and electronically oriented.'' Indeed, Schwab had some 1.63 million online accounts at the end of April, according to a spokesman. These online customers generated an average of 60,200 daily trades during the first quarter of 1998, up from an average of 34,100 for the same period in 1997. Whether the SEC has been to other brokerages couldn't be confirmed. Officials declined comment at several major securities firms, including Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Merrill Lynch & Co.; and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. Sheila Slevin, an assistant director in the SEC's office of automation surveillance, also refused to comment on the inspections. Slevin did say the SEC is scheduled to deliver a progress report to Congress next month on brokerage industry steps to inoculate itself against the ''millennium bug.'' The potential problem stems from the fact that many computers read only the last two digits of a year, which can lead them to interpret ''00'' as 1900 rather than 2000. The misinterpretation could be particularly costly for businesses that rely heavily on date-related information, including the financial services industry. On-site inspections emphasize the high priority the SEC has given to making sure securities industry computers can deal with the Year 2000. The agency already has postponed several other initiatives -- such as a switch to decimal pricing of stocks -- to let securities firms concentrate on the Year 2000 fix. The SEC division of market regulation has an automation review policy program staffed by specialists who examine computers at stock exchanges, the Nasdaq Stock Market, and clearing agencies for items such as capacity and safety. While the program doesn't have the resources to visit every brokerage, the specialists could visit some of the largest securities firms. During the visit to Schwab, the SEC inspectors had a fairly standard set of questions, Callcott said. Schwab brought in different people to speak on topics such as contingency planning, budgets, and relations with third party vendors, Callcott said. Preparing for the Year 2000 means going through many thousands of lines of computer code, and Schwab said in the April 16 comment letter that it is ''devoting extensive resources'' to the task. Callcott estimated the company will spend between $35 million and $45 million to update its core brokerage systems. While Schwab expects to be ready for Year 2000 with plenty of time to spare, the brokerage is worried that others in the securities industry won't be prepared. The company said in the comment letter that it's concerned failures at other firms could have a ripple effect on Schwab customers and investors generally. ''We have electronic interfaces with a vast variety of different companies,'' Callcott said. ''If those people aren't (Year 2000) compliant, at the minimum we could lose a service we are offering to our clients.'' o~~~ O

To: Scrapps who wrote (15644)	5/26/1998 10:05:00 AM
From: Moonray	Respond to of 22053

Slip.Net - First ISP to Offer v.90 56k Modem Internet Access 08:20 a.m. May 25, 1998 Eastern SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Slip.Net ( slip.net ) a leading Internet Service Provider, is the first ISP to offer the new v.90 56k modem standard. Customers now have a choice of staying with the current "x2" or "56kFlex" modem technology or upgrading to the v.90 56k standard. All three technologies provide the Internet user with modem access speeds up to 56kbps. This can be up to twice the modem speed of a traditional 28.8 modem. "While other vendors are still talking about potential shipping dates, 3Com US Robotics V.90 modems are in the shop today, giving net surfers the best Internet experience available from a normal phone line," said Burk Murray, Director, Product Management, 3Com. Slip.Net continues to blaze new trails for consumer and business Internet Services. "By offering Internet access with the new v.90, 56k modem standard, this opens up a whole new market of Internet users who had no ISP to support them," said Jim Lincoln, Marketing Manager at Slip.Net. "Until now, there were no ISP's who had adopted this new technology standard. "Slip.Net has continually been the first ISP to offer new technology advancements and services to the Internet community." Slip.Net is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To learn more about Slip.Net -- Full Service Internet, visit their Web site at slip.net or call 800-SLIP-NET. About Slip.Net Slip.Net is a Nationwide ISP based in the San Francisco that provides a full-service approach to the Internet. For the business and consumer markets, Slip.Net offers a complete line of connectivity and hosting products, leveraging its technology and expertise to deliver solutions tailored to a customer's specific needs. SOURCE Slip.Net o~~~ O