Digital faces tough market for Altavista
Article Abstract:
DEC declares its intention to make its Altavista Internet Software unit into a separate company, but the stock may suffer a cool reception, as stocks in the other Internet search companies falter. SEC filings indicate that DEC may raise as much as $50 million through a public offering of 20% of the Altavista unit. Some speculate that DEC's true motive is not to raise capital, since it had $2 billion in cash in Jul 1996, but to improve the company's image and bring attention to its cutting-edge technology. DEC had been recovering in the period from 1994 to 1996, but it suffered severe losses in the quarter ending Jul 1996. The spinoff allows DEC to remove some losses from its balance sheet, since the unit lost $30 million in FY 1996 and is unlikely to produce profits in the short term. The new company also provides an incentive to DEC employees to develop new technologies, since its officers will have the option to buy stock in it.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
I.B.M. prepares Lotus-based software for intranet use
Article Abstract:
IBM plans to incorporate Internet standards and features from Lotus Notes into new software, code-named Domino, designed for use on intranets. Domino will make it easier for businesses to handle their internal networks while permitting a number of inexperienced users to access information using Web browsers. The new software reflects IBM's efforts to move away from the proprietary nature of Notes and develop standards-compliant products. Domino will use the Notes replication feature, which allows users to update information across the entire network. Notes-based replication is more powerful than Internet-based replication, since the Notes technology only updates the information that is changed, while the Internet technology requires that the entire file be copied, causing more network traffic and bottlenecks. Some observers claim the inclusion of the Notes features negates IBM's claim that Domino is standards-based.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Browser moves by Microsoft make even Netscape blink
Article Abstract:
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and Netscape CEO James Barksdale participate in a panel of Internet 'masterminds,' and Barksdale claims that the Web server market is far more important than the browser market. Netscape dominated the browser market for a period, but Microsoft is making gains, announcing at the event that Prodigy would designate the Internet Explorer as the browser of choice for its on-line service. Microsoft's browser is now preferred by all three major on-line services as well as MCI, Netcom and AT&T's Worldnet service. Microsoft plans to include its browser in the next version of Windows 95, and the company's operating systems are in use on roughly 85% of all PCs. In an interview after the event, Barksdale alleges that Microsoft is violating a 1994 consent decree signed with the Justice Department that bars Microsoft from using anti-competitive practices.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Earnings up 58% in quarter for Microsoft. Microsoft poses a riddle for the street. Novell net more than doubled in first quarter
- Abstracts: Microsoft backs ratings system for the Internet. Microsoft joins Compuserve to battle leaders on Internet
- Abstracts: Software flaw allows viruses within E-mail. Netscape and Microsoft are cleared on exports. New Netscape software flaw is discovered
- Abstracts: Radio days aren't on Broadway. Why Web search engines may speed past missing links. Getting the mail resent
- Abstracts: Microsoft plans new bid for Internet control. Harm found to the image of Microsoft: survey sees decline in brand reputation