Edupage, 12 July 1999
EDUCAUSE
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association dedicated to transforming education through
information technologies.
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TOP STORIES for July 12, 1999
Apple to Launch New Range of Portable Computers
Commerce Threatens to Weaken NSI's Grip
Federal Agents, Recruiters Crash Hackers Confab
Another State Computer Project Fails
ALSO
More Colleges Encouraging Students to Apply Online
The Art of the New E-Deal
New Life for Old PCs
The Next E-volution
APPLE TO LAUNCH NEW RANGE OF PORTABLE COMPUTERS
Apple is expected to launch a new line of consumer-oriented
portable computers next week. The computers, which may be
unveiled July 21, will feature an attractive design and a choice
of several colors. The computers are expected to be similar to
competing products in other features and price. Industry
consultants such as Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies have
predicted that the new portables, in addition to the successful
iMac, will boost Apple's sales by appealing to a younger market.
In light of the company's new offerings, analysts are looking
favorably upon Apple's shares. Apple shares reached a six-year
high last week and closed on Friday at $55.125, nearly a 30
percent gain over the past two weeks.
(Financial Times 07/12/99)
COMMERCE THREATENS TO WEAKEN NSI'S GRIP
The Commerce Department warned Network Solutions (NSI) that it
could lose its right to assign and manage Internet addresses if
it does not further open its business to competition. NSI has
long held a monopoly on the registration of all Internet
addresses ending in .com, .org, and .net. Last year, the
company agreed to open the business to competitors; five new
companies are now preparing or have already started to compete
with NSI on a test basis. However, the process has been delayed
by technical glitches and ongoing negotiations. Critics find
that NSI is delaying the start of competition by requiring that
it maintain control over the domain name database that it
created. NSI has proposed to charge rivals to manage addresses
in the master database and claims that its list of current
address holders does not have to be shared with competitors.
(Washington Post 07/10/99)
FEDERAL AGENTS, RECRUITERS CRASH HACKERS CONFAB
Among participants of the recent Defcon annual computer hacker
convention were corporate recruiters, anti-hacking software
developers, and federal agents. Defcon invited computer hackers
worldwide to participate in its seventh annual conference,
located in Las Vegas. Also in attendance were legitimate
businesses, highlighting the often symbiotic relationship
between hackers and members of the software and network-security
fields. Business members attended Defcon to recruit programmers
and to gather information needed to strengthen security systems.
Undercover federal agents also attended the conference, and
often found themselves participating in an ongoing game of "Spot
the Fed," in which those who locate an investigator receive an
"I Spotted the Fed" T-shirt and the target gets an "I'm the Fed"
shirt. (Wall Street Journal 07/12/99)
ANOTHER STATE COMPUTER PROJECT FAILS
California has recently declared another costly computer project
a failure, indicating a need for new techniques in developing
technology projects. For at least the fifth time this decade,
California's state government has spent millions of dollars on a
failed computer project. This project, the Statewide Automated
Welfare System-Technical Architecture, would have linked four
welfare networks to allow welfare offices in different counties
to communicate with each other. California's string of failures
can be attributed mainly to a difficulty in adapting to change.
Legislators are often removed from technology, and therefore may
not realize the importance of these projects. Political power
may also complicate the projects, as local elected officials may
protest sacrificing their individual systems to a central
design. To prevent further failures, the state plans to
incorporate business solutions such as dividing projects into
smaller tasks, choosing experienced managers, hiring independent
consultants to oversee each phase, and involving in every design
the potential users of the project.
(Los Angeles Times 07/12/99)
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MORE COLLEGES ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO APPLY ONLINE
As home computer use becomes more common, a number of colleges
have begun encouraging prospective students to submit
applications online rather than through postal mail. Many
schools, such as Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia,
introduced online applications in response to criticisms from
students and parents that have often discarded their typewriters
in favor of computers. Yet some schools have rejected the
online process, finding that online applications may be less
carefully prepared because they are so easy to submit. Some
admissions officials have found that online applicants may be
less likely to complete their application by sending transcripts
and recommendations through postal mail. Others protest that
online applications cater to the upper classes, excluding
economically disadvantaged students from application to college.
(Washington Post 07/12/99)
THE ART OF THE NEW E-DEAL
Big companies such as Dell Computer, Boeing, Ford Motor, and
Microsoft are negotiating "reciprocal trade agreements" with
vendors to offer discounts on one company's products and
services to the employees of another company. For example, Ford
can dangle the possibility of its 100,000 employees becoming
Dell customers when it is at the bargaining table with the
computer vendor. Ford's Employee Purchase Program, launched in
March, gives Dell direct access to Ford's employees, and the
company may add its retirees, dealers, and contract workers to
the program as well. Ford employees are given a special
password to a Dell Web page where they can order products at a
discount. Ford has another agreement with Microsoft that allows
Ford employees to buy a discounted license for Microsoft Office
for home use if they have it on their desktop at work. Meanwhile,
Ford is also considering giving discounts on its vehicles to Dell
customers. (InfoWorld 07/05/99)
NEW LIFE FOR OLD PCS
New software provides Internet access to old, pre-Internet PCs.
NewDeal has announced the release of the NewDeal Web Suite,
which provides Internet access, e-mail, and chat capabilities to
any system with at least 10MB of hard disk space and 640K of
memory. The software features a Web browser and advanced
functions such as instant chat and Web page editing. The
software caters to the 30 million to 60 million pre-Pentium
machines still in use, even those based on Intel 80286 CPUs that
cannot run the latest versions of Windows. NewDeal's files can
be accessed by Windows applications, and the software can read
files saved by Windows programs. NewDeal is mainly targeting
organizations with limited resources, such as schools and
nonprofit groups. (PC World Online 07/07/99)
THE NEXT E-VOLUTION
Electronic procurement practices are expected to become a major
part of electronic commerce, as more companies are using the Web
as a cheaper, faster way to find the best deal on materials.
BusinessBots is a prime example of such a Web procurement
service. The company has developed a prototype JAM (Java agent-
enabled marketplace) that is a real-time, 24-hour "market of
markets." The JAM uses agents, or "bots," that link various
sites in any given business sector, thereby creating one huge
market. The idea is to offer faster, simpler, and cheaper
intra-industry transactions, almost like an electronic bulletin
board. BusinessBots's JAM even performs human functions, such as
arguing over prices, estimating quality, and reputation
management. It is also programmed to ensure that all sides in a
transaction get the best deal under the circumstances.
(Time 07/12/99)
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UPCOMING EDUCAUSE CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS:
Seminars on Academic Computing (SAC)
Strategy, Technology, Organization, Relationships, and Mission (STORM!)
August 6-11, 1999, Snowmass Village, Colorado
http://www.educause.edu/sac/sac99/sac99.html
CAUDIT-EDUCAUSE Institute
August 8-12, 1999, Port Stephens, NSW, Australia
http://www.caudit.edu.au/caudit/institute/index.html
EDUCAUSE '99
"Celebrating New Beginnings"
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference
October 26-29, 1999, Long Beach, California
http://www.educause.edu/conference/e99/
For additional information on these conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/conference/conf.html
For information on other technology related
educational conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/ir/events.html
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Edupage Copyright 1999, EDUCAUSE
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EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association dedicated to
transforming education through information technologies