Tuesday, November 9

CNET, Wired and ZDNet have ongoing coverage of the DOJ ruling that Microsoft is a monopoly. The full text of Judge Jackson's findings of fact will be discussed for years to come. For instance, you might be interested in the judge's thoughts on Microsoft's relationships to IBM, Intel, Java, Linux, Mac OS, Netscape, OS/2 Warp, QuickTime and RealNetworks.

The National Federation for the Blind has filed suit against AOL under the Americans With Disabilities Act, charging that AOL's software is incompatible with screen-reading software. You can test your web page for disability access with Bobby. The best thing you can do to help blind visitors is to use alt text for your images.

A researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believes colder-than-average temperatures in 1912 contributed to the deaths of Robert F. Scott and his expedition in Antarctica.

A judge in San Jose, Calif. has granted an injunction against PC maker Future Power from making, distributing, or selling its iMac clone. Apple sought and received a similar injunction against eMachines for its eOne in September. Meanwhile, ZDNet's Jim Louderback looks at PC-based iMac work-alikes.

Wireless

Yahoo! Messenger is now available for Palm and WinCE PDAs with wireless Internet connections. (There's also a version for Power Mac.)

Qualcomm's HDR (High Data Rate) is a new wireless technology with speeds up to 2.4 Mbits/sec.

ZDNet reports on broadband wireless and answers the burning question: whatever happened to all of those guys who bid billions on FCC spectrum?

Big bandwidth

Forbes profiles Microsoft cofounder and cable modem mogul Paul Allen. [To be the second-richest man in the world, Allen has somehow escaped the popular spotlight. Even hard-core computer geeks often don't recognize his name. - Leslie]

Got a high-speed, 24/7 Internet connection? Got a Mac? Geoff Duncan of Macworld tells you how to put both to good use by running your own servers.

InternetWorld looks at cable modems this month, with status reports on DSL and satellites appearing in subsequent issues. Interesting quote:

We estimate that by 2003 there will be 67 million households online, but less than a quarter of those will be accessing by broadband.

- Zia Daniell Wigder, analyst at Jupiter Communications.

ZDNet's "The Hell that is DSL," examines the difficulties ISPs face in providing DSL service. Telling quote:

We are unable to install about 30 percent of the DSL orders we take.

- Bob deLorenzi, CEO of PatriotNet in Fairfax, Va.

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Wednesday security update

The Bubble Boy virus affects Outlook users, and can infect your computer even if you don't read the message: just using Outlook Express's preview pane can set it off. You can set Outlook Express to its highest security setting to defeat the virus. The virus does not attempt to do anything malicious.

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Friday, November 12

CERT has issued an advisory about security flaws in BIND, which is used for DNS service at most large organizations.

The US House has passed a bill allowing satellite TV vendors to carry local TV stations. The bill now has to be approved by the Senate. If passed, the change is expected to boost the popularity of satellite TV, which could increase interest in getting Internet access through satellite. Hughes already makes a DirecDuo dish that combines their DirecTV and DirecPC services.

Speaking of which, this week's Forbes examines the matchmaking potential between satellite companies and data companies as video, audio, and data converge.

High speed Internet access is going to be slow in coming to Europe and Asia, according to the International Herald Tribune.

The young DSL industry is going through growing pains as DSL ISPs scramble to meet demand and troubleshoot equipment and software, as reported by ISP Planet.

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