eWEEK EDITORS

After more than two years of development, the World Wide Web Consortium could be only weeks away from releasing its long-awaited XML Schema specification. But despite its release, the specification, which is designed to automate data exchange between companies, is coming under fire. Now in the final review phase by W3C Director Tim Berners-Lee, the […]

Simplify to Survive Is the general-purpose enterprise ASP wheezing toward extinction? Industry pioneer Interliant is going back to basics by focusing on messaging services at the expense of a broad-based commitment to providing other applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning, customer relationship management and e-commerce. The company, blaming the poor economy and slower-than-expected adoption of […]

Bear with us when we tell you that instant messaging isnt kids stuff anymore. We know, we know, youre thinking of ubergeeks using ICQ to play multiple-user dungeons or teenage girls using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) to virtually squeal over who has the cuter singers: N Sync or the Backstreet Boys. Trust us. Thats only […]

In an effort to lure car owners back to the dealership for repair and maintenance jobs, Ford came up with the saying, “Its your car, but its still our baby.” A similar attitude is being voiced these days by some IT staffs whose bosses might be thinking about hiring a managed service provider (MSP). A […]

Chalk it up to live, learn and survive in the dot-com era. One hot day last July, application service provider (ASP) Pandesic put out a startling statement: The supposedly solid company announced it was shutting down because it couldnt find “a timely road to profitability due to slower than anticipated market acceptance of business-to-consumer e-commerce […]

E-commerce times are tough, and the $1 billion online adult site industry is no exception. Operators of large and small porn sites report that the days of easy customer acquisition and steady revenue growth are over. “My [traffic] conversion rates are not what they used to be,” said Brad Gosse, president of Adult Money Maker, […]

Lucent Technologies bet on Jato Communications illustrates some of the pitfalls faced by big equipment vendors that lent start-ups money for virtually all of their business plans. If it hadnt been for Lucent, Jato probably would never have gotten off the ground. The Denver communications company got a $50 million line of credit from Lucent […]

Long-Distance Operator The Federal Communications Commission, in a 3-to-1 vote last Monday, gave Verizon Communications the go-ahead to begin offering long-distance service in Massachusetts. FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani voted against the proposal, saying she is not convinced Verizon has complied with the open market requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Verizon already offers long-distance […]

As the funeral procession lengthens for the first generation of competitive local communications companies, some industry experts see signs that a second wave could soon arise, even in the current hostile environment. “Now that were really starting to winnow down the ideas that work, I think youre going to see a new, more focused competitive […]

There are some things you just cant live without, some inventions that make you wonder how the heck we survived before their creation. Then there are things like Web-enabled air conditioners. The recent IBM and Carrier Corp. announcement of a partnership to bring the world air conditioners that communicate over the Internet—and which can be […]

Accentures planned $1 billion IPO may boost the ailing tech sector, according to analysts who follow the high-profile consulting firm. Accenture partners voted last week to take the company public. Accenture also filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed offering of Class A common shares. The offering is being […]

The system of looking up web addresses by their domain names is archaic and doesnt lend itself to commercialization, says New.net, a new domain name company accused of trying to wreck the Internet with an irresponsible marketing ploy. The politics of controlling “the phone book” of the Internet is always at the center of attention. […]