Rob Fixmer

Its clear now that the hangover from our five-year tech-sector binge is not going to dissipate as quickly as many had hoped. What began a year ago as a simple nagging headache has grown into a painful systemic disorder that threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of people jobless as it ripples through other market […]

Each day, it seems, we are asked to depend ever more on the Internet for our professional and personal well-being. Yet each week seems to introduce a new computer worm capable of boring into and through our networks, clogging pipes, corrupting data and, in the worst cases, destroying months or even years of hard work. […]

A lot of people might think this is a bit premature, but Im struggling to figure out which company will inherit the “evil empire” mantle from Microsoft. Right now, Im betting it will be AOL Time Warner, but Ive been fooled before. The evil empire is the company that, in any given era, happens to […]

No one would argue that Microsofts newly announced concessions to computer makers mark an end to the monopolist threat posed by the Windows operating system. But critics who insisted last week that the concessions were nothing more than a cosmetic change in the companys policy clearly dont understand their full implications. Microsoft has not only […]

I burn a lot of space in this column carping about things that dont work — everything from bad technology to wrong-headed business plans to vendor hype. Sad to say, most interactive technologies dont work as promised. Software is buggy. Interfaces are ridiculous. Actual time to deployment is . . . well, were still waiting […]

Last weeks unanimous appeals court decision overturning substantive portions of the Microsoft antitrust verdict took everyone by surprise. Anticipating a complete victory for Microsoft, reporters had already lined up industry wags and economists to rail against the ruling as the death of antitrust enforcement. Pro-Microsoft observers were ready with press releases gloating over the appeals […]

Throughout its antitrust trial, a favorite Microsoft bogeyman was the “kid in a garage” with a computer, a modem and a good idea. What appeared to be a monopoly, the company insisted, was in fact a fragile market position that could be destroyed in a flash by the kinds of innovation that defined technology industries. […]

When it comes to data delivery, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has been a complete bust. Five years after its enactment, the average consumer bandwidth in this nation is 34 kilobits per second — and the Bells seem determined to keep it there, despite seemingly insatiable demand for broadband. Its time to rethink this law, […]

Im finally buying into the notion that in the next few years the application service provider model will become a major factor in the way enterprises do business — but only as long as the user is at a fixed terminal. The more I study Microsofts plans for Office.Net, the more Im persuaded that productivity […]

Even the most hardened anti-Washington, laissez-faire libertarian types generally concede at least one role for government in cyberspace: the duty to protect us from hackers and vandals and things that go bump on the Net. Unfortunately, events last week clearly demonstrated that the feds are not yet up to the task — and probably wont […]

One of the best things about being a controlled-circulation publication is that we know exactly who our readers are. Our Web site, of course, is open to everyone, and we welcome all online readers who find our content useful. But if youre reading this column in print, its because you took the time to fill […]

Its always dangerous to predict the logic or reasoning of federal courts, but based on activity in the appeals panel hearing the Microsoft antitrust case, the possibility that the company will be split up by judicial edict seems virtually nil. Still, Bill Gates and company have little reason to celebrate. Nor should Microsoft be taking […]