The European Commission has confirmed that it has no plans to impose new tax regimes on Internet transactions. Frits Bolkestein, who is awaiting ratification as the commissioner responsible for internal markets, financial services, customs and taxation, set out the new commission's position in a formal commission document drawn up in response to questions from the European Parliament during the ratification process. In his submission, he also said that information technology offered businesses across Europe access to new markets and services and called for new legislation to protect businesses engaged in e-commerce and to safeguard investments in innovation.
Apple's New Suit: Apple has filed a lawsuit against PC maker eMachines, alleging that the latter's eOne PC had copied the design of the iMac (which had its first birthday last week). "There is an unlimited number of original designs that eMachines could have created for their computers, but instead they chose to copy Apple's designs," Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive has been quoted as saying. Earlier this month, eMachines launched the eOne, a translucent blue PC that runs Windows on an Intel Celeron processor.
Old Friends Return: Two of the oldest names in the world of home computing look set to be resurrected after I-Win announced a new line of Amiga and Commodore computers. The range includes several models of mid to high-end Amiga computers, with modern specifications including 3D graphics cards and high-speed CPUs.
Situations Vacant: Dell Europe has confirmed previously announced plans to recruit 800 employees in Ireland before the end of the year.
Approximately 500 jobs will be at the company's European manufacturing base in Limerick, with the remaining 300 jobs going to the Bray-based sales and support centre.
Cyber War Threat: Hackers plan to launch an attack on Indonesia's computer networks if Jakarta rejects an East Timorese vote for independence, Jose Ramos Horta has warned. The Nobel laureate told the Sydney Morning Herald that about a dozen viruses were being designed to bring down Indonesian networks if the ballot on August 30th appeared to be fraudulent.
Y2k Take Care: The Japanese government has warned citizens to take precautions when travelling over the New Year's holiday because of possible Y2K problems. The Foreign Ministry urged travellers to tell others of their itineraries, buy Y2K-related casualty insurance and seek information about computer problems in their destinations.
No Go Net: The Chinese government has banned key institutions from the Internet in a bid to stop pro-Taiwanese hackers breaking into sensitive websites. The Communist Party, government institutions and key state firms have all been barred from going online, the official Yangcheng Evening News reported.
Viral Christmas Gift: A new virus has been discovered that could hit Windows-based PCs over Christmas.
Antivirus companies Central Command and Kaspersky Lab christened the new virus Win32.Kriz and warned it could be worse than the Chernobyl virus which took down thousands of computers earlier this year. The virus is a memory-resident, polymorphic virus that will replicate itself on Windows 95, 98 and NT systems, infecting programs with .exe and .scr filename extensions.
Permanent Feature: Recent trends suggest that Irish IT companies want permanent rather than contract staff, according to Pyramid Recruitment. The company claims that the reason for the shift reflects the completion of work associated with the Y2K bug.
E-Speak With The Oracle: Hewlett-Packard and Oracle are to develop and market products using HP's e-speak technology, the centerpiece of the former's effort to expand its Internet services business. The agreement will see Oracle integrate e-speak into its Oracle8i database software.
In The Framme...Intergraph has announced that is providing Esat Telecom with asset management and network design systems. It said that its Framme-based systems will provide network and asset management model "from cabinet to customer".
In Brief...ICL has secured a new contract with Dublin Corporation for the maintenance, service and support of a broad range of hardware and software products. . . Oracle has unveiled plans for Oracle Exchange, an open business-to-business online marketplace. . . Lucent Technologies has agreed to buy Excel Switching, a maker of programmable switches for telecommunications service providers, for $1.7 billion in stock. . . Gamma and Ireland Direct have formed a strategic alliance to provide an address database analysis and direct mailing services incorporating An Post's new GeoDirectory product. .
. Hewlett-Packard has reported a 37 per cent increase in net earnings and 11 percent revenue growth for the 1999 fiscal year's third quarter. . . Lotus Development has released Lotus Sametime 1.5, the new version of its real-time collaboration platform. . . Trintech has announced its plans for a same-day initial public offering on both the German and the US markets. . . CBT Systems has announced the immediate availability of Network Certification courseware. . .
Eircell has launched Ireland's first online mobile phone shop Eirshop at www.store.eircell.ie. . .
Diary
October 25th - 29th: Lotusphere Europe 99. Registration is now taking place for Lotus's European customer and business partner conference, focusing on technology directions and solutions, to be held at the International Congress Centre, Berlin, from October 25th to 29th. Info - www.lotus.com/lotusphere
Modem World
www.serenataquartet.com
The Serenata String Quartet, made up of players from both RTE orchestras, has unveiled a new website.
www.planetrock.net
Website for Planet Rock Profiles formerly fronted by Dave Fanning and set to feature Tom Dunne for the next series. The site has been developed entirely using Flash, so the plug-in is required.
www.irishjobs.ie
The Irish Jobs Page has relocated but still provides a focal point to match recruiters with jobseekers.
www.greenpeaceusa.org/save/alerts/nestle.htm
Greenpeace and the US-based Mothers & Others have announce a joint effort to urge Nestle to avoid using genetically modified ingredients in its food products.
www.universalfloral.com
A new website allows the green-fingered to browse plant catalogues and order displays online.
www.sligo.ie
This says it is the essential guide to Sligo on the Internet.
www.co.mo.md.us/Year2000/emgart.pdf
The Home Guide to Emergency Preparedness was by a US local authority, offering advice that on coping with any emergency, especially Y2K meltdown.
Textbites
"E-commerce is a huge opportunity, and it's a huge threat. But in Ireland, it's got to be viewed as a huge opportunity."
- PricewaterhouseCoopers's Dermot Walsh on plans to develop Ireland as an e-commerce hub.
"The good news is that the basic foundation of the Internet is expected to be ready for the Year 2000. But the vast number of networks and companies involved in providing services to users makes it impossible to guarantee that someone, somewhere won't experience temporary problems in using the Internet that are caused by the date change."
- John Koskinen, chairman of the US President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion on the Net's capacity to survive into the new year.
Top Games
The top-selling PC CD-ROM games at Virgin Megastore are:
1. KingPin - £34.99
2. Alien V Predator - £29.99
3. Hidden & Dangerous - £29.99
4. Dungeon Keeper 2 - £34.99
5. Braveheart - £34.99
6. Populous - £19.99
7. Outcast - £29.99
8. Championship Manager 3 - £29.99
9. Star Wars : Episode 1 - £34.99
10.
DiscWorld Noir - £34.99
Monitor compiled by Conor Pope. Page layout by Sarah Marriott. Text-only email to computimes@irish-times.ie preferred (rather than fax, post, phone). No attachments, please. Private correspondence should be marked "Not for publication".