Surf these sites: $40 Million Pours into Inktomi -- By the end of the day, a flood of investors in the search-engine tech company doubles its per-share price to $36. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] ''Free'' Long-Distance Calls -- A Florida company plans to offer long-distance telephone service at no charge. The catch? You have to sit through advertisements before your call connects. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] ''Pokey'' Wins His Domain Name -- A 12-year-old boy battling with the company that owns the Gumby and Pokey trademarks was saved after the man who first brought those flexible creatures to life stepped in to save pokey.org. [Wired News] ''Put a Live Face on the Dead Web'' -- A new crop of software aims to make the Web truly interactive. It lets customer service reps guide shoppers through sites in real time and answer questions via chat. As a new player unveils its stuff on Monday, analysts say the field is bound to grow like wildfire. [Wired News] 3Com Down, But Not Out -- Its earnings fall from a year ago, but not as much as analysts expected. Good news, since the results come during the firm''s weak summer months. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] 3Com Earnings Rise -- The network equipment-maker''s fourth-quarter profit rose 52 percent, matching Wall Street estimates. But the company warned of flat sales in the first quarter. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] 3Com Hires a COO -- The networking equipment maker creates a new post and hires a former DEC exec to help out the company''s CEO. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] 3Com May Sue Microsoft over Product Name -- The makers of the PalmPilot personal information manager say the name Microsoft has chosen for its forthcoming handheld PC device is a little too close to its own. [Wired News] 3Com, Siemens Muscle Up -- The data communications company teams up with the German giant to make a grab for a healthy chunk of the digital voice-communications market. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] @Home Feels At Home With TCI -- In swinging a deal to become the email provider for users of the cable company''s 11 million set-top boxes, @Home hopes to gain entree for its high-speed data service. [Wired News] @Home Loss Narrows -- The firm''s loss is more than what Wall Street expected. But revenues and subscribers increased in line with estimates. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] @Home Stakes Out Its Turf -- Its traffic may be teeny-weeny compared to that of Web directories like Yahoo, but the advantage of fat pipes gives the Net-access-over-cable company a foothold in the current competition for marketing dollars. [Wired News] A Financier, the Net, the Hyping of a Penny Stock -- Little is known about a small company called Zulu-Tek - except that it has managed the purchase of Net advertising firm Softbank Interactive Marketing and suggests, ever so carefully, that it might be a hot stock buy. Is it a scheme? [Wired News] A Fish Out of Water -- Zapata, the fish-processing company, is expanding its line of business, announcing plans to buy or invest in 21 other Web companies. It''s not joking, and Wall Street isn''t laughing. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] A Fistful of Deals for RealNetworks -- The leader in streaming media software danced into the National Association of Broadcasters'' convention this week waving a sheaf of contracts with major media companies. The intended message is clear: Streaming is here. [Wired News] A Nasdaq for Bandwidth -- The bit-haggling found on the Web today could become the economic exchange of tomorrow. [Wired News] A New Tool Chest for RealNetworks -- By acquiring Vivo Software, the leader in streaming video hopes to fortify its clout with content providers. [Wired News] A Portal in Every Pot -- Netcenter wants businesses to use its new software to create personal portals when building their Web prescence. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] A Set-Top Win for Network Computer -- Providing software to the set-top boxes Cable & Wireless will deploy in 50 countries is a nice feather for the Oracle subsidiary to tuck in its cap. [Wired News] ACLU Dream Job: Use the Net to Save the Government -- Make friends. Organize activists. Protect US civil liberties. Jam your congressman''s fax machine. [Wired News] AMD: Profits Around Corner -- Advanced Micro Devices says its K6 II chip sales are picking up and should help the company get into the black by the fourth quarter. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AMP Cuts 3,500 Jobs -- The world''s biggest supplier of electric and electronic connectors will eliminate the jobs through firings, attrition, and early retirement in an effort to streamline its business. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] AOL Gets Tough With Spammers -- In a warning to those who would give America Online a dirty name, Steve Case unveiled the online service provider''s list of its top 10 most-wanted spammers - the firms that just keep sending junk email after being asked not to. [Wired News] AOL Cagey About Blackout -- The online-service giant admitted to knowing why an electrical system malfunctioned at its Virginia facilities, but refused to say more about the outage Monday night that kept its 11 million members off the Internet for hours. [Wired News] AOL Confirms Netscape Talks -- America Online confirmed Monday morning that it is in advanced negotiations to acquire Netscape. The deal could be worth between US$4 and $5 billion. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] AOL Earnings, At Last -- Two months after releasing an incomplete report, AOL finally reveals its fourth-quarter net income after settling an accounting issue with regulators. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AOL Faces Fresh Class Action Suit -- A pair of law firms have been given the green light to move ahead with a complaint that has been on hold since last year, charging America Online with causing damage to commercial users during its much-publicized busy-signal period. [Wired News] AOL Farms Out Content -- Firmly denying that last week''s AOL Studios reorganization is at all related, America Online announced beefy partnerships with Intuit and E Online. [Wired News] AOL Files Fresh Suit to Stop Mailbox Stuffing -- The world''s biggest online service provider challenges spammers who wouldn''t take no for an answer. [Wired News] AOL Fills Its War Chest -- The online pillar may use US$500 million from a new stock offering to acquire more technology and content to keep up in the portal race. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AOL Opens Door to Poachers -- In the wake of the online service provider''s decision to raise its monthly fees to US$2 above the industry''s standard $19.95, ISPs launch marketing campaigns to lure America Online "graduates." [Wired News] AOL Profit Multiplies by 10 -- The online bellwether stock reports fourth-quarter earnings that were better than Wall Street expected. Its subscribers keep coming. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AOL Profit Triples -- The world''s biggest online service says strong membership growth, lots of new advertising, and e-commerce deals account for the big jump. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AOL Releases Earnings; Grabs TV -- The online service announced better-than-expected earnings as well as the purchase of Internet TV company NetChannel. [Wired News] AOL Revamps CompuServe -- The rollout of a simplified service and Web-friendly features aims to stem the flow of customers from the once-premier online service. It''s also another step in the integration of CompuServe''s business-user subscriber base into AOL''s multi-brand strategy. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AOL Settles With States -- AOL said it has reached an agreement with 44 state attorneys general to pay $2.6 million in legal costs while promising in the future to give advanced notice of any price increases or substantial service changes. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] AOL Stock Soars on Price Hike -- America Online''s share price jumped US$10 as the online service provider announced a $2 increase to its monthly fee - a move that could bring in well over $200 million annually. But analysts say the time may be ripe for competitors to start carving into AOL''s market. [Wired News] AOL Strategy Befuddles Analysts -- The sprawling online service reveals its plan to lure corporate customers. But can it shake the image of a consumer-focused operation with an unreliable track record? [Wired News] AOL Suits Embrace Netscape Geeks -- Netscape''s co-founder says his company has lessons to learn from its new owners. AOL, meanwhile, is going to the dogs. By James Glave. [Wired News] AOL Takes a New Euro Spin -- In step one of a bridge-building strategy geared to strengthen connections between the American company and its European customers, AOL Europe partners with music distributor N2K. [Wired News] AOL on Its Knees -- America Online, the dork at the back of the online class, throws money at Netscapers to keep them from going to hipper playgrounds. Some like the pitch. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AOL to Move into Community -- The world''s largest online service will enter the homepage-publishing business later this month. Analysts say it''s a boon to community property values. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] AOL''s Real Estate Center ''Nothing New'' -- Looking to pretty up its offering in the virtual home buyers market, America Online boasts of a new house listing and mortgage service. But it doesn''t look too different from its predecessor - or that of competitors. [Wired News] AOL, Other Techs Jump -- All it takes for tech stocks to rise is a fat, juicy acquisition. Microsoftie Paul Allen sets off today''s rally. The Wired Index gains 12.56 to 440.77. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] AOL, the New Heavyweight -- With Netscape, AOL would become the undisputed king of online communication and software. Suddenly, Microsoft looks like an underdog. By Craig Bicknell and Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] AOL: Who Needs a Browser? -- In shelling out as much as US$400 million for Mirabilis Ltd. and its ICQ instant-messaging software, the online service buys a Net portal that works without Microsoft or Netscape software. By Joe Nickell. [Wired News] AT&T Opens One-Stop IP Shop -- To help grow its own Internet protocol telephony business, the telco titan is offering assistance to ISPs anxious to get into telephony with a new program. It''s starting in Asia, but has global intentions. [Wired News] AT&T Buys Cable Phone Gear -- AT T signs a contract to buy US$900 million worth of cable telephony equipment, as it starts to prepare TCI''s network to carry local phone calls. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Buys TCI -- The US$48 billion purchase of TCI would give AT T instant entry into the $100-billion local phone service business. But plenty of technical issues remain. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Earnings Excel -- The biggest US phone company says a surge in revenue from data and wireless services helped offset slowing sales from its core long-distance business. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Expands IP Business -- The biggest long-distance carrier reveals its faith in IP telephony with a series of new initiatives that could benefit the entire industry. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Eyes IBM''s Network -- AT T is in talks to purchase IBM''s Global Network business unit, a deal that would boost AT T''s corporate customer base and eliminate a competitor in one shot. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Plots with Time Warner -- The biggest US telephone company reportedly wants to use Time Warner''s cable wires for local phone service. Add that to TCI''s cable network, and AT T could scare the Baby Bells. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T Ups Wireless Investment -- Want to know which markets AT T is counting on to help it offset its dwindling long-distance profits? Follow the money. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] AT&T to Buy Vanguard -- In a bid to boost its cellular reach on the East Coast, Ma Bell agrees to spend US$1.5 billion for Vanguard Cellular Systems. Smart move, say analysts. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Ad Firm Founders Sue Softbank, ZD -- Four founders and former executives of Softbank Interactive Marketing claim sabotage by parent company Softbank Holdings and subterfuge in the sale to Zulu-Tek. The suit seeks US$200 million in damages. [Wired News] Adobe Surges on Quark -- Based on current information, Quark has little chance of pulling off a US$2 billion Adobe acquisition, analysts say. But Adobe''s stock soars anyway. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Advanced Fibre Shares Plunge -- The stock of the telecom equipment maker dropped 52 percent after the company announced that its CEO resigned and that earnings would be below expectations. By Kourosh Karimkhany. [Wired News] Air Strikes May Delay Globalstar -- Strained negotiations between the United States and Russia just got frostier, and may keep the satellite phone company on terra firma even longer. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Al-Waleed''s Princely Sums -- Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal''s US$200 million stake in Teledesic is just the latest of the multimillion-dollar investments he''s made in tech companies like Apple, Netscape, and Motorola -- and he''s had some surprising results. [Wired News] Alcatel Buys Packet Engines -- Alcatel buys a Gigabit Ethernet gearmaker for US$315 million, lengthening the list of telco equipment makers buying their way into the computer networking market. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] All Is Not A-OK on Y2K -- Fresh data from the leading Year 2000 researcher doesn''t exactly scream the news, but the odds that businesses worldwide will make it into the next millennium without a bug bite aren''t good. By Pete Danko. [Wired News] Amazon Earnings Extravaganza -- The world''s biggest online bookseller reports record revenues and a loss lower than Wall Street expected. Oh, and it''s also the world''s biggest online music store now. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Amazon Goes Ape -- Think Amazon.com''s stock is too expensive? A CIBC Oppenheimer analyst says the stock''s going to US$400. By the way, Oppenheimer wants Amazon''s banking business. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Amazon Lands Wal-Martian -- The No. 1 online bookseller hires another former Wal-Mart exec to deal with its ever-expanding logistical operations. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Amazon Loss Widens, Sales Soar -- The poster child of ecommerce didn''t disappoint. It racked up second-quarter revenues of US$116 million and lost less money than Wall Street expected. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Amazon''s Not Just a Bookworm -- The online bookseller saw its stock sail up by 15 percent on Tuesday, as it pushed aside its bookbag for a minute to look into music and video sales. [Wired News] Amazon: We Got the Beat -- The darling of online booksellers starts offering 100,000 CDs today, but Internet music vendors CDnow and N2K say they''re not worried. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Ameritech Hit with Injunction -- The FCC wants the Baby Bell to stop enrolling customers in a long-distance program it offers with Qwest, until it figures out if such marketing agreements violate telecommunication law. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Ameritech, SBC Defend Merger -- Company officials say their plan to create a global telecom powerhouse would benefit consumers, a claim challenged by AT T and others at a hearing on the deal. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Amex-Nasdaq: When Opposites Attract -- The maybe-merger between the traditional American Stock Exchange and the virtual trading floor of Nasdaq shows signs of becoming a statistic in the trend toward replacing aggressive trading pits with faceless electronics. [Wired News] Amusement Acquisition: a Kodak Moment -- The imaging giant swallowed up a couple of companies that make photographic systems to capture you in that moment of giddy surrender on theme park rides. But be serious, for Kodak it''s all about distribution. [Wired News] An Apple for Under $1,000? -- With Cupertino making noises about trying to retake the home consumer market, word on the street is that a three-figure Macintosh isn''t far away. [Wired News] An Education in Consolidation -- After a school year of acquisitions, some 60 percent of the edu-software market is now in two companies'' hands, and critics complain that innovation is being lost to consolidation. [Wired News] An NC in Every Apartment, Really -- As part of a new job training program put together by the city of Oakland and IBM, residents at a public housing project will get computer skills training - and their own network computer. [Wired News] Andreessen Invests in Replay -- Netscape''s co-founder puts his bucks into a company that he hopes will make the equivalent of a browser for television. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Another Net IPO Shines -- DoubleClick is the latest in a wave of Internet companies to go public with a bang. Behind the warm reception, analysts say, is a combination of good timing, truly attractive properties, and investor savvy. [Wired News] Another Try at Auctioning Ad Leftovers -- After the demise of Adbot, a new company - Adauction - is giving online ad auctions a go. [Wired News] Antitrust Wonks Ponder Microsoft -- Consumer advocates, think tank types, and lawyers meet in Seattle to decide how best to apply existing antitrust laws to the high-tech industry, particularly poster child Microsoft. By Arik Hesseldahl. [Wired News] Apple Bets the Farm on CompUSA -- Cupertino took a hit from Wall Street on Tuesday as it announced that it was discontinuing its presence in all but one major retail chain. [Wired News] Apple Dumps Newton -- After a year of trying and failing to find a buyer for its sophisticated and expensive handheld, the company says it will cease development on the product line. [Wired News] Apple Leaves Newton Bidder Bobbing -- Though Apple claims it would sell for the right price, Planet Computing says Cupertino has simply not responded to its second, beefier offer to buy the Newton operating system for handheld computers. [Wired News] Apple Pulls Plug on Sick Kids'' Site -- To cut costs, Apple killed an in-house project to help children with life-threatening diseases get connected. When ex-employees tried to keep the site going, Apple''s lawyers swooped in. [Wired News] Apple Reports Full-Year Profit -- The struggling computer maker blew away analysts'' earnings estimates, thanks to improved operations and new product sales. Is the Apple deathwatch over? By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Apple Reports Solid Profit -- The revived computer maker reported results that far exceeded Wall Street forecasts. What''s more, Apple says things will get even better in coming quarters. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Apple''s Reseller Pie Sliced Twice -- Apple has once again cut back its reseller channel after evaluating vendors and weeding out all but its most loyal. Some diehard fans are groaning, but most analysts applaud the move. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Are Iomega''s Woes Just Growing Pains? -- While it makes its way through at least four lawsuits, the maker of Zip and Jaz drives is on a mega-advertising blitz - and still gets a good word from analysts. [Wired News] Are Local Phone Markets Finally Open? -- After Qwest''s two long-distance pacts met with legal action, WorldCom''s announcement that it was beginning nationwide local phone service was greeted not with a lawsuit, but with open arms. [Wired News] As The Well Turns: Wilhelm Exits -- After a long search for the right investor, Maria Wilhelm has come up emptyhanded. Now she''s headed back to the world of new-media consulting. [Wired News] As the Macworld Spins ... -- What can the star of the Apple soap opera say to keep the faithful faithful? [Wired News] Ascend CEO Selling Shares -- Ascend''s CEO is ready to sell US$4.7 million of his company''s stock, just as reports surface that the company is about to buy Stratus Computer. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Ascend to Buy Stratus -- The US$822 million takeover will give Ascend the technology it needs to become a powerhouse in the telephone network gear business. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Asia Concerns Hammer Techs -- H-P and Computer Associates said sales will slow because of Asia''s troubles. Investors listened and dumped tech stocks, dragging the Wired Index down 2.75 to 450.94. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Asian Concerns Drag Stocks -- Russian markets stabilize, but traders once again focus on Asia''s economic troubles, which could hurt US profits. The Wired Index falls 3.92 points to 403.85. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] At Home Buys Into ''Rich Media'' -- The cable Internet access provider buys Narrative Communications, makers of high-bandwidth online ads that jump, buzz, and whistle for your attention. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] AtHome: Broadband Ads Are Boss -- Banner ads bite, says cable Internet access provider AtHome. The company hopes a new study will prove its flashy, broadband ads are the future of advertising on the Web. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Auction Universe: Sold! -- The online auctioneer will be sold to Classified Ventures, a company set up by a group of newspapers to pursue classified advertising on the Internet. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Aussie Bourse to the Y2K Rescue -- The Australian Stock Exchange offers Asian companies a place to trade their stock, just in case their home-country exchange melts on New Year''s Day 2000. By Stewart Taggart. [Wired News] Axent Buys Security Consultant -- The computer security provider will beef up its software business with consulting to fend off bigger rivals. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] BT Eyeing Deal with Qwest? -- Investors push Qwest shares higher on rumors that British Telecommunications is considering a marketing agreement with the Denver firm. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Bamboozled for the Holidays -- Online shoppers beware: That Chanel bag may be a cheap knock-off with a fancy logo. Then again, it may be the real thing at half the price. By Judy DeMocker. [Wired News] Bankers: Prepared for a Panic? -- From bank runs to power failures to inventory shortages, banking-industry insiders ponder worst-case scenarios at a White House Y2K summit. Declan McCullagh reports from Washington. [Wired News] Banking on the Java of E-Payment Systems -- Some 30 companies that sell electronic payment services are working on a cross-platform protocol that will allow all digital wallets and cyber cash registers to talk to each other. [Wired News] Banks Bullish on Y2K -- The Federal Reserve is stockpiling cash, but that doesn''t mean consumers should follow suit, say US banks. By Spencer E. Ante. [Wired News] Barbie Gets Some Education -- Mattel, maker of the girliest of girlie dolls, said it will acquire The Learning Company for about US$3.8 billion. But Mattel''s fourth quarter will be worse than expected. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Barnes & Noble and Borders Sued by Booksellers -- The American Book Association and 23 independent bookstores filed suit against the two companies in US District Court in Northern California, alleging unfair business practices. [Wired News] Barnesandnoble.com to Go Public -- Bookseller Barnes Noble says it will take up to 20 percent of its online operation public, raising cash to fuel its battle with Amazon.com. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Bay Shareholders Sue Nortel -- A class-action lawsuit alleges that Nortel withheld news about its financial woes until after it bought Bay Networks in order to prop up its stock price. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Be Free for a Fee -- A little-known company gets a patent for targeted online advertising. Could it become the toll taker of the billion-dollar online-ad business? By Craig Bicknell [Wired News] Be Inc. in with Hitachi, Intel -- Be gets its software onto high-end Hitachi workstations, and gets more money from Intel. Analysts say Be could become a strong niche player. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Bell Atlantic Chair Moves On -- Ray Smith plans to leave by year''s end, which will put CEO Ivan Seidenberg in charge of the Baby Bell as it fights to become a digital communications powerhouse. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Bell Atlantic to Buy GTE -- Bell Atlantic, one of the most aggressive local phone companies, will try to buy GTE for US$67 billion in stock and debt. But not without a fight from regulators. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Bell Atlantic to Launch DSL -- The phone company is expected to announce a major -- and long-awaited -- DSL rollout on Monday in a move to gain ground in the high-speed Internet access market. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Betting on (A Little) Interactivity -- Wink Communications sends its interactive TV show south, as cable subscribers in Tennessee and Virginia become the first US guinea pigs for interactive TV. [Wired News] Beware of Deadbeat Dealers -- Consumers claim online auctioneers should do more to guarantee their transactions. The auctioneers say they''re doing enough. Regulators and lawyers are watching developments. By Arik Hesseldahl. [Wired News] Bianca''s Fish Meal Shack -- Zapata, the fish processor-turned-portal player, agreed to buy Bianca''s Smut Shack, one of the Web''s first erotic forums. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Big Blue Stock Drops on Report -- IBM''s stock dropped two points today on one analyst''s bleaker-than-previous outlook for the company. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Big Companies to Call Over Net -- The world''s biggest companies will soon begin making business calls over the Net, says a new study. That''s good news for companies who''ve bet billions on networks for Net calls. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Big Internet Deal Saves Tech -- Cable & Wireless is reportedly close to buying MCI''s Internet operations, which would clear the path for WorldCom''s bid for MCI. That was good news for telecom stocks. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Big Internet Deal Saves Tech -- Cable & Wireless is reportedly close to buying MCI''s Internet operations, which would clear the path for Worldcom''s bid for MCI. That was good news for telecom stocks. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] BigBook Sells Its Name to GTE -- Mum''s the word from the online yellow-pages firm, but folks at GTE say the company has sold its domain name and trademark and will now focus on sales, rather than publishing. [Wired News] Biggest Bank to Toy with Tech Underwriters -- A merger between BankAmerica and NationsBank will also bring together investment firms Robertson Stephens and Montgomery Securities -- and cause a few ripples in the competitive tech-underwriting pond. [Wired News] Biometrics Standards in Works -- Tech titans like IBM, Microsoft, and Compaq are teaming up to speed the way to that day when passwords will become obsolete and electronic systems recognize our fingerprints, faces, and retinas. [Wired News] Boob Tube or Geek Box? -- As technologies emerge around the vision of a networked digital domicile, TV and PC proponents compete to be at the center of it all. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is covering both bases, as evidenced by a pair of announcements this week. [Wired News] Booksellers Fear a Monopoly -- Barnes Noble''s planned purchase of book-distributor Ingram would give the firm a major boost in the industry. That''s got rivals a little concerned. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Borders Online Opens This Week? -- The Borders Group hinted that its online bookstore would open this week, but declined to discuss it in detail. [Wired News] Borders Online Opens This Week? -- The Borders Group hinted that its online bookstore would open this week, but declined to discuss it in detail. [Wired News] Boys and Girls, Separate Doors -- The number of women online is surging, and -- guess what? -- they don''t use the Internet the same way that men do. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] Branding .com -- Network Solutions is simplifying domain name registration to draw new customers. But does it have the right to lay claim to the .com domain? By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Brazil OKs Telebras Privatization -- The country''s Supreme Court has ruled that a shareholders'' meeting held to approve the break-up of Telebras was legal, clearing aside a challenge to the US$11.7 billion privatization plan. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Brazil''s Telco Grabbag -- Some of the world''s biggest telephone companies buy pieces of Telebras, the state-owned Brazilian phone company. In return, Brazil gets a US$19 billion windfall. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] Brazil''s Telco Samba -- The privatization of Brazil''s state-owned telephone company, Telebras, is creating a giddy chaos for investors, politicians, and consumers -- just what you''d expect from the creators of Carnaval. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] Brewing Battle Over Net Calls -- ICG says it won''t comply with BellSouth''s new plan to levy access charges on Internet telephony service providers -- a tiff that could make the FCC weigh in. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] British Telecom Builds on MCI -- After realizing a US$1.8 billion profit from its investment in MCI/Worldcom, British Telecom will combine MCI''s Concert business unit with an existing AT T partnership. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] Broadcast.com Wows Wall Street -- The Internet news and entertainment broadcaster could become a cyber-CBS, making its issue the hottest IPO of the year. But slow modems could hinder its growth for years to come. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Broadcom Makes a Big Splash -- The future looks bright for the maker of chips used in cable modems, whose two-day-old stock has shot through the roof. But a slew of competitors coming down the pike could upset the upstart''s head start. [Wired News] Broderbund Acquired -- The Learning Company agrees to pay US$420 million for Broderbund Software, the maker of popular games such as Myst and Riven. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Brokers Fight for Equal Rights -- As the proposed merger between the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq moves forward, Amex floor brokers argue for a system that treats human and electronic traders equally. [Wired News] Buddy, You''re a Rival Now -- The bottom line in Yahoo''s jilting search partner AltaVista in favor of Inktomi: AltaVista''s business too closely resembles Yahoo''s portal enterprise. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Building Jets, Virtually -- Battling with Boeing to win a US government contract for a new fighter jet, Lockheed Martin turns to networked collaborative engineering and virtual prototypes. [Wired News] Buy.com Wants Your E-Bucks -- Online computer retailer Buycomp.com relaunches under a new moniker, hoping to become the single portal to retail sales on the Web. Polly Sprenger reports from Las Vegas. [Wired News] CA Hit with Class-Action Suit -- Lawyers sue on behalf of shareholders who lost out on Computer Associates'' stock plunge Wednesday. The suit alleges CA misrepresented its business prospects. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] CDnow Goes to Market -- The leading online music retailer has gone public. While analysts raise questions about the company''s future, they agree that there''s no better time than the present for a trip to Wall Street. [Wired News] CDnow Goes to Market -- The leading online music retailer has gone public. While analysts raise questions about the company''s future, they agree that there''s no better time than the present for a trip to Wall Street. [Wired News] CDnow, N2K Make Merger Music -- The two companies have spent millions fighting each other. Now they may join forces to take on new rivals like Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] CMP Media Cuts 85 Jobs -- The third largest tech publisher, facing slowing ad sales, fired 50 workers and will leave 35 vacant slots open. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] CMP Media Cutting Jobs -- The No. 3 tech magazine publisher could announce up to 200 job cuts on Monday, according to people close to the company. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] CMP Sheds Its ''HomePC'' Consumer Mag -- Imagine Media snaps the title up, paying "some money" and offering CMP 1 percent of Imagine stock. [Wired News] CNET Goes Cyberian -- The network of geekware-info sites is swapping traffic for bucks in a deal with online software and hardware store Cyberian Outpost. [Wired News] CNET Reports Surprise Profit -- The online publisher ekes out a profit for the second quarter on higher advertising revenue. Wall Street was expecting a loss. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] CNET and Bloomberg Join Forces -- Financial and tech news junkies Michael Bloomberg and Halsey Minor held a New York press conference this morning to announce the start of something new: a co-branded financial news service. [Wired News] CNET: Mine''s Bigger -- The publisher of online tech news is going after Ziff-Davis with a media campaign claiming its service has greater reach. The first ad gives a whole new twist to selling with skin. [Wired News] Cable Comes Calling in LA -- MediaOne will begin offering local telephone service, via cable, in Los Angeles. It''s not Net telephony, but it offers another vision of the future, one in which local phone competition brings down rates. [Wired News] Cable: Paul Allen''s Biggest Investment Yet -- The ex-Microsoftian billionaire lays US$2.8 billion on the line for his vision of a "connected future," through his acquisition Monday of Marcus Cable. [Wired News] Calling all ISPs -- IP telephony clearinghouses are cropping up to help ISPs expand their Internet calling services to cities around the world. By Claudia Graziano. [Wired News] Can Big Tech and Telcos Get Along? -- The push toward DSL technology will test the ability of Internet service providers and telephone companies to work together for their common good. [Wired News] Canada''s New Telco Titan -- Mark this name: Charles Sirois. Canada''s most aggressive entrepreneur and Teleglobe CEO orchestrated the US$3.2 billion purchase of Excel Communications. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Catching a Falling Globalstar -- The satellite phone consortium''s CEO says friction between the United States and Russia won''t delay any future launches. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Changes Loom for Web Sports Rights -- Television networks have long engaged in fierce bidding wars for the broadcast rights to the Super Bowl and other cash cows of sports. Is the same in store for the Web? [Wired News] Cheaper CD Recorders, Pricier Discs -- With sub-US$1,000 CD players comes a new breed of blank CD - a more expensive one. Discs for consumers are selling at two to three times what discs for professional CD recorders cost. It''s meant to assuage the recording industry and its fear of royalty rip-offs. [Wired News] Ciena Smells a Conspiracy -- The telecom equipment company suspects sabotage in its recently called-off merger with Tellabs, and may have evidence that points to rival Lucent Technologies. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Ciena, Tellabs Cancel Merger -- Tellabs scuttles its US$4.7 billion plan to acquire Ciena as Ciena''s future dims. Both companies contemplate their future without each other. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Cisco Beats Estimates, Again -- Once again, the computer networking power beats Wall Street''s quarterly earning estimates. Cisco ties its growth to the proliferation of the Internet. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Cisco Beats Profit Consensus -- The king of networking says earnings for the quarter rose 37 percent, better than Wall Street forecasts. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Cisco Buys More Net Telephony -- The world''s biggest networking company will buy Summa Four''s expertise in making programmable switches that send voice calls over the Internet. By Craig Bicknell [Wired News] Cisco Countersues Lucent -- Cisco says Lucent is misappropriating 11 of its patents relating to computer networking, in a ploy to get back at Lucent for its own claims of patent infringement. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Cisco Faces FTC Investigation -- The FTC is investigating whether Cisco tried to divvy up the networking-equipment market with its rivals. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Citibanking on Netcenter -- Netscape signs up Citibank as top sponsor of its Netcenter personal finance channel. It''s Netscape''s highest-profile move yet to beef up its Internet site. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] CitySearch Joins Ticketmaster -- CitySearch nixes its IPO. Instead, it agrees to merge with a Ticketmaster unit to create an online ticketing and entertainment guide valued at about US$700 million. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] CitySearch, Zip2 Join Forces -- A merger of two major players in the online city guide scene pushes the crowded area one step closer toward deciding upon a leader. [Wired News] CitySearching for Profits -- CitySearch may be an Internet company, but it''s no Yahoo. It faces a long, hard slog to turn a profit -- something for IPO investors to keep in mind. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Clinton Net Draw Big, Not Huge -- Broadcast.com gets a surge in traffic from Clinton''s video, but not the tidal wave the Net saw 10 days ago. Still, lots of people may get turned on to streaming video from this, company says. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Compaq Acquisition Centers on Service -- By buying Digital, Compaq will become the second-largest computer company - and get its hands on a service organziation that gives it a much-needed footing in the enterprise solutions business. [Wired News] Corel Caves to Actress Lamarr -- Corel agrees to demands by ''50s screen legend Hedy Lamarr that she be paid for the company''s use of her image in its software packaging. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Corel Embraces Open Source -- The troubled software developer yesterday demonstrated a network computer powered by the Linux operating system, and said it will port all its applications to the open source OS. [Wired News] Corporate Voice-Over-Net Adoption Crawls -- Is an IP telephone call in your future? If it is, it will probably cost you less than you''re used to paying for long distance, and may even cut costs for local calls. [Wired News] Could Microsoft''s Store Backfire? -- Though Redmond''s first storefront venture fits the successful model pioneered by Nike and Sony, it could be that the public has had enough of the software giant for the moment. [Wired News] Court Rejects Bells'' Appeal -- An appeals court overturns a lower court''s decision and rejects a claim by the Baby Bells that portions of the 1996 Telecom Act are unconstitutional. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Court Upholds Bell Restrictions -- An appeals court agrees with the government: The Baby Bell phone companies have to open up their local markets to competition before they can offer long-distance service. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News] Creative Good Dream Job: Ease of Use Technologist -- The caped crusader behind Creative Good is looking for a boy- or girl-wonder to teach companies how to make the Web easier for users. [Wired News] Custom Discs Give CDnow New Spin -- As competition blares ever louder among online music retailers, the leader of the pack acquires custom-CD technology and 60,000 licensed titles to keep it singing sweetly. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] DSL vs. Cable. Again -- US West announced it is adding new digital subscriber line markets, and Dell will be selling Cisco-made DSL modems in some of its computers. Is DSL here for real? Probably not. [Wired News] Daily Blast on Macs ... Finally -- Disney''s Daily Blast, the entertainment company''s online offering, will finally function properly on Macintosh computers. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Data Between The Lines -- WorldGate Communications CEO Hal Krisbergh takes a down-and-dirty approach to Internet TV. [Wired News] Data Drives AT&T''s Growth -- The nation''s biggest phone company says consumer long-distance revenues fell 3.7 percent during the quarter, but strong growth in high-speed data services propelled a 60 percent earnings increase. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Data Services Fight to Reconnect -- Tuesday''s satellite failure left real-time financial data providers scrambling to get their customers plugged into the information flow. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Database Marketing on the Web -- IntelliQuest doesn''t know your name, but the market researcher knows exactly what you like. That knowledge and 24/7''s software add up to the best, or scariest, Web advertising system yet. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Datek Becoming a Stock Exchange -- Look out Nasdaq. An online brokerage firm is expected to register its Island trading system as an independent stock exchange. By R. Scott Raynovich. [Wired News] Deadbeat Domains -- Brick-and-mortar stores might coast for months without paying the rent. But Web-based businesses that let their bills slide can get blacked out in a snap. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Dealing for Dollars -- Web retailers are tumbling over one another to shell out whopping sums for exclusive deals with the best-trafficked Net directories - and the payoff may even be worth it. [Wired News] Deductible Junkets: Meetings of the Minds -- Internet Tuscon III; CGDC ''98; Africa Telecom 98; ACM Policy ''98. [Wired News] Deductible Junkets: Meetings of the Minds -- Siggraph; INET ''98; Herring on Hollywood; Def Con 6.0; Future Transportation Technology. [Wired News] Deductible Junkets: Meetings of the Minds -- Hot Chips 10; Crypto ''98; IFIP World Computer Congress; Ars Electronica Festival ''98; SPA''s 14th Annual Conference. [Wired News] Deductible Junkets: Meetings of the Minds -- Nano ''98; Usenix ''98; 1998 World Congress; WITI (Women in Technology International); TiLE 1998 (Trends and Technology in Leisure and Entertainment). [Wired News] Deductible Junkets: Meetings of the Minds -- Agents ''98; E3; International Design Conference; Eurocrypt ''98; AUVSI ''98 (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International). [Wired News] Dell Saves Tech Stocks -- Stellar financial results from Dell boosts the PC maker''s stock 7.4 percent on Wednesday, offsetting weak performance elsewhere among technology stocks. The Wired Index closes unchanged at 422.89. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Dell''s Magic Formula -- As Dell Computer continues to pick up the pace, it''s unlikely that other large PC-makers like Compaq and IBM will be able to match the company''s business model. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Diamond Countersues, Defends Rio -- The maker of the music player strikes back against an industry trade group trying to block its product. By Chris Stamper. [Wired News] Dirty Laundry Airs on Stock Site -- Legacy Software sues three private investors for alleged online defamation, and serves the suit where all can see. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Disney Buys Out Starwave -- A day after CEO Eisner spoke of making his company into a Web portal, Disney exercises its options to acquire Paul Allen''s Internet company. [Wired News] Disney Buys into Infoseek -- Disney buys a 43 percent stake in Infoseek and hands over control of its Starwave unit to the search engine. The firms will then combine brainpower to create a new portal by next year. By Dan Brekke and Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Do You Sohoo? -- Plenty of Chinese do. Charles Zhang''s Sohoo has become China''s search engine of choice. Wired News talks to the founder and CEO of ITC, one of the world''s top tech companies. By John Alderman. [Wired News] Does Cable Fit in Vulcan''s Vision? -- Paul Allen''s eclectic collection of tech investments looks like so many puzzle pieces waiting to be interlocked. But the size of his US$2.8 billion investment in Marcus Cable changes the picture. Or does it? [Wired News] Dollars Swirl Around Verio -- With a fresh US$100 million investment agreement from Japan''s NTT, the upstart ISP prepares for its initial public offering for another $100 million, after agreeing to hand over, yes, $100 million, to Qwest Communications for backbone access. Maybe it''s on to something. [Wired News] Domain Deal Up in Air -- Compaq has reportedly offered a record-breaking US$3.35 million for the rights to the altavista.com domain name. But so far, the company says, no deal has been made. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] Double Troubles Send APS to Chapter 11 -- Blaming the death of the Apple clone market and warranty obligations for its demise, APS Technologies will soon have to tell how it plans to cover its debt. [Wired News] Dow Recovers, But Techs Slip -- Most stocks bounce back from Tuesday''s beating, but technology issues fail to come back amid earnings concerns. The Wired Index falls 1.43 points to 407.27. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Dream Job: Computer Science Research Fellow -- The Molecular Sciences Institute is looking for a computer geek with a biology streak to help them look at their work in new ways. [Wired News] Dream Job: Fork Programmer -- Hamburg''s Fork, a Web design house with a twist, is looking for a wry programmer. [Wired News] Dream Job: Plumb Design Programmer -- Make data come alive as a programmer for Plumb Design''s Thinkmap technology. [Wired News] Dream Job: Sonic Solutions Engineer -- These pioneers of digital tech for music editing, mixing, and CD premastering always need engineers. But only "the right" engineers. [Wired News] Dream Job: Sound Strategist at Headspace -- Headspace, Thomas Dolby''s startup, makes music work on the Web - and needs a CEO. [Wired News] Dream Job: Upside Marketing Manager -- Help build the brand and fire up the sales force as Upside''s marketing manager [Wired News] E-Brokers Enjoy Their Own Run-Up -- Shares of Net-brokerage firms surge after Ameritrade says its earnings will crush estimates. Traditional brokerages, meanwhile, continue to suffer. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] E-Commerce Stocks Stay Hot -- In light Christmas Eve trading, investors smile on e-commerce plays while the broader market turns in a mixed performance. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] EBay Boots Angry Users -- After Wednesday''s system failure, users who complained to a customer-support message board were suspended from the site. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] EBay Opens IPO Floodgates -- The day after eBay''s soaring Wall Street debut, three companies file for offerings of their own. It looks like the IPO drought may be over. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] EBay Shares Through the Roof -- The online auctioneer got major props from an analyst report and has earnings due out tomorrow that are looking good. Shares are up almost 40 percent. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] EU Privacy Law is Awkward for US -- Europe''s sweeping new Data Protection Directive has implications for US multinationals. What''s up? By Noah Shachtman. [Wired News] Earnings Jitters Derail Stocks -- Profits, the presidency -- too much uncertainty. Wall Street loses ground as investors survey the landscape. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Earnings Outlook Hammers Stocks -- A disappointingly small interest-rate cut and more warnings about weaker-than-expected earnings punish US stocks. The Wired Index drops 17.99 to 377.08. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] EarthLink Reels In Its Losses -- The rapid-growth ISP reports record revenues and its seventh consecutive quarter of shrinking losses. The company sees black by early next year. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] EarthLink, Sprint Combine Online Services -- In a US$180 million deal, the long-distance phone company merges its 130,000 online customers into the data-networking firm and takes a 30 percent stake in the enterprise. [Wired News] Easy Net Access for Dell -- The No. 2 computer maker lines up deals with Excite, AT T, and SBC Communications to make connections to the Internet easier, which creates another incentive to buy a Dell box. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Ebilling Business Booms -- Where Microsoft goes, acceptance follows -- and so it is with an emerging electronic billing and payment system that drops an online bill at your bank, and leaves your physical mailbox alone. [Wired News] Entrust IPO Soars -- A sign of investor faith in the prospects of Net security software vendors, Entrust stock shot up as much as 50 percent on the first day of trading. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Ericsson Begins Buying Spree -- The Swedish telecom-equipment maker hints that some big acquisition may be in the offing to keep up with Internet technology. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Esther Dyson in Poland -- In Central Europe, Esther Dyson manages minor investments in Hungary and the Czech Republic, but she''s invested most heavily in Poland. [Wired News] Etrade Brokers Its Own Deal -- The online brokerage says Japan''s Softbank will buy 15.6 million of its shares for US$400 million. Analysts say it''s a sweet deal for both companies. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Euro Net Users: Aux Barricades! -- Outraged by the huge fees telephone companies charge, European Internet surfers are staging online strikes to demand cheaper access. Heather McCabe reports from Paris. [Wired News] Everybody Learn Cisco -- Cisco Systems has launched an ambitious program to teach teachers and students computer networking, and help solve the IT worker crunch to boot. [Wired News] Eword: After-School Adventure -- Empowered by a Web-authoring app called Cocoa, Gregory Miller has latched onto a cool new extra-curricular activity: he''s CEO of his own software company. [Wired News] Eword: The Eyeball Index -- A recent report by Mediamark Research provides a new perspective on how new media audiences stack up against old media. [Wired News] Ex-Apple Exec Named Exodus CEO -- More than a year after her departure from the computer manufacturer, former chief technologist Ellen Hancock has a new job. [Wired News] Excite Announces Stock Split -- The No. 2 Internet search engine price per share leaps after its board of directors approves a two-for-one stock split. [Wired News] Excite Banking on Targeted Ad Strategy -- The company paid US$89 million for MatchLogic, a "one-to-one" ad services firm that finely targets consumers based on their interests. [Wired News] Excite Buys Throw for $28.2M -- Excite says the purchase of the Internet software company is part of its "community" strategy, to be unveiled later this year. By Kourosh Karimkhany. [Wired News] Excite Follows Yahoo into China -- Partnering with the self-proclaimed premiere Chinese-language Web site, the Number Two portal player in the US gears up for overseas battle, launching a Chinese-language portal site. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Excite Gets QVC VP -- The portal site hires a former senior executive from the TV shopping channel to add marketing muscle to its fight with America Online and Yahoo. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Excite Hires New President -- The Net directory brings in a telecom exec to run the daily show, so current top brass can strategize. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Excited About Auctions -- Upping the ante among the monkey-see, monkey-do portal sites, Excite''s Classifieds2000 unit unveils an auction service that combs both classifieds and auction databases. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] FCC Extends Wiretap Deadline -- Regulators extend the deadline for installing new wiretaps on digital phone lines. That''ll give the telcos and the FBI time to sort out what the new taps should do. [Wired News] FCC May Propose Rules for Bells -- The commission may allow the phone companies to build new data networks that they wouldn''t have to share with competitors. The move could acclerate the opening of local markets. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] FCC Taxes Digital TV Service -- Broadcasters wanting to offer services other than free television programs over their digital television spectrum must pay a special fee, the FCC rules. By Chris Stamper. [Wired News] FCC: No to Local Long-Distance -- Federal regulators rule that long-distance marketing agreements between Qwest and regional phone companies US West and Ameritech are illegal. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] FDIC: Keep It to Yourself -- Some institutions have passed the federal banking overseer''s Y2K compliance tests with flying colors. But the agency won''t let the banks gloat in public about it. By Yukari Iwatani. [Wired News] Fast Times for Antitrust Action -- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, on the front lines of the 20-state antitrust battle against Microsoft, talks to Wired News about how the case is likely to proceed in the coming months. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Fat Pipes For All -- Consumer groups, ISPs, and phone companies want the FCC to rule that rivals can offer their own high-speed Net services over TCI''s cable-TV lines. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Fat Pipes for Fat Apps -- @Home Corporation paired up with Release Software to kick off "the fastest software store on earth," but for now, few earthlings will have access. [Wired News] Fear and Loathing in Cupertino -- Say one thing for Steve Jobs, he''s got an iron fist. While he''s brought Apple back to profitability, his control of leaks has left the press hungry for details on the company''s new products. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] FedEx Strike May Freeze E-Sales -- With visions of e-dollars dancing in their heads, online retailers worry that a strike by pilots will affect holiday deliveries. By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Fete For a Market Mood Ring -- BancAmerica Robertson Stephens throws a grand Tiki party to kick off the company''s stock analysis site. By Kaitlin Quistgaard. [Wired News] Fickle Fortunes -- In two days, the 24-year-old co-founders of theglobe.com transform from being captains of a doomed IPO to zillionaire status. This is their story. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Finding a Match for Netscape -- As reports fly about an imminent buyout of the browser pioneer, analysts say it''s an attractive marriage for several rumored suitors. [Wired News] Firefly: From the Media Lab to Microsoft -- From its origins as an MIT Media Lab spin-off, to its newfound status as another trophy acquisition in Redmond''s ''Web lifestyle'' strategy, Firefly has built a business on Web personalization and profiling. [Wired News] Firings at Broderbund -- The Learning Company fires 500 people, or 42 percent of all employees, at recently acquired Broderbund. "The days of the artist are gone," one analyst says. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] First Virtual Tries to Sell Itself -- The ecommerce company hopes to trade a controlling stake in its business for the cash it needs to stay afloat while refocusing its strategy. [Wired News] For Joe Net, More Consumption -- The changes wrought by a Netscape-AOL combo may not be obvious to the average Web user. But they will be potent. By Chris Oakes. [Wired News] For Porn, Click Here -- Can''t decide what kind of porn you''re in the mood for? Visit Adult 10,000, the brainchild of a Frenchman who''s figured out how to make money off mom-and-pop pornographers. By Mark Cromer. [Wired News] For Sale: Your Tastes, Interests -- The debate over online privacy comes down to what information sites are collecting and how. The truth is, only a handful of companies are on the cutting edge. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Forbes: Cendant is ''Fine'' -- Despite accounting problems, a class-action lawsuit, and charges of fraud, Cendant chairman Walter Forbes told the audience of Spotlight 98 that earnings will be "good." By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Fore to Miss Earnings Estimates -- Fore Systems is the latest networking equipment maker to hit a financial speed bump, as it tells investors that second-quarter earnings won''t meet expectations. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Forget $600 for a PC, Try $199 -- Taiwan''s Acer Group says it plans to sell a line of computers priced at as little as a third of the cost of the cheapest PCs -- perfect for places like China. By Yukari Iwatani. [Wired News] Free ISPs Revel in Beta Optimism -- X-Stream Network boasts 28,000 new users since its March launch in the United Kingdom, a country where high local phone charges make no-cost Internet access particularly attractive. By Randolph Court. [Wired News] Gates Lauds Windows 98 -- Microsoft''s chief compares the personal-computer industry to the history of cars, saying "We''re in about the 1920s stage." By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Gateway Hurts PC Stocks -- Weaker-than-expected earnings from Gateway and other high-tech firms drags the Wired Index down 1.34 to 438.85. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] GeoCities Flies in IPO -- The share price of the Web community company more than doubled in its first day of trading, despite a nasty market downturn. Analysts credit the magic of Internet fairy-dust. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] GeoCities Newest Neighbor: an Adman -- Tom Evans will become CEO of the homepage hosting service next month, bringing with him years of experience in print publishing and ad sales -- and a goal of generating some revenue for GeoCities. [Wired News] GeoCities Re-Zones for Business -- Just one step ahead of the competition, the free homepage host is rolling GeoShop e-commerce tools into the online neighborhood, in hopes of bolstering its bottom line. [Wired News] Geocities Loves Inktomi Now -- The online community site switches to Inktomi search technology to improve search results and capture more ad revenues. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] German Challenge to MS Office -- Microsoft got the upper hand in the browser war by giving away Internet Explorer. Now, a Hamburg firm called Star Division is trying that tactic, too. By Karsten Lemm. [Wired News] German Dream Job: Fluent Web Designer Sought -- With its "immersive" approach to design, this German-based studio needs a Web designer who''s ready to dive in. [Wired News] German Net Access Gets Cheap -- Two telecom upstarts say they will offer online services in Germany that will be far less expensive than incumbents Deutsche Telekom and AOL. By Karsten Lemm. [Wired News] Geron Extends Life of Rally -- The biotech company may have figured out how to repair damaged human organs -- sending its shares, and much of the rest of the market, soaring. The Wired Index rises 2.56 to 428.54. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Gigabit Networker -- At Alteon Networks, Hong Kong-born Selina Lo is outsmarting the gigbit Ethernet competition and escaping Cisco''s hungry maw. [Wired News] Giveaways Are Gonna Cost Ya -- Marketers using incentive programs to drive traffic to their sites may soon find themselves paying a licensing fee to CyberGold, which apparently has a patent on the idea. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Globalstar Adds Up the Damage -- Satellite phone company Globalstar says that the rocket malfunction that destroyed 12 of its satellites will take a significant bite out of its finances. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Globalstar Shares Crash, Burn -- A rocket carrying 12 Globalstar satellites malfunctions, causing Globalstar''s stock to take a nose dive. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Globalstar Still Grounded -- Diplomatic wrangling holds up the launch of four Globalstar satellites from a Russian space base. The question is how long will the bickering last? By Polly Sprenger. [Wired News] Go2net''s Low-Overhead Plan -- Its US$33 million all-stock acquisition of Silicon Investor fits right into the content aggregator''s vision: a network of small-staff sites that lets technology do the work. [Wired News] GoTo Searches With a Capitalist Engine -- Who wants a search engine that''s rigged to take you to the site most willing to pay for your eyes? GoTo.com can''t wait to find out. [Wired News] GoodNoise Signs Frank Black -- A series of signings by Net record companies means small, digitally distributed music vendors have found a market niche. Big labels are still scared of the Net. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Government Writes First ''Echeck'' -- A trial program to send electronic checks over the Internet is under way. Businesses may benefit in the future, but the system is too new to help the government meet its mandate that all federal payments be electronic by 1999. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Greenspan Clobbers Markets -- The Fed chairman manages to spook the markets with his comments to Congress, saying current values may be "difficult to sustain." The Wired Index drops 7.19 to 458.02. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Greenspan Mum, But Stocks Rise -- The Fed chairman wouldn''t reveal short-term plans in congressional testimony, but investors still expect central banks to cut interest rates to boost economies. The Wired Index rises 0.66 to 383.62. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Greenspan Speech Boosts Stocks -- A tiny hint that the Fed might consider an interest rate cut results in one of the best days ever in US stock market history. The Wired Index surges 23.33 to 389.71. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Greenspan Talk Boosts Stocks -- The Fed chief gives a speech in which he doesn''t say much. Since no news is good news for investors these days, stocks rise. The Wired Index climbs 2.72 to 423.82. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Grove Steps Down; Analysts Shrug -- Those who spend their time watching the chip industry say the Intel co founder''s departure really doesn''t change much for his company or its competitors. [Wired News] Grove Steps Down; Analysts Shrug -- Those who spend their time watching the chip industry say the Intel co founder''s departure really doesn''t change much for his company or its competitors. [Wired News] Grove: Doctors Need PCs -- The elder statesman of the PC industry scolds doctors for not using even the most basic PC technology to improve their practice. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] HP Java Fight Will Test Sun''s Resources -- In launching its own Java virtual machine for devices such as printers, Hewlett-Packard is telling Sun that the company can''t be all things to everyone. [Wired News] HP: Good, But Not Good Enough -- The beleaguered computer maker beats Wall Street earnings expectations but falls short of its own high standards. Also: Electronic Arts buys Virgin''s Westwood Studios. [Wired News] HP: Sun Hampering Embedded Java -- In launching its own Java virtual machine for devices such as printers, Hewlett-Packard is telling Sun that the company can''t be all things to everyone. [Wired News] Hatch to FTC: Go Easy on Intel -- The Utah Senator and Microsoft foe urges the FTC to be "careful" in its handling of an antitrust suit against Intel. By sheer coincidence, Intel is negotiating with Utah to build a big new plant in Salt Lake County. [Wired News] Healtheon IPO Date Slipping -- The health-care software company pushes back the date for its initial public offering to the week of 5 October, two weeks later than originally scheduled. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Healtheon Pulls IPO -- Market conditions prompt an Internet startup from the founder of Netscape to withdraw its initial public offering. That was one good reason, analysts say. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Herbold: ''May The Best Product Win'' -- Microsoft''s COO took the opportunity in a Monday morning keynote to tell us, one more time, why it''s good for all of us to leave the software superpower unfettered. The government, he said, shouldn''t stifle corporate innovation. [Wired News] Here Comes AltaVista -- AltaVista''s fortunes were flagging under the ownership of Digital. Then Compaq bought Digital, and AltaVista got a sugar daddy with portal ambitions. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Hey, AT&T! Call Optus -- Australian cable-TV operator Optus has figured out how to send voice calls over cable. It was a brutal experience. AT&T should ask for pointers to pull off the TCI acquisition. By Stewart Taggart. [Wired News] High Tech Unfazed by Copyright Ruling -- The Supreme Court ruled that copyright-holding US manufacturers can''t block distributors who have bought their goods overseas from reselling them on the cheap at home. But the tech world says it won''t affect software sales much. [Wired News] High-Tech Fears Over India -- US sanctions against India for its nuclear testing will smack the tech sector, but how hard? By Joe Nickell. [Wired News] Hollywood Helper -- Watch Titanic closely. See all those deck chairs? Someone has to keep track of the myriad props. That''s where Rod Henson, Jon Gaster, and their new software company, Columbus Systems, come in. By Brian Alcorn. [Wired News] Hope of Rate Cut Spurs Stocks -- It''s appearing increasingly likely that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. Stocks rise on the optimism. The Wired Index gains 1.76 to 382.86. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] How To Make $$$$ with XXXX -- The little guy can still earn a handsome wage in the online porno biz. And there are plenty of resources to help porntrepreneurs get started. By Becky Bond. [Wired News] IBM Beats Wall Street -- The world''s biggest computer company reports better than expected third-quarter earnings, but warns that future pleasant surprises may not be forthcoming. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] IBM Goes Cellular, Buying Chip Designer -- With today''s buyout of CommQuest, Big Blue will ramp up its development of chips for license to makers of cell phones and wireless communications gizmos. [Wired News] IBM Picks Apache -- IBM will shortly announce that it has chosen to bundle Apache''s Web server with its new suite of ecommerce development tools. The decision could hit Netscape hard. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] IBM Profit Beats Forecast -- IBM''s second-quarter earnings barely budged, hurt by dismal hardware sales, falling memory chip prices, and Asia''s economic troubles. But they were good enough to beat Wall Street forecasts by a whisker. [Wired News] ICANN Meeting No ''Lovefest'' -- In mailing lists and discussion groups, critics have roasted the nonprofit group selected to oversee the governance of the Internet. On Saturday, things got personal. Declan McCullagh reports from Cambridge, Massachusetts. [Wired News] ICQ Fans Rage Against AOL -- Mirabilis posted a letter to the ICQ site, assuring users of the popular chat software that the company''s acquisition by America Online is a good thing, really. Still, fears of censorship and commercialization are driving some users away. By Joe Nickell. [Wired News] IDC: PC Sales Recovering -- IDC predicts PC unit shipments will rise as vendors get their inventories under better control. Still, growth for the year will be far below 1997. By Karsten Lemm. [Wired News] IPO Certainly Not COOL -- Cyberian''s IPO is smoking, as shares jump by as much as US$9.25 on the first day of trading. It''s more evidence that investors are dying to place bets on would-be Web Wal-Marts. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] IPO Wowser: EarthWeb Triples -- Shares of the content developer triple in the first few hours of its publicly traded life, giving new hope to IPO hopefuls everywhere. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Idées Fortes: Productivity Paradox -- Are traditional productivity measurements blind to the information economy? As economist Robert Solow once put it: Computers can be seen everywhere but in productivity stats. [Wired News] In CPA We Might Trust -- WebTrust, a band of CPA do-gooders, wants to put its seal of approval on your ecommerce site. Question is, will it do any good? [Wired News] In Ernst & Young We TRUSTe -- The accounting firm will audit and monitor Web companies to make sure they respect the privacy of their customers. Plus, they''ll keep Washington in the loop. By James Glave. [Wired News] In Mac They Trust -- It''s getting harder to find developers that build exclusively for the Mac platform, but the few who do seem to believe in it like a cause - even as they consider the Windows platform. [Wired News] Infoseek Insider Sells Shares -- As the portal enters the final stages of a joint venture with Disney, the company''s second biggest shareholder files to sell most of its holding. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Inktomi Buys Shop Bot Shop -- Reaching beyond its search-engine roots, Inktomi spends US$90 million to buy C2B Technologies. The goal: A souped-up shopping product for portals by 1999. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Inktomi Sales Quadruple -- The search engine software provider''s revenue surges in the latest quarter, as Internet queries at its customers'' sites explode. Its loss is less than expected. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Inside Intel''s New CEO -- A snapshot of Craig Barrett, his policies, hobbies, love life, and darkest secret. [Wired News] Inside Wifey Inc. -- Affectionately known as Wifey and Hubby, a Washington state couple are turning their private bedroom antics into a new-media empire. By Mark Cromer. [Wired News] Intel Countersues Intergraph -- The chipmaker''s filings on Thursday, although a run-of-the-mill tactic in this industry, could influence the FTC case against it. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intel Heats Up Web Video Battle -- RealNetworks'' media-streaming software gets a big boost with an Intel technology that promises major improvements in Web video. Microsoft is, for now, out of the loop. By Chris Oakes. [Wired News] Intel Inside(rs) to Sell Shares -- Intel CEO Craig Barrett plans to sell one-third of his stake in the company. Others are selling, too. Maybe they don''t have faith an Intel rally will continue, analysts say. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intel Kills Quick Web Project -- The chipmaker cites "market conditions" for shelving its Web transmission software. Better to stick with the chip business, the company decides. By Claude J. Bauer. [Wired News] Intel Not Another Standard Oil -- The FTC''s suit against the chipmaker may sound like more of the same in antitrust actions, but its complaint is far narrower than the government''s case against Microsoft. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intel Profit Drops 29 Percent -- The world''s biggest computer chipmaker blamed falling chip prices and fewer shipments for its reported earnings, which fell short of Wall Street expectations. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intel Trial Could Start 5 Jan. -- Intel will not get as much prep time as it asked for, if its antitrust trial starts in January 1999. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intel to Buy Shiva -- The world''s biggest computer chipmaker expands its existing networking product line by purchasing Shiva, an expert in remote access and virtual private networking gear. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Intel''s Outlook Boosts Techs -- The world''s biggest chipmaker reported lousy earnings, but investors looked past that to the second half, when things are supposed to improve. The Wired Index posted a new record. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Intel, LSI Hit US Stocks -- US military strikes, which usually boost stocks, were not enough to offset the fallout from slumping semiconductor issues. The Wired Index slips 0.40 to 422.48. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Intergraph: Intel Hurt Revenues -- The workstation maker blames Intel''s alleged anticompetitive practices for hurting its second-quarter revenue. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Intern Dream Job: NOVA Online -- The webby counterpart of the PBS TV series isn''t just a new-media marketing gimmick. [Wired News] Internet Issues Save Techs -- Interest in Internet stocks keeps technology issues from a big drop for the day. The Wired Index falls 0.93 to 418.12. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Intertainment On Demand -- Upstart Intertainer is calling on super-fast modems and an extensive video and music library to revive interactive TV. This time, content will be king. By Sean Donahue. [Wired News] Inventor Stakes Claim to MS Fortunes -- Microsoft faces a new lawsuit, brought by a man who holds patents for multithreading - a process used in almost every software application. [Wired News] Investor Frenzy over eBay IPO -- Shares of eBay nearly triple in the first minutes of trading, giving new hope to a wretched IPO market. But not all Net companies will do as well, analysts said. By Jennifer Sullivan. [Wired News] Invisible Computing -- Hewlett-Packard''s Donald Norman
hides today''s technologies behind a user-friendly curtain. [Wired News] Ireland, the Silicon Isle -- Ireland, after a false start, has become the European counterpart to Silicon Valley -- complete with high-priced programmers, scrappy startups, and labor shortages. Now, the Irish are invading US markets. By Niall McKay. [Wired News] Iridium Pitchman -- The global satellite communications operator''s new marketing chief has a simple pitch: No self-respecting gadget junkie will be able to resist Iridium''s lightweight handsets. [Wired News] Is Barksdale on the Block? -- Possibly seeking job: WM, 55. Ran three multibillion-dollar companies. Currently working part time, but might consider full-time position. Make an offer. By Craig Bicknell. [Wired News] Japan Outlook Boosts Stocks -- The Japanese government manages to get the opposition party to agree to rescue ailing banks. The prospect of a stronger financial system in Japan boosts stocks worldwide. The Wired Index rises 14.22 to 355.51. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Japan Pulls Down Tech Stocks -- A big debt-rating agency says it might downgrade Japan''s credit rating -- not a good sign for one of the biggest consumers of US technology. Wired Index dips 10.87 to 440.93. By David Lazarus. [Wired News] Japan Shake-up Boosts Stocks -- For Japan, change -- any kind of change -- is good news. Hashimoto''s resignation and rocketing Internet stocks pulled the Wired Index up on Monday. By David Lazarus. [Wired News]