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Presents the top ten computer technologies to watch in 1999, according to `PC Week.' Network operating systems like Solaris and NetWare; Functional year 2000 date conversion tools; Electronic commerce; Application servers; Extensible Markup Language (XML); Server hardware; Desktop and portable computers; Automatic speech recognition; Internet multimedia; Enterprise resource planning (ERP) products for small and medium companies.

Reports on the changes in the Windows and OS/2 industry. Spotting the changes; Choosing from a variety of tools for tasks; Tool and approach selection; Systems-automation tools; Stand-alone programming tools.

Reports on the plan of Novell Inc. to give away NDS in an effort to spur adoption of directory-enabled applications. Countering of the free directory in Microsoft Corp's Windows 2000; Licensing issues.

Considers the potential use of Linux on personal computers (PC). Growing support for the open-source operating system; The position of computer hardware makers; Development of Linux products by Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co. and other vendors; Software for the operating system. INSET: Linux desktop software choices.

Informs that Tivoli Systems Inc. plans to launch several initiatives and technologies in 1999 to provide centralized management platforms for medium-sized companies, and service providers. Plans announced by Jan Lindelow, president and CEO of the International Business Machines (IBM) business unit; Comments from Lindelow about the upper middle enterprise market; Tivoli's current IT Directory, a Windows NT-based management package.

Reports on the entry of DOS V in the Japanese personal computer market. Opening of opportunities to American vendors; Expected increase in Japanese software sales; IBM's marketing strategy.

Reports on the impact that a possible delay in the release of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 98 operating system will have on the entire computer industry. Contracts and partnerships of Microsoft's which will be impacted; Efforts by several state attorneys to delay the shipment of Windows 98; Why a delay could cause the acceptance of the Universal Serial Bus to slow dramatically.

Reports that Microsoft Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. have extended their Alliance for Enterprise Computing with Phase II, tightening the link between Digital middleware technology and NT. Digital tying its Reliable Transaction Router (RTR) to Microsoft's Internet Information Servers; Digital's ACMSxp transaction processing system and RTR to run on Microsoft's Transaction Server; Other integrations.

Reports that a number of key computer original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) has refused to sign Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95 licensing contracts. Possible delay of the software's shipping date due to this resistance; Reasons to the OEMs' resistance to the contracts; Microsoft's plan to release candidate 1 of the software to all participants in the Windows 95 Preview program.

Presents news items related to the computer industry in the United States as of January 31, 2000. Availability of Citrix Systems Inc.'s Meta-Frame computer software on Unix platforms; CenterBeam Inc.'s agreement to standardize on a Dell Computer Corp. platform.

Reports that United States computer vendors are ramping up their service offerings for the Microsoft Windows 2000 computer operating system. Prediction that the entire computer industry will experience lengthy and problematic migrations to such computer operating system; Features of the Microsoft Windows 2000; Advantages expected to be gained by industry players from using the computer operating system.

Speculates on which issues will be considered important for 2000 in the computer industry. The growth of business-to-business electronic commerce; Computer chips that address network bandwidth problems; A settlement between the United States Department of Justice and Microsoft Corp.; Windows 2000; The growth of Linux; Others.

Focuses on developments related to the computer industry in the United States, current as of December 20, 1999. Upgrade of IBM Corp.'s NUMA-Q Dynix/ptx operating system; Permanent injunction against Hewlett-Packard Co. for infringing on EMC Corp.'s trademark name.

Comments on developments concerning the computer industry as of September 6, 1999. Includes IBM Corp.'s assessment of the Windows 2000 operating system; Migration problems encountered by Microsoft with Windows 2000; Problems with Intel's demonstration of the 64-bit Windows on its Merced chip; Problems encountered by Computer Associates with data warehousing solutions from its purchase of Platinum Technology.

Notes several products that will debut at the 1999 LinuxWorld Expo. Various companies introducing software, products and strategies to benefit the Linux operating system; Vendors such as IBM, Intel Corp., Oracle Corp. SAP AG and others who will attend.

Notes events related to the computer industry for August 1999. The author's inability to access a Web site designed to help users prepare for Windows 2000; A program set up by Gateway that charges support personnel for excessive parts and systems; Speculation as to whether PacBell.Net is screening out newsgroups considered undesirable; Other briefs.

Presents news about business computing as of July 5, 1999. Details about a Microsoft Windows 98 bug that could render a personal computer with the operating system unbootable after running the System File Checker tool; Sharp Electronic Corp. to ship two Wizard organizers with more memory than their predecessors; Company contact information.

Discusses issues related to the hosting of an open benchmark pitting Linux against Microsoft Windows NT computer operating system by PC Week Labs. Details about the Linux and Windows group; The author's experience that showed him that the Linux community faces a tough road in the enterprise community.

Discusses the computer operating system communities of Microsoft versus Linux. The transition at Microsoft; Suggestion that the Linux community is more approachable; Reaction to the visit of Microsoft officials to ZD Labs to participate in tests of Mindcraft's Linux versus Windows NT.

Examines several issues relating to Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines (IBM). Debate between two Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors over whether Microsoft used monopoly power to strong-arm IBM into favoring Windows at OS/2's expense; IBM acquisition of Whistle Communications; Range of collaborative features in Microsoft's Office 2000 suite.

Examines the reactions the author received from readers when he expressed frustration over his inability to configure an older Toshiba portable with two PCMCIA NICs to make a proxy server. How none of the solutions suited his needs; Readers' success configuring Linux for proxy duty with a pair of NICs; Problems with the NICs; The decision made by the author to use the BeadleNet SOHO 2000.

Looks at several issues in the computer industry. Competition between Linux and Windows operating system by Microsoft Corp.; Comments on the introductory remarks made by executive John Rando at the Dataquest Service Trends conference in May 1999; Information on United Airlines' upgraded Web site.

Presents computer industry news briefs as of May 1999. Confirmation of the resignation of Michael Hell, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide sales and marketing at Compaq Computer Corp.; The release to manufacturing of Windows 2000 Beta 3 by Microsoft; IBM to launch its first portable computer based on Microsoft's Windows CE 2.1 computer operating system.

Informs that Microsoft Corp. is adding more desktop functionality into the software for its Windows CE operating system. Plans to extend the platform to new devices, including smart phones; Upgrades being planned for Windows CE for Palm-size and Hand-held personal computers (PC); Information about projects code-named Rapier and Cedar.

Opinion. Comments on topics related to computers and the computer industry as of March 22, 1999. Relief expressed by the author over the United States Senate vote to build a national anti-missile defense system; Microsoft's response to hearing that Intel planned a demonstration of the Pentium III Xeon on systems from Gateway and Micron running Oracle8-and Red Hat Linux; Controversy over Hewlett-Packard's hiring of a former International Business Machines director; Whether Open Market is for sale.

Compares the company Linux to punk rock. Prediction that Linux is getting bigger; How the company was started as a reaction against Microsoft; The expertise it takes to work with Linux.

Presents news from the computer industry for February 22, 1999. R. Michael Franz to become chairman and CEO of HotOffice; Delays in the release of Lotus Notes and Domino 5.0; Plans by NEC to increase its stake in Packard Bell; Efforts by users of the Linux operating system to get a refund for the preloaded versions of the Windows operating system that they are not using; Other news.

Comments on the Linux operating system and its open source code, which allows developers to customize Linux to their own particular needs. Factors which made Linux and the idea of open source code more palatable to users in 1998; Why open source code development is able to solve problems more efficiently; Why the computer industry must take Linux seriously; Outlook.

Lists seven things done by Larry Ellison at Oracle Corp. which have drawn bad reactions from the computer industry. How Ellison views Microsoft Corp.; His push for the server-centric vision; What he says about SQL Server; His ego; His push for technology over integration with Oracle's vertical applications; His management style; His premature dismissal of the Windows operating system.

Examines in December of 1998 the accuracy of predictions made by the authors about the computer industry in January of 1998. Sales of Windows CE computers and Java network computers; Companies likely to be acquired; How the United States Federal Trade Commission will treat Microsoft Corp; The release date for Windows NT 5.0; Intel Corp.'s stock performance; US government policy toward encryption; Java applications.

Presents news from the computer industry for November 16, 1998. The Comdex Computer Show in Las Vegas, Nevada; The differing management styles of Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp., which Compaq acquired earlier this year; The protest by Linux users at the opening of Microsoft Corp.'s Developer Center; Pricing for the Iridium telecommunications satellite system; Losses at Intergraph for the third quarter. INSET: Fannie Mae & Fannie iMac.

Presents the author's predictions for the technologies and trends which will attract the most attention at the 1998 Comdex computer show. Alternative operating systems like Linux; Falling prices and smaller sizes for products; Convergence; Voice recognition.

Presents news from the computer industry for October 19, 1998. Support for the Jumbo Frames capability in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT; USWeb Electronic Services Initiative, a commercial Internet superstructure from USWeb; BorderManager FastCache 3.0 from Novell Inc.; The inResponse electronic mail and Web form management services from GTE Corp.; Other news.

Presents news from the computer industry for September 14, 1998. Microsoft Corp.'s subpoenas against its rival companies in the antitrust investigation by the United States Department of Justice; Efforts of Microsoft and Compaq Computer Corp. to ensure that future versions of Windows NT will be more scalable, reliable and interoperable with Digital Unix; Development of a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory for IBM's Windows NT software suites; Other news.

Examines Micron Electronics Inc.'s plan to compete in the midtier computer market as a direct seller. Why direct selling computer companies are outperforming resellers in 1998; Micron's plans to develop an upgrade plan to keep the computers of customers up to date; Efforts to ease the transition to Windows NT.

Discusses computer technology that should be considered for pilot implementation in 1994. Alternate processors; Multiprocessors; Operating systems; Digital video; PDA (personal digital assistants) integration; Directory services for E-mail.

Reports on the delay in the release of PowerOpen-compliant operating systems. PowerOpen Association Inc.'s plan to run existing AIX and AIX-derived operating systems on their machines; development of a common PowerOpen application binary interface (API) for PowerPC hardware; Association's member companies; Completion of PowerOpen compliance test suites; Availability of PowerOpen-compliant AIX version.

Features different activities in the computer industry. Weeklong event to mark the shipment of OS/2 2.1 from IBM Corp.; ClarisWorks for Windows discussion; Discussions on DOS 6.0, Windows NT and OS/2; ZiffNet's PC Week news poll; Information on how to join ZiffNet.

Reports on the launching of the PowerOpen Association, a group aimed at driving applications for the jointly developed Unix operating system. IBM. Apple Computer Inc., Motorola Corp. and four other companies as proponents of the group; Former Digital Equipment Corp. vice president for Unix systems as leader.

Presents news from the computer industry for May 11, 1998. Public relations at Microsoft Corp. and why its PR firm, Waggener Edstrom, is not involved in defending the company from antitrust allegations; The Digital Unix conference; NetWorld+Interop; Mergers and acquisitions. INSET: It's Bill's world, we just live in it.

Discusses two issues relevant in the computer industry in March of 1998. The digital audio streaming feature in Windows 98 which could make sound cards obsolete; Richard Belluzzo's decision to become CEO of Silicon Graphics and how it will affect the possible merger between Silicon and Sun Microsystems. INSET: Tool of the week.

Suggests that the biggest letdown of 1997 was Micrsoft Corp.'s much-anticipated Web integration with Windows. What the True Web Integration included; One of the biggest obstacles to Internet-based commerce being the United States' government counterproductive cryptographic policy; The decline in the interest of push technology.

Discusses the impact of a late release of Windows NT 5.0, which was planned for mid-1998. The emphasis that the company has placed on the 5.0 release; The suggestion that an interim NT 4.5 could be released.

Opinion. Speculates on the possible reaction to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 98. The new markets it may open; The integration of the World Wide Web browser and the operating system; The reality of the existence of Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 existing together; The relevance to the business market.

Opinion. Explains why the plans of Microsoft Corp. to release Windows 98 is irrelevant. The stumbles made by Windows 95; The lack of majority support for it; The excitement surrounding the Internet, Java and Windows NT; The lack of a compelling reason to change to Windows 98.

Reports on the decision of personal computer makers in 1997 to stop offering Windows 3.11 in any capacity. The need of corporations to formulate a transition strategy for 32-bit computing.

Editorial. Focuses on the achievements in the American computer industry in 1995 and predicts the prospects for 1996. Telecommunication and software development for World Wide Web sites by Netscape and Sun Microsystem Inc.; Slow corporate adoption of Windows 95; Continuing trends in 1996; Potential of the Internet as a commerce conduit; Collapse of competition in the application-suite market.

Reports on news and developments in the computer industry. Criticism on Windows 95; Microsoft's promotion for Windows 95; Windows 95 beta tester's complaint against a problem with hidden files.

Presents information on the plans of operating systems (OS) manufacturers for 1995 regarding updates for the respective OS that they manufacture. Planned release dates for Windows 95 and an update of Windows NT; Microsoft's statement regarding DOS 7.0; Update schedules for IBM's OS/2 systems.

Reports on personal computer (PC) vendors who announced support of Apple Computer Inc.'s Apple Open Collaboration Environment (AOCE). Novell Inc.'s native Macintosh client for NetWare; Mail vendors' preparation to leverage the Apple/Novell relationship to improve their cross-platforming messaging; AOCE connectivity in Lotus Notes 3.0.