New updates to Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Forte for Java development tools offer developers quick access to online Java plug-ins, a move that users and analysts said should make it easier to find code components.
A French court this week ordered Yahoo Inc. to prohibit the sale of Nazi artifacts - items such as daggers, uniforms and badges - from its auction site to users in France. While the court said Santa Clara, Calif.-based Yahoo will face daily fines if it fails to comply, the enforceability of that ruling and Yahoo's response to it are both in question.
It's virtually impossible to kick tires, gun an engine or check the oil online.
DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. yesterday said they've reached an agreement to establish a common networking infrastructure for their dealer networks.
Beating the drum for its new Web development initiative, Microsoft Corp. made the first public beta of its .Net Framework and Visual Studio.Net tool set available to developers at Comdex/Fall 2000 this week.
At the Convergence 2000 automotive show in Detroit last week, Microsoft launched Car .Net, a retooled version of its Windows CE operating system for automobiles.
Chicago-based Curious Network Inc.'s middleware, announced last week, aims to make it easier to tap into the Web from PCs and mobile devices and query databases, officials said.
After years of quiet talks with General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. next week will unveil its 2001 Lexus luxury sedans equipped with its rival's OnStar in-vehicle communications service.
Unlike the typical application service provider (ASP), U.K.-based Merant PLC not only wants to host applications, but it also wants to allow developers to create them.
After two rounds of inquiries by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Big Three's online auto industry exchange this week won tentative approval to open its virtual doors. Gaining that green light will allow the Southfield, Mich., exchange, called Covisint, to seek a permanent location, hire a CEO and gear up to launch by year's end.
Sun Microsystems Inc. this week introduced a new licensing and royalty plan for its Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) 1.3 specification. The new plan is aimed at eliminating some of the public squabbling that has erupted in the past over fees.
Earlier this week, Sun Microsystems introduced a new licensing and royalty plan for its Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) 1.3 specification aimed at eliminating some of the public squabbling that has erupted in the past over fees.
FRAMINGHAM (09/11/2000) - Federal antitrust regulators today gave an initial green light to the online exchange being developed by the Big 3 automakers, potentially clearing a major hurdle for other Internet-based business-to-business ventures involving cooperation between companies that compete against each other in the same industry.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) granted its tentative approval to the proposed auto exchange, called Covisint, after two rounds of inquiries into the plans announced earlier this year by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG. The FTC's investigation focused on antitrust concerns and the underlying technology infrastructure that Covisint plans to use.
But in a statement issued today, the FTC said its investigation is being closed for now - although the commission noted that it could reopen the matter in the future because Covisint is in such an early stage of development that FTC members "cannot say [the] venture will not cause competitive concerns."
FTC members also noted that the decision to let Covisint proceed with its plans doesn't necessarily mean that other online exchanges can expect to get similar treatment from the commission.
Business-to-business exchanges "have a great potential to benefit both businesses and consumers through increased productivity and lower prices," said FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky as part of the statement. But like any other joint venture between companies, online marketplaces "should be organized and implemented in ways that maintain competition," Pitofsky added. "The antitrust analysis of an individual [exchange] will be specific to its mission, its structure [and] its particular market circumstances."
In an interview last Friday, FTC member Mozelle W. Thompson made a similar point, saying that the consideration of proposed exchanges "is not a one-size-fits all proposition" because individual online marketplaces frequently are very different from one another.
Covisint spokeswoman Alice Miles said receiving the go-ahead from the FTC would allow the Southfield, Mich.-based company to find a permanent location and move forward with a search for a permanent CEO. The exchange now hopes to open for business by year's end, she added.
But the FTC isn't the only governmental body that has been investigating the massive automotive exchange. Covisint officials today confirmed that the German Federal Cartel Office, known as the Bundeskartellamt, also has an inquiry under way. Miles said Covisint had submitted documents to the German governmental agency and fully expects to receive its approval.
The Big 3 automakers have invested $200 million in Covisint thus far. Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. have also signed on to join the exchange as non-owner participants. Together, the five automakers could potentially process up to $300 billion in annual purchases through Covisint..
DaimlerChryslerAG is already reaping the rewards from a directive to suppliers to comply with a massive, Web-based initiative to streamline design and production systems.
In a deal struck this week, longtime automotive partisan Electronic Data Systems Corp. will team up with IBM to offer Web-based applications and Internet connectivity to auto dealerships.
