Spending spree! News this week includes IBM’s sudden attempt to buy Lotus, while in the background AOL seems to have purchased just about everybody else. In addition, we bring you information on updating your USR Sportster modem, a follow-up to Tonya’s article on pesky ReadMe files, information on that (ahem) "viral" component in Windows 95, and finally a revealing essay from Dave Winer on why software companies just don’t have a clue.
Last Saturday night marked an interesting point in the development of the Internet as a multimedia delivery system. We were invited to the offices of Point of Presence Company in Seattle to watch the first full-length feature film (called Party Girl) played live over the Internet via CU-SeeMe
The Lotus-Eaters -- Remember when the aborted Microsoft-Intuit merger - valued at over $2 billion - would have been the largest such deal in the history of the computing industry? No more! IBM today announced a $60 per share bid to take over Lotus Development Corporation
Patrick T. Pruyne writes:
Owners of U.S. Robotics v.34 Sportster modems should act fast to receive a free ROM chip upgrade. Until 12-Jun-95 users providing a proper serial number will receive the chip (manufacture date 18-Apr-95) at no charge
RAM Doubler 1.5.2 Patch -- The last two issues of TidBITS - TidBITS-278 and TidBITS-279 - reported on Connectix's new RAM Doubler 1.5.2 and 1.5.2a. (To recap, the RAM Doubler 1.5.2a Updater has a higher memory allocation, thus correcting troubles some people had with updating to version 1.5.2; if you successfully updated to version 1.5.2, you don't need 1.5.2a.) If you recently downloaded either RAM Doubler updater, you may have noticed a RAM Doubler 1.5.2 patch
Lower Royalties for VR -- In mid-May, Apple announced it was reducing the royalties it charges developers to publish material using QuickTime VR. The company waives royalties for non-commercial use of QuickTime VR, as well as for internal distribution within companies or educational institutions
Reports are circulating on the nets and via "reputable" news sources that Windows 95 contains a "viral" feature called the Registration Wizard
Actually AOL hasn't bought everyone just yet, but at the rate they are acquiring companies, they'll put even acquisition-hungry Symantec to shame. There have been a number of purchases, so sit down, catch your breath, and pay attention to the new list of AOL's wholly-owned subsidiaries.
The first purchase in recent history was AOL's acquisition of WAIS, Inc., the firm that spun off from Thinking Machines after the development of the WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers) technology
TidBITS readers sent in a number of helpful or amusing comments in response to my "ReadMe Files? Read This!" article last week in TidBITS-279
[Dave Winer founded UserLand Software and in 1992, shipped Frontier, which he is in the process of releasing for free to the Internet (see TidBITS-279)