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Monday, November 18, 2002

ZDNet: Tech Update: Enterprise Applications / Open-source CMS: On the rise:"The flurry of recent products at Berkeley's OSCOM (open-source Content Management) conference September and new interest from large enterprises indicate that open-source CMS is about to make big gains in acceptance. The tough economic times make open-source CMS look even more appealing, but the ability to customize the code is also a driving force. "
4:48:11 PM

Yahoo! News - Secret Court Says U.S. Has Broad Wiretap Powers - A special, secretive appeals court on Monday said the U.S. government has the right to use expanded powers to wiretap terrorism suspects under a law adopted by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The ruling was seen as a setback for civil libertarians who have said the expanded powers, which allow greater leeway in conducting electronic surveillance and in using information obtained from the wiretaps and searches, jeopardize constitutional rights.
3:49:32 PM

For W3C, it's a question of semantics. The influential Web standards group upgrades its Semantic Web activity, a push to make the Web a little more intelligent. But don't call it AI. [CNET News.com]
2:35:30 PM

Microsoft Profit and Loss by Business Area

Microsoft Profit and Loss by Business Area
Posted by michael on Sunday November 17, @08:26PM
from the learn-economics-in-an-hour dept.
An anonymous submitter writes "The Register is reporting in this article striking new evidence of what in my opinion can only be described as abuse of their monopoly position. A recent SEC filing shows that they lose money in every business area except Windows (86% profit) and Office (79% profit)." Another notes that the Financial Times has a story on the same subject - Dr. No writes "According to the Financial Times, Microsoft's Windows division has a profit margin of 85%. This is the first time this figure has been made public." The full version of Windows XP costs about $300.00. Microsoft could sell it for $45 and still make a profit. The difference between the $45 price and the $300 price is what economists call "monopoly rents".

[Slashdot]

9:14:05 AM

W3C Rejects Patents on Net Tech. The World Wide Web Consortium, which develops Internet protocols that ensure access for all, says after long deliberation, it won't allow companies to retain patents on standards it approves. By Robert McMillan. [Wired News]
9:03:48 AM