February 23, 2001
The Register: IBM withdraws CPRM for hard drives proposal.
It had been thought that this amended CPRM proposal, made public on January 22, would be passed. Changes included limiting its use to removable media, and references to CPRM were deleted. In the event, IBM withdrew the proposal and no vote was taken.
Interactive Week: IBM Backs Off Digital Tagging Plan.
The coalition instead adopted a plan proposed by an engineer at laptop technology maker Phoenix Technologies. The adopted plan calls for a general-purpose technology that could be used in ways other than copy protection...
NY Times: Hype and Anti-Hype.
The Gartner Group consultants have developed a useful concept to describe the hype around new technologies, which they call the "hype cycle." As a new technology is triggered, the hype curve soars upward until it reaches a peak of inflated expectations. Then it sinks almost straight down into a trough of disillusionment.
Salon: Losing faith in PayPal.
And while PayPal's usership numbers seem to prove that there's a demand for such a service, the lack of bank-backed support could threaten to injure the very consumers who have made it popular. PayPal thrives in what many consider a dangerous form of legal limbo.
Boston Globe: Palm chief calls '3g' systems costly, 'overhyped'.
Instead of pouring money into 3G systems, Yankowski said upgrades of existing 14-kilobit wireless data systems to 250 kilobits would be ample to provide improved e-mail and Web-surfing, at a sensible cost for phone companies and on devices consumers already own.
BBC News: Mobile firms face 3G delays.
Some fear that the slow pace of change, driven by either the wariness of customers or a spending squeeze, could hold Europe back. The basic technology that underpins the future high-speed data services is already in use in other parts of the world.
NY Times: Legal Expert Sees Napster Competitors Thriving.
The Napster decision "validates Gnutella," said Jeffrey S. Rothstein, a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley & Austin and a member of the law firm's technology and e-commerce practice group. "The appeals court laid down a rationale that can be used to defend a decentralized file-swapping system..."
American Journalism Review: Can Salon Make It?
Salon's odyssey--from struggling newborn to struggling 5-year-old--raises a fundamental question: Can the Internet support a purely journalistic enterprise? So far, the answer appears to be no, or at least, not yet.
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