The Dublin Chamber of Commerce has announced a new e-commerce initiative to give free business-grade websites to all its member companies. The move, which has been jointly developed with site developers Adnet, will provide business-grade sites to companies and link them to the database of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce website, part of the World Chambers Network.
The Dublin Chamber's economic director, Declan Martin, described the move as "a giant leap forward in bringing Irish business into the e-commerce age". The Chamber promises that the sites will feature a level of functionality normally found only in custom-built, software-driven sites, which would generally speaking cost significant sums to design and build. - Info declan@dubchamber.ie
GARDA DOES DEAL: Siemens is to provide a new voice, data and image network to the Garda Siochana in Dublin. The £2.6 million contract covers the supply of an integrated communications network and includes a high speed synchronous digital transmission backbone, access radio and a large number of ISDN systems.
BANKING ON JLS: The Unisys partner in Ireland, JLS, has developed an integrated front/back office branch processing system which allows retail banks to perform both cashier and "proof of deposit" activities on one system. The JLS Financial Processing Solution has been sold to Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank in separate multi-million-pound contracts and now JLS plans to leverage its success in the Irish market and move on to the US market.
CYBORGS ARE COMING: Professor Kevin Warwick, of the University of Reading, who startled the International scientific community last year by having a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted in his left arm, is giving the Annual Cork Institute of Technology Electronics Society lecture tonight at 7.00 p.m. in room IT3 at the institute. Its title? Cyborgs - The Future for Humans? The chip he implanted in August emits a unique identifying signal that a computer recognises to operate various electronic devices, such as room lights, door locks or lifts. The process was done to demonstrate how computers and humans may communicate in the future. - Info: kearney@cit.ie
DEMANDING DOCUMENTS: Microsoft has subpoenaed America Online, Netscape and Sun Microsystems for documents about AOL's proposed $4.2 billion purchase of Netscape. Microsoft said the documents were "extremely relevant" to its defence of government antitrust charges. The trial will be in recess during the month of March as the judge has a criminal trial he must attend.
LONGFORD SETS STANDARDS: Longford has become the first Irish county to launch its own information standards body which will form a key role in the integration of Local Longford with Local Ireland. The functions of the body, among other things, are to maintain the quality and navigability of the site, www.longford.local.ie, to facilitate the development of e-commerce in the county and to enable local communities get the most out of the Net.
EARLY Y2K WARNING: Russian and United States officials are to create a joint missile early-warning station to prevent problems related to the millennium bug. The US proposed such a centre as a way to prevent faulty computers from erroneously believing a nuclear missile attack is under way. Under the proposal, Russian and US military officers would sit side by side during the weeks before and after the start of the new year to help avoid confusion if a computer glitch fouls up either country's missile-warning systems.
TRAYA LUCK: A Canadian high school student has become embroiled in a struggle with Apple Computers over his ownership of the domain name www.appleimac.com. Apple claims the name infringes its trademark but instead of giving up quickly and quietly, 16-year-old Calgary student Abdul Traya wants to cut a deal. He registered the name for $150 just after Apple announced its new baby. Last week he received a stern solicitor's letter demanding he relinquish it. As yet he has no plans to do so.
IN BRIEF...Palm Computing has unveiled the Palm V and the Palm IIIx which boast enhancements including advanced LCD screens, rechargeable batteries and matching accessories. . . Osmosis Ireland has become the sole Irish distributor for the full range of Panasonic multimedia products. . . Bull has strengthened its Express 5800 server range with enhancements including new clusters and storage assemblies based on fibre channel technology. . . Fusion Business Solutions has been named "Partner of the Year" by Remedy, a provider of help-desk and customer interaction software. . .ESAT Digifone has signed a £32 million supply agreement with Nortel Networks to expand the capacity, coverage and services of its nationwide wireless network. . . Oracle is to open an office in Belfast. . . Speculation that US communications giant AT&T may be eyeing America Online for a merger has resurfaced on Wall Street after murmurings in the March 8th issue of BusinessWeek. . . Compaq has been appointed by Hilton International to provide a five-year global management service for the hotel's administrative systems. . .