When I first heard Microsoft Corp. had applied to trademark the word "windows," I was astonished at the arrogance of a company that thought it could own such a commonly used word. Ten years later, both Microsoft Windows and the company's arrogance are legendary. Or perhaps notorious is a better word.
It's beginning to look like the 1999 holiday shopping season was a success for big Internet retailers and their customers. The full holiday revenue picture won't be complete until e-commerce companies report their fourth-quarter 1999 earnings over the next few weeks. But my research associate, Senior Associate Editor Jim Battey, says that most studies and early estimates point to revenue increases of at least 100 percent over the 1998 holiday season. Some specifics are as follows.
The growing clout of chief technology officers (CTOs) has become a regular theme in our articles about e-business. That's because in many companies CTOs occupy the key spot in which business and technology intersect -- and activity at that intersection is increasing rapidly.
For 19 years, the InfoWorld Product of the Year (POY) awards have created a unique portrait of the previous year in the fast-moving world of computing and technology. To get another perspective on this year's 12 winning products, services, and solutions, I looked back at the POY winners from five, 10, and 15 years ago. I found a lot in common through the years but also differences. Some years we were stingy with the awards; other years we found scores of great products.
Now that year 2000 is more memory than menace, IT executives are turning their attention to the other challenges and opportunities out there. Last week, I wrote about some of the things that are keeping them awake at night. That column covered seven of the top 10 issues; this week, I'll provide details about the top three items. Here they are in reverse order: