The volunteer-run Free Software Union (FSU) recently launched a membership drive. Membership is free and open to anyone, and all members have a vote on issues involving endorsement of standards and policy decisions. The FSU provides resources, manpower, and community feedback for voter-endorsed project implementation. For more information, contact the FSU at http:// www.jagunet.com/~braddock/fslu/org/.
-- Jonathan Erickson
Exponential Technologies claims its new X-704 microprocessor can run Macintosh software at up to 533 MHz, more than twice as fast as current CPUs. The processors, which should begin shipping in volume next spring, will sell for about $1000 each. Not to be left in the dust, IBM and Motorola have announced the PowerPC 603e, which runs at 225 MHz and 240 MHz. Clone makers such as Motorola, Umax, and Power Computing say they will use the 603e in new computers; Apple and IBM have not yet announced their plans.
-- Monica Berg
According to Pacific Bell, as many as one in every six phone calls in the Silicon Valley aren't going through on the first try. Why? Because Internet enthusiasts are tying up the lines. Consequently, says the RBOC, California's phone system is heading for a breakdown. Critics, however, charge that Pac Bell is trying to scare federal regulators into ending Internet service-provider exemptions from per-minute fees that long-distance phone companies must pay to use Pac Bell's network.
-- Kevin Carlson
According to a recent United Nations report, global sales of industrial robots soared last year. Sales grew 34 percent in the United States, 43 percent in Germany, and 23 percent in Japan.
Meanwhile, the U.S. plans on making greater use of robots in future space missions. Based on a recent study, the White House reported that the goal of manned Mars missions by the year 2019 will be too costly and too risky. Instead, NASA has committed to "the sustained robotic exploration of Mars," starting with the Mars Pathfinder, due to land on the Red Planet on July 4th. The Pathfinder Lander will deploy a "microrover" to investigate the terrain, atmosphere, and surface weather. The brain of the Mars Pathfinder Lander is an R/6000-based computer with a VME bus, executing at 2.5 to 20 MIPS.
-- Jonathan Erickson
A recently released Commerce Department study reports that in dollar gains, Silicon Valley posted the country's best export numbers. Exports of computers and computer-related equipment from Santa Clara County increased 35 percent last year to nearly $27 billion. That ranks Silicon Valley third among U.S. metropolitan areas, behind Detroit and New York.
-- Monica Berg
Southwestern Bell has become the third regional Bell company to throw its virtual hat into the Internet service-provider ring. Software to try out the service is available free on diskette or CD-ROM, or downloadable at http://www.swbell.com/. The software includes a customized version of Netscape Navigator, along with SurfWatch, which allows you to block adult-oriented information. The software is initially available only for Windows 3.1/95. Rates are the now-standard $19.95 per month, or $199.50 per year for unlimited service. Independent ISPs in Southwestern Bell's markets are unconcerned. Michael Sangathe, president of Kansas City's Worldwide Grapeview, said the announcement "means nothing to me. It's Southwestern Bell embarrassing themselves again." Nathaniel Pool, owner of Q-Networks, added, "Kansas City already has more IPSs per capita than any place in the country. If they're looking for big numbers, I don't think they're going to be happy. The pie is split too many ways."
-- Jonathan Erickson
The Food and Drug Administration wants to get into the Internet business under a law that allows the agency to regulate how drug and medical-device manufacturers promote their goods and services. In particular, the FDA is focusing on where companies draw the line between hype and information when it comes to volunteering for clinical trials of experimental drugs.
-- Deirdre Blake
Sun has released details about its JavaChip silicon. The picoJava I microprocessor core is expected to deliver up to 20 times the Java performance of x86 and other general-purpose processors, and up to 5 times the performance of just-in-time (JIT) compilers. Volume silicon (based around the picoJava I core for use in smart phones, net computers, PDAs, and set-top boxes) is expected in the second half of 1997. The picoJava I architecture consists of a RISC-style pipeline with a Java bytecode instruction set. The picoJava I core is designed for flexibility and performance over a wide range of applications. Designers can configure the picoJava I core with or without FPU and up to 16 KB each of instruction and data cache. The picoJava I directly executes the Java Virtual Machine instruction set.
-- Amy Wu
In yet another sign that we've entered the digital age, the New York Yankees baseball team was treated to a ticker-tapeless ticker-tape parade after winning the World Series. With ticker tape's obsolescence (due to real-time computers), pinstriped fans showered players with tons of shredded phone books, toilet paper, and computer printouts. Included in the mess were unshredded, confidential records dumped by rowdy City Hall workers, creating significant privacy violations. The baseball player's union immediately filed a grievance, demanding real ticker tape in future parades.
-- Eugene Eric Kim
According to Chip Morris, who heads up the T. Rowe Price Science & Technology Fund, "Ninety percent of all the money made on the Internet has been made by investment bankers taking Internet companies public." As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Morris went on to say that the market for Internet IPOs is overheated, over-hyped, and overpriced," adding that "There are so many companies doing the same little-niche thing that it's going to be very hard to make money."
-- Monica Berg