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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2002 Wal-Mart Takes on Netflix for Online DVD Rentals Another PC Maker Opts for Corel AOL Says It Will End Some Pop-Up Ads AND Using the Web to Combat Drinking on Campus Louisiana Forces Out Unaccredited Schools Microsoft Discloses Timeframe for Software Support WAL-MART TAKES ON NETFLIX FOR ONLINE DVD RENTALS Wal-Mart has opened an online DVD rental service at its Web site, confirming speculation that the market for online DVD rentals created by Netflix would attract a large, established company. Wal-Mart's offering is aimed directly at Netflix, offering similar services for $18.86 per month, versus Netflix's rate of $19.95. For each service, customers request DVDs online, and the company pays postage to ship the films. There are no due dates for either service, though subscribers are allowed only three movies at a time. Reed Hastings, chief executive of Netflix, said he is not concerned about Wal-Mart's "unimaginative" and "slavish imitation of Netflix." He said his company knows "the area better" and can beat Wal-Mart. A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said the company would modify the service in coming months based on feedback from subscribers. She said the number of subscribers will probably be limited until the full roll-out of the service next year. San Jose Mercury News, 15 October 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4293593.htm ANOTHER PC MAKER OPTS FOR COREL Beginning this week, Corel products, including WordPerfect Productivity Pack and Quattro Pro 10 spreadsheet software, will be included in Gateway's entry-level 300S series PCs sold in North America. This is the fourth deal this year that gives the nod to Corel over Microsoft products from a major PC maker. The other agreements this year were with Dell, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard. Aside from lower prices and reportedly simpler licensing arrangements, Corel offers users compatibility with documents created with Windows XP and Microsoft Office. Analysts noted that in the current, price-sensitive market, Corel's ability to offer consumers cheaper alternatives to Microsoft can be a highly effective strategy. Still, Microsoft's share of the office software market remains at 94 percent. NewsFactor Network, 16 October 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19693.html AOL SAYS IT WILL END SOME POP-UP ADS America Online said that in an effort to strengthen its position in the market it would eliminate many pop-up ads, generally disliked by users. Some other online services have made similar decisions, including iVillage and EarthLink. An official from Microsoft promised that their service would always have fewer pop-ups than AOL. Jon Miller of AOL said the decision reflected an acknowledgment that pop-up ads annoy users and do not represent a viable or substantial strategy for advertising revenue. AOL will refocus on other forms of advertising and on building support from customers. AOL is facing new pressure for customers from Microsoft's MSN service. New York Times, 16 October 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/16/technology/16AOL.html AND ***************************************************** USING THE WEB TO COMBAT DRINKING ON CAMPUS Online services such as e-CHUG and MyStudentBody.com aim to increase student awareness of the negative effects of alcohol consumption, with the ultimate goal of convincing students to limit their drinking. The services both use questionnaires to provide students with personalized information about the number of calories in their drinks, the amount of money they spend on alcohol, and how their habits compare to others on campus. Scott Walters, a developer of e-CHUG, noted that there are "athletes and women who avoid cheese on their hamburgers but would go out and have 5 to 10 beers." The e-CHUG site might tell them they "drank the equivalent of 50 cheeseburgers last month," Walters said. The services save answers so that users can compare responses over time, but identities of respondents are kept confidential. Developers of the systems say they are effective because they offer students accurate information in a nonjudgmental way. Schools including Harvard University and the University of Florida at Gainesville have signed up for the MyStudentBody.com service; e-CHUG, which was developed at the University of New Mexico, has been used at San Diego State University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Nando Times, 15 October 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/577181p-4509558c.html LOUISIANA FORCES OUT UNACCREDITED SCHOOLS The Louisiana Board of Regents has unanimously declined to renew operating licenses for four unaccredited distance-learning institutions, forcing the institutions to cease operations in the state as of October 1. Lawrence J. Tremblay, associate commissioner of the Board of Regents, said that students who were enrolled at Bienville, Columbus, Glenford, and Lacrosse Universities can continue working on courses until March. Unless the schools can find another state that will allow them to operate, they will have to close completely. Louisiana has had a reputation for allowing diploma mills and other low-quality higher education institutions to operate within its borders, but the recent Board of Regents vote will rid the state of the last of its questionable institutions, according to Tremblay. John Bear, one author of "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning," agreed with Tremblay's assessment but noted that Bienville University has incorporated in Mississippi. Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 October 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002101501t.htm MICROSOFT DISCLOSES TIMEFRAME FOR SOFTWARE SUPPORT Earlier this week Microsoft made public details about how long the company will provide support for its products, giving customers a gauge to help in making decisions about software purchases. According to the announcement, Microsoft guarantees support for five years for business and software development products, as well as consumer products and multimedia software. Self-help support will be available for eight years, and some products will be eligible for extended support for an additional cost. The announcement generally pleased analysts, many of whom said it was overdue. Formerly, Microsoft's policy required that the company give customers only six months' notice before support ended. The new policy, said one analyst, should provide customers with predictability and confidence in their project plans and budgets. CNET, 15 October 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-962177.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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