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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003 PeopleSoft Board Spurns Oracle Supreme Court Ends Lengthy Dispute over Domain Name Microsoft Cuts Off IE for Macs Spam New Vehicle for Computer Viruses AND College Courses as Barometer for Tech Economy Library Creates Format Standards PEOPLESOFT BOARD SPURNS ORACLE The PeopleSoft Board of Directors has unanimously rejected the takeover bid offered by Oracle last week and will urge shareholders to turn down the $16 per share Oracle has put on the table. PeopleSoft executives called the takeover bid a "pathetic tactic" and said the anticompetitive issues raised by the proposed buyout would derail the move "at any price." Andrew Gavil, a law professor at Howard University, agreed that antitrust concerns would be subject to close scrutiny, noting that Oracle has "provided no reason for the acquisition other than to reduce competition." In the meantime, J.D. Edwards has filed a $1.7 billion suit against Oracle for damaging PeopleSoft's acquisition of J.D. Edwards, saying that Oracle's actions have illegally affected that deal. New York Times, 12 June 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-tech-peoplesoft.html SUPREME COURT ENDS LENGTHY DISPUTE OVER DOMAIN NAME The U.S. Supreme Court has finally brought to a close the six-year-old case surrounding ownership of the sex.com domain name, which was originally registered to Gary Kremen but was illegally hijacked by Stephen Michael Cohen. Cohen allegedly sent a forged letter to Network Solutions (now owned by VeriSign), the registrar for the domain name, requesting that it be transferred to him. In ruling for Kremen, the court established that domain names are in fact property and therefore deserving of the same safeguards against theft as any other property. Cohen had appealed a lower court ruling that he should pay Kremen $65 million, but the Supreme Court's decision brings those appeals to an end. As one of Kremen's attorneys said, "There is nowhere else for him to try to appeal; the judgment is final." Internet News, 12 June 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/2221341 MICROSOFT CUTS OFF IE FOR MACS Microsoft has announced it will no longer develop new versions of Internet Explorer for the Macintosh operating system. Microsoft's Jessica Sommer said that Mac users will be better served by Apple's Web browser Safari because Microsoft does not have access to the code for the Macintosh operating system. A final version of Safari is not yet available, though several beta versions are. Sommer said Microsoft might continue to offer security and performance upgrades, but "No IE 6 is planned." Microsoft also said it will end development of Internet Explorer as a stand-alone product. CNET, 13 June 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1045_3-1017126.html SPAM NEW VEHICLE FOR COMPUTER VIRUSES British spam-filtering company MessageLabs said it has detected the first case of a virus sent by spam. Rather than sending itself to every address in the victim's address book, however, this virus allows spammers to use the affected computer to send more spam. Finding the source of the resulting spam messages would be virtually impossible, giving spammers a leg up on authorities trying to crack down on the problem of unsolicited e-mail. Users whose computers have been compromised by a spam virus would likely not have any idea that their machines were being used to send spam. "The only thing they might notice is that their Internet connection slows down a bit," said Matt Sergeant of MessageLabs. BBC, 13 June 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2987558.stm AND ***************************************************** COLLEGE COURSES AS BAROMETER FOR TECH ECONOMY According to the Computing Research Association, enrollments in some university computer science departments have picked up lately, after dropping two years ago, in what may be a positive omen for a turnaround in the technology sector. A number of schools in the Washington, D.C., area have recently instituted new programs that may also bode well for the sector. George Mason University has begun offering an information technology degree that combines traditional computer courses with courses in business. The program, said Lloyd J. Griffiths, dean of the School of Information Technology and Engineering, will produce graduates with business skills as well as strong understanding--if not specific skills--in technology. A similar program is under way at the University of Maryland. New programs focused on information security are being offered or planned at a number of schools, including George Washington University, Gallaudet University, and Marymount University. American University will begin offering a master's of information technology, geared specifically for working professionals. Classes are only taught at night, and applicants must obtain recommendations from current employers. Washington Post, 12 June 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46807-2003Jun11.html LIBRARY CREATES FORMAT STANDARDS A new set of formatting standards, or Document Type Definitions (DTDs), from the National Library of Medicine should facilitate increased and simpler exchange of electronic journal articles among publishers, libraries, and archives. Jeff Beck of the National Library of Medicine said the standards are the first of their kind and that most publishers use formats developed in-house, which do not translate easily to other groups who might want the content. Use of the formats, which are available free from the library, is voluntary, but Dale P. Flecker of the Harvard University Library believes many organizations will choose to use them. "By having a common format for the transfer of e-journal article information," he said, "it is going to make it possible for many more relationships between archives and publishers." Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 June 2003 http://chronicle.com/free/2003/06/2003061201t.htm ***************************************************** 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 "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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