A Dail committee has been urged by the director of the first Irish documentary on the Y2K problem to introduce "emergency measures" to cope with the failure of Small & Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) to tackle the Millenium Bug. The results of a recent Enterprise Ireland survey on the level of preparedness for Y2K by SMEs was described by Esperanza producer/director, Ronan Tynan, as a "devastating indictment" of the software industry at a special hearing on Y2K held by the Dail Committee on Enterprise and Employment last week.
The survey's conclusions found that SMEs were completely out of touch, "firmly believing the computer industry will sort the problem out". Tynan called for a special Y2K tax on software companies to help businesses pay for solving the problem, immunity from court action to be granted to banks and large enterprises that undertake Mentor Programmes to help SMEs tackle Y2K and tax write-offs for all Y2K-related expenditure.
BETTER DNA IN DUBLIN: In an initiative destined to intensify competition within the Internet services market in Dublin, new kid on the block, DNA Internet, has launched a £59 one year Internet subscription which will be available throughout June. Called DNA Gold, the offer - available in the 01 area only - includes 15 email addresses, unlimited free website space, free ISDN Internet access if needed and no set-up levies. Details are available at (01) 215 6000.
REGISTERED POST: An Post has unveiled a new e-commerce certification service, Post.Trust, to allow online transactions be authenticated with proper security. The service will see An Post issue digital certs that act as electronic business passports and provide a digital identity that can be used to sign email and conduct business over open and closed networks.
FIGHT THE POWER: In an effort to fight what they say is the stifling power of big record companies, Public Enemy have released their new album, There's a Poison Goin' On, exclusively on the Internet. With the release on Atomic Pop, www.atomicpop.com, the rappers claim to have become the first major music act to offer an entire album for download.
INSIDER DEALERS: An IBM secretary who knew of the company's plans to take over Lotus Development in 1995 tipped off her husband, leading 25 people to pocket more than $1.3 million from insider trading, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has alleged.
NET'S RADIO ROLE: A new Internet radio programme begins on Dublin's Anna Livia next Monday in conjunction with Local Ireland who will stream it live online. The show will feature celebrity interviews, segments for Net novices and a spotlight section which will offer an in-depth focus on a different topic each week.
ALL-ENCOMPASSING YAHOO: Not content with having recently acquired Broadcast.com and GeoCities, Yahoo has shelled out $130m for Encompass, a privately-held Internet software developer. Adding Encompass to the fold will give the portal the ability to offer software to computer makers, ISPs, advertisers and e-commerce sites. Yahoo has had distribution agreements with Encompass for more than a year in which the latter pairs its Internet access software with My Yahoo sites.
FIRST ACTIVE'S WINDOWS: JLS Computer Services, formerly Unisys Ireland, has signed an agreement with First Active to deploy Windows NT 4.0 servers and workstations throughout their branch network. The contract applies to all 77 branches and the roll-out of the new technology will be completed by the end of June.
CAPITAL IDEA: A Limerick-based online training company, Neville Technology, has secured a multi-million pound capital investment from 3i, the largest venture capital specialist in Europe, to expand its business further into target markets in the US.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE: According to new research commissioned by Compaq, four out of five UK respondents have seen colleagues vent frustration at their IT systems, and more than half have themselves felt enormously stressed when working at a computer. The research, conducted by MORI, found that nearly half the respondents felt frustrated by the amount of time it took to solve IT problems. Two in five blamed computer jargon for exacerbating the issue, while three quarters of those who suffer daily problems with their PCs said that their colleagues swore at monitors.
TURNING JAPANESE: Psion Computers has launched its first local language assault on the Japanese palmtop market. Users will now be able to buy software for the Series 5 and Series 3mx with a familiar on-screen environment and the relevant Japanese alphabet and phonetic system for all in-built applications.
SUN SCREEN: Several Microsoft products, including Windows 98, infringed Sun Microsystems copyrights, a federal judge said in a non-binding ruling last week. However the ruling, issued by US District Court in San Jose, said Microsoft can develop and distribute "independently developed" tools that do not comply with a contract with Sun, so long as such products do not infringe any Sun copyright, patent or other intellectual property right. The three-part ruling will be finalised and possibly changed next month.
IN BRIEF...Rechargeable batteries for Laptops are now available in Ireland, from Portable Energy Products, www.pepeurope.com. . . Graphic Media Management, www.graphicmedia.ie, has launched three new business packages aimed at companies interested in developing an online presence with limited budgets and timeframes. . . Epsilon Squared release InstallWatch 1.1, which records all changes made to a PC during software installation, tomorrow. . . Linux has a new deal with IBM which will see IBM's DB2 Universal Database program bundled with the TurboLinux operating system. . . Oracle has announced the beta release of Oracle Business Components for Java. . .