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12/17/2002 |
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The year 2002 has nearly come to an end, and what a year it's been in tech. To ring in the New Year, we present what we consider to be the biggest buzz stories of 2002. |
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Microsoft's security troubles
Microsoft's year started off well intentioned enough with Chairman Bill Gates's memo, which set improved security as the company's top priority. But as 2002 draws to an end, the company seems more focused on simplifying the language on its constant string of security alerts. There seemed to be one per week from September onward--with flaws in Outlook and Internet Explorer that opened users up to virus attacks such as Bugbear and jeopardized credit card information. There was even an incident where the company couldn't keep its own servers safe. To Microsoft's credit, the company has been very open about and prompt to respond to these issues, including delivering a very worthwhile service pack upgrade for Windows XP that corrected many known security holes. To stay on top of Microsoft's alerts and understand who should pay attention to them, check in with CNET's Security Center. |
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File-swapping debate
As the file-sharing population grows into the millions, entertainment companies and trade groups such as the RIAA are up in arms. Their battle with the companies that offer file-trading applications has gone into court more than a few times this year. One of their biggest victories was the closing of Napster after a federal judge blocked the sale of the onetime file-swapping powerhouse to German media giant Bertelsmann. Now, media groups have other file-swappers, such as Morpheus, Grokster, and massively popular KaZaa, in their sights. In early December, the groups sparred in federal court, but a decision may not be handed down until after the New Year. Meanwhile, entertainment groups expanded their antipiracy targets to include students at American universities and employees of Fortune 500 companies that may be trading copyrighted material, as well as small record stores that have been accused of selling counterfeit CDs. All of this activity should come to a head in 2003, and the future of file-sharing will likely be shaped by those decisions. Stay on top of those developments through CNET's News.com. |
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Tablet PCs
It's not every day that a new technology comes along to change the whole way we use computers, but this year's debut of the tablet PC is one of those occurrences. While most past attempts at a pen-based PC fell by the wayside, Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition OS made these notebooklike devices seem more feasible and useful. While their early November debut was met with a fair amount of hoopla, many skeptics were eager to pooh-pooh their practicality and staying power. Who knows, maybe next year will be the year of the tablet PC explosion. Wouldn't Steve Ballmer just love that? |
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HP/Compaq merger
Hewlett-Packard announced more than a year ago that it was buying Compaq in one of the biggest deals the hardware industry has ever seen. But as CNET's News.com wrote back in September, it's hard to tell if it was really worth the tremendous work and struggle to get to its merged state. After initially taking the PC sales lead immediately following the merger, HP fell off quickly, and currently trails market leader Dell. Plus, HP recently lost its president, former Compaq CEO Michael Capellas, to WorldCom. And as the hardware picture goes darker into the holiday season, it looks like more rocky waters ahead for HP, but the company remains optimistic while cutting costs. |
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Evolution of IM
Instant messaging was always pretty big among consumers, but 2002 saw the spread of IM into the corporate world and the evolution of new uses of IM technology. The major players-AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft--frantically unveiled new corporate IM applications in early November, all of which try to answer business users' need to communicate with each other via IM while answering security fears that an enterprise would have. In the meantime, consumers were finding their own uses for IM, such as a way to circulate workplace gossip and to find love. But at year's end, the IM landscape looks like it's about to change with AOL quietly securing a patent on IM technology, meaning AOL could technically sue rival instant-messaging services for infringement. |
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HDTV
It's coming, and this year the FCC really means it. After a lot of talk about the forced adoption of high-definition television, it seems like the final debate has come to a head: whether the FCC will require digital sets to include antipiracy technology. Many consumer-electronics and PC manufacturers oppose the regulation, claiming it would limit consumers' use of recorded content. This opposition puts them into direct disagreement with entertainment companies, which fear that unregulated digital TV will result in unwarranted distribution of their content on the Internet. The battle should be resolved in the New Year, showing us a clearer picture of what HDTV will look like down the road. |
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