InformationWeek

Pilgrim, Your Search Is Over

In the early days of the World Wide Web, most users whiled away the hours surfing the Net and hot-linking to random sites. But the Internet and Web have become strategic business tools. Corporate users want to find the info they need with the click of a mouse-and they don't want to wait. That 's why Web-search technology is so hot.

Two of the leading Internet search engines on the Web, Lycos and Yahoo, are prepping themselves for public offerings.

Verity, which makes a sophisticated search engine of the same name, recently signed a plum deal with Netscape Communications. Netscape will bundle Verity's search software in its Enterprise Server Web software.

A new Web site promises to simplify the task of running multiple Web searches. From a single locale ( http://search.com/ ), you can access Lycos, AltaVista, Excite Net Search, Yahoo, and others. Makes you wonder what you'll do with all the time you save.

Scientists Steamed Over Net Congestion

Scientists and academic researchers were among the first users of the Internet. But now they're being pushed off the Net because of the explosion in commercial and consumer usage.

"While that's a sign of [the Internet's] success, the traffic has degraded the quality," said a spokesman for the National Science Foundation. But scientists are adding their share to the congestion. They're making greater use of the Internet by conducting large research projects over the Net, accessing supercomputer centers, sending E-mail, and downloading software.

One notion being bandied about by the NSF is to prioritize traffic, using new software and hardware that recognize high-priority items and treat them differently from common Net chatter. Another solution is to add more on-ramps and lanes to the information highway. But the question remains as to how the Internet community would finance such an expansion. Could there be toll roads in the Internet's future?

Everybody's Doin' It

Telecommuting is here to stay-if the growing number of corporate telecommuters is any indication. According to Telecommute America, a joint venture of AT&T, the U.S. Commerce Department, and other government agencies, more than 80% of corporate managers at major companies say telecommutin g is rising.

The most likely to benefit from telecommuting jobs, according to TA, are information specialists, sales reps, programmers, and market research analysts.

For more information about telecommuting, check out the Telecommuting and Telework Resource Page . The site includes feasibility studies, a list of businesses that can assist telecommuters, and related telecommuting sites.

Software Honors Its Own

The Software Publishers Association paid homage to the top software programs of 1996 at the Codie Awards ceremony, held last week in San Francisco. There were 34 winners out of a total of 350 consumer, education, and corporate software nominees.

Netscape Navigator LAN Edition won for best business program, and Netscape Navigator Personal Edition won for best consumer program. Best new business program was Select Phone Deluxe, and best niche business program was Street-Finder-1996 Edition. Best business text or grap hics program honors went to Pagemaker 6.0; best numerical or data program went to DecideRight, and best vertical market program went to Wall Street Analyst.

Quicken Deluxe for Windows was named the best upgrade, and Quicken Financial Suite won for best home productivity pack. Best overall multimedia product was Passage to Vietnam.

IBM Puts On Its Thinking Cap

IBM plans to spend a bundle-$45 million or thereabouts-on a new advertising blitz for the ThinkPad laptop computer. The ThinkPad has long been the power user's PC of choice, but IBM is now going after a broader clientele. With lower prices and wider distribution, IBM hopes to attract a wide cross-section of both corporate and consumer customers.

The theme of the print and broadcast advertising campaign is "Think," which also happens to be the IBM corporate motto.

Wonder how long it took some marketing whiz to come up with that one? At least there's no question of trademark infringement.

Web Site Of The Week

Spanlink Communications specializes in computer telephony technology. Its Web site includes an audio demo of its WebCall product. And that's not all-you can also talk in real time to a Spanlink representative. How's that for Web interactivity? Check it out at http://www.spanlink.com

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