The Taoiseach has warned of more hi-tech job losses following the sector's downturn in the United States. H is comments came after Dell's decision to lay off 200 administrative staff in Limerick. But Mr Ahern - at a conference in Dublin on the future of the Internet - said the setbacks would only be short-term. "The market is expanding and there is so much happening. This is going to continue to be an enormous industry. We are seeing a turndown in the economic fortunes of information technology companies, and the view is that the correction will continue throughout the rest of this year."
He said that it would probably be the end of the third quarter of the year before the State would see the " wealth-loss " that has happened in America. "Nobody believes it will be long-term, but it will be a factor in the short-term. We are going to see some job losses," he said.
Net Use On The UP: A survey of some of Ireland's most popular websites by the Irish Internet Association (IIA) has shown that N et usage is continuing to increase here, despite the slowdown in corporate technology spending. The poll of 15 of the IIA's most visited member websites showed that all but one had seen a significant increase in the number of visitors this year. The average reported increase was 40 per cent year-on-year.
Leaving Cert Net: The Minister for Education Dr Woods has announced plans to allow Leaving Cert students get their results on line from this year. It follows the Dial-Up system which was used by 24,000 students last year . Students will be able to access their results online by using a PIN Number and their Examination Number. The new services will operate from 12 p.m. on the day the results are issued - Wednesday August 15th and can be accessed from www.examinations.ie.
AOL Ups Charges: Millions of Internet users across the world will dismayed to learn that they will have to pay more for their connections by July after AOL announced it was increasing its prices by 9 per cent. The move could generate an additional £350 million annually for the media giant.
Xeon Inside: Intel has begun shipments of a new series of microprocessors for high-performance and mid-range workstations. The new Xeon series chips, available at speeds up to 1.7 gigahertz, will utilise the company's NetBurst micro-architecture that boosts performance for such functions as video, audio, advanced Internet technology and three-dimensional graphics.
Free with 3G: Mobile phone companies may not charge for voice calls when they launch third-generation (3G) networks providing advanced Internet services starting this year, telecoms executives has said. "Offering free voice calls to encourage take-up of 3G would be a good idea," said Ralf Ohlhasen, a British Telecom executive working on Europe's first 3G network, on Britain's Isle of Man. It is one of the first indications of how the industry might charge for the new service, which will offer video - conferencing, high-speed surfing and music and video downloads. It remains to be seen, however when the phones will actually make their debut on the global market.
World Wide Portal: The US has launched a global Internet portal in Asia aimed at boosting trade by linking American exporters with business partners around the world. BuyUSA.com, created by the US Department of Commerce and IBM, allows American companies to find international buyers and distributors for their products, officials said.
Game For It: Microsoft's new X-box video game console excited hard-core gamers and Nintendo's GameCube got wild applause at the electronic entertainment industry's showcase summit last week, but analysts say Sony's PlayStation is still the system to beat. Although serious gamers at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or €3, lauded Microsoft's machine for its technological superiority, Nintendo's 7974 GameCube had the most positive surprises, analysts said. "We believe Nintendo had the most impressive showing at €3, UBS Warburg analyst Takiko Mori said, citing Nintendo's original games and stronger-than-expected support from outside game makers.
War On Music: The entertainment industry continued its relentless quest to squash alleged piracy on the Web last week with major music companies and several divisions of AOL Time Warner filing copyright infringement suits against file-sharing service , Aimster. Aimster is a Napster-like program that piggybacks on an instant messaging service run by AOL. Both of the suits launched against Aimster were filed in a Manhattan federal court, with one being lodged on behalf of major record labels such as Vivendi Universal's Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI Group and Bertelsmann's BMG. A second suit was filed on behalf of several divisions of AOL Time Warner, including Warner Music, New Line Cinema and Atlantic Records, according to court documents.
Operation Cyber Loss: Sixty-two people have been arrested or have pleaded guilty to charges that they cheated tens of thousands of consumers out of $117 million through Internet scams. The FBI said more than 56,000 consumers were victimised by online fraud schemes that ranged from investments to bogus sales offers. The arrests resulted from a series of investigations, code- named "Operation Cyber Loss," conducted by the bureau and other law enforcement agencies. Individual losses ranged from $50 to $5,000. One scheme based in San Diego and lasting three years involved criminals pitching an Internet service - never delivered - to 3,000 investors, who collectively lost $50 million.
Modem World
www.epilepsy.ie
Brainwave, the Irish Epilepsy Association, has launched its official website with details of local organisations, information leaflets, services provided, membership forms, a reading list as well as links to other sites.
www.panlogic.co.uk/splat the MP.thml
Well everyone else seems to be playing the Egg The British Politician so you might as well join them.
www.dark-island.com
New Irish Internet film is available at a desktop near you.
Diary
Tomorrow: Another Irish Internet Association event on Legal Management in Testing Times in the The Mont Clare Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 from 6.00 p.m.
Text Bites
"This next decade is the big one. This is the decade when your involvement with computing will be pervasive." - Bill Gates addressing a meeting of corporate leaders at Microsoft's fifth CEO Summit
Your View
Last week we asked: Would you be prepared to buy art online? You said: Yes 83% No 17%
This week's question: Can the Irish language prosper online?
Cast your vote at www.ireland.com/technology