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***************** AT THE CENTER ****************
*********** The electronic newsletter of the **********
********** Silicon Valley World Internet Center ********
************* Tuesday, June 6, 2000 ***************

The Silicon Valley World Internet Center thanks its Executive Sponsors --IBM, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Deutsche Telekom, Hewlett-Packard Company, and Amdocs, Inc.-- for their continuing support.

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2000
INVITATION BY SUN MICROSYSTEM: NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH ANNOUNCING SUN'S "STORAGE FOR THE NET ECONOMY"
Need to Register. Space is limited.

***SUMMARY: WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2000
INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION: “THE ROLE OF OPEN SOURCE AND OPEN STANDARDS IN THE EXPANDING eBUSINESS ECONOMY”

***PUB TALK: THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2000
"THE WIRELESS USER"

By Andrew Edelson, Founder & Vice President of Marketing, AudioBasket
Open to the Public.

***THINK TANK SESSION:  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2000
"THE IMPACT OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND OPEN STANDARDS IN THE NEW ECONOMY"

By Invitation only.

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***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2000
INVITATION BY SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC: NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH ANNOUNCING SUN'S "STORAGE FOR THE NET ECONOMY
Need to Register. Space is limited.

WHEN:      Wednesday, June 14, 2000

WHERE:   Sun Microsystems, Inc.
                   Palm Drive East (Off Agnew Rd. or Lafayette St)
                   Santa Clara, CA

AGENDA

9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
10:00 General Session
11:30 Breakout Sessions
12:30 Solutions Showcase and Luncheon
2:00 Breakout Sessions

As data moves to the center of the new Net Economy, where does network storage fit in? Network Storage is not just a product, it's a practice and Sun is changing the rules by driving standards-based management, building modular solutions, and delivering services written to the net.

Join Ed Zander and other top Sun executives on June 14, 2000 for a must-attend event on the future of network storage.  You'll get first-hand look at Sun's vision, technology, and commitment to writing the next chapter of dot-com success:

TO REGISTER:

http://www.sun.com/events/storage
or call 1-888-638-6836
Please register early as space is limited!

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***SUMMARY: WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2000
INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION: “THE ROLE OF OPEN SOURCE AND OPEN STANDARDS IN THE EXPANDING eBUSINESS ECONOMY”

The Center would like to thank George Sidman, the moderator, and the Panel of Experts who made the Interactive Panel Discussion a success.

MODERATOR
George Sidman, Founder & President, MONTEREY NETWORK CENTER

PANEL OF EXPERTS
* Danese Cooper, Manager for Sun Source Licensing Programs, SUN MICROSYSTEMS
* Scott Hebner, Director, e-Business Marketing, IBM CORPORATION
* Eric Krock, Group Product Manager, Tools & Components, NETSCAPE
* Cliff Miller, Chairman, CEO & Director, TURBOLINUX, INC.
* Douglas P.C. Miller, Group Product Manager for Competitive & Interoperability  Strategies, MICROSOFT CORPORATION
* Arno Puder, Project Manager, DEUTSCHE TELEKOM

Our panel of experts and audience members discussed open source and open standards and their impact on the expanding eBusiness economy. There was disagreement over the definition of "open source" and "open" standards, but agreement that open source software and open standards are *not* the same phenomena. However, as voiced by some, the open source movement provides an impetus for the development of open standards in the advent of the New Economy.

OPEN DISCUSSION BETWEEN PANELISTS AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPANTS

* An open standard is one that is freely accessible, vendor-neutral, non-profit managed, and community adopted.

* As the Internet has been built upon a simple agreement for a set of shared open standards, more and more Internet-related applications, including object-oriented apps, will be built on open source software and open standards.

* The open source movement is not a new phenomenon. Publishing source code has been around for decades in the research academic community. The more recent interest in open source and open standards is because there is money to be made from it in the New Economy.

* Issues that need to be resolved: How to make money with open source software; assuring the software is pure; and liability.

* Challenges: (i) How to steer a large project from an idea to the actual project. Who's driving it? (ii) How are standards being regulated to ensure that no one company controls key standards? (iii) Intellectual Property - How to distinguish the boundary line between open standards and proprietary standards.

* Once concern for companies is that when they release their source, they also release their Intellectual Property.

* Companies can not say they support open source *and* make their software proprietary.

* Evolving business models: (i) Amazon model (software non-proprietary with a low profit-driven business case); (ii) hybrid model (open source software with proprietary software); (iii) "I wanna hold your hand" model (customer support); and (iv) "widget" processing model (write about it but don't implement it). While there is no clear idea what model will prevail long-term, the consensus was that the emerging model would combine models (ii) and (iii).

* By the inherent structure of large organizations, lots of impediments exist for change in the adoption of open source software and open standards.

* The legal infrastructure for open source software needs to be established.

* Security is a key concern with open source software.

* To generate the production of open source software, one way would be for funds to be given from industry.

BENEFITS/ADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE
1. Massive peer review
2. Delivery of real standards
3. Greater choice/flexibility for adoption; empower uses
4. Ubiquity
5. Control issues
6. Efficiency of markets
7. Development efficiency (don't need a lot of resources if everyone is collaborating)
8. Innovation
9. Security

PROBLEMS/DISADVANTAGES
1. Forking
2. Access to money (unfortunately, VCs like IP!!)
3. Management/vision
4. Accountability
5. Making money
6. Credibility for open source/open standards
7. Varying definitions of 'open source.'

CULTURAL ISSUES
1. Free? (free or available?)
2. Unix/Unux
3. Open Source IS NOT THE SAME AS open standards
4. Trust (there are inherent problems with open source software - bugs, no support system - that have to be accepted with no one support system in place to deal with issues)
5. Architecture coordination (modularity)
 

BUSINESS ISSUES
1. Will vendors use open source software?
2. Need for support
3. Scalability/Complexity
 

KEY ISSUES FOR OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT

1. PROS/FACILITATING
a. Understanding distinction between open source and open standards
b. Open development and open review
c. Choice/flexibility
d. Open source as great driver for open standards
e. The use of the Internet for driving open source and open standards for applications that companies want

2. CONS/OBSTACLES
a. Growth/Coordination
b. Closing the gap
c. Need to make it easy to participate and coordinate among one another (ease of use)

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***PUB TALK:  THURSDAY, June 8, 2000
"THE WIRELESS USER"

By Andrew Edelson, Founder & Vice President of Marketing, AudioBasket
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Open to the Public.  The Pub Talk begins at 6:00 p.m.

With so much energy focused on taking wireless to the next level, are we losing sight of the end-user? Andrew Edelson, Founder and VP of Marketing at AudioBasket, will discuss how consumers are likely to approach the Internet as it moves to a wireless environment.  Mr. Edelson will outline elements that get users excited about the possibilities of wireless while reducing the ease of exit. He will address the combination of customization and personalization, the importance of consumer empowerment, and cultivating relationships with end users.

ABOUT AUDIOBASKET (http://www.audiobasket.com).

AudioBasket is a turnkey application for websites that provides users with personalized audio news and information that can be listened to from a computer, PDA, MP3 player or wireless phone. AudioBasket has developed the technology and partnered with an exciting array of premier content providers to supply branded, personalized audio content.  The AudioBasket service will be offered through affiliate partners:  portals, voice portals and vertical dot.coms. Users access the AudioBasket service directly at Audiobasket.com or through the company's extensive network of affiliates. Affiliate AudioBaskets allow partners to provide added value to their customers while creating stickiness to their Websites.  Each day, information-hungry customers can return to an affiliate's Site to hear new stories focusing on topics relevant to their wants and needs. For example, a financial portal may offer the user audio profiles such as, "The Bio-Technology Investor Basket" or "The High-Technology Investor Basket." A travel site might provide the "Exotic Getaways Basket."

ABOUT ANDREW EDELSON

Andrew Edelson is Founder and Vice President of Marketing at AudioBasket. He has experience in market research and consulting, business development, and database marketing. He was last employed as a Senior Associate at Yankelovich Partners, Inc., where he helped develop and refine strategic marketing initiatives for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 firms in a number of industries, ranging from advertising agencies (The Interpublic Group and True North), to telecommunications (Bell Atlantic and Sprint), to technology (Gateway and iVillage). Mr. Edelson also helped develop Yankelovich Partners' Internet consulting strategies.  He has a B.A. in Public Policy from Hamilton College, where he received multiple awards for leadership.

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***THINK TANK SESSION:  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2000
"THE IMPACT OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND OPEN STANDARDS IN THE NEW ECONOMY"

By Invitation Only.
8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Twenty-five experts from the software industry will discuss the impact of the open source movement and open standards in the expanding eBusiness economy. This Think Tank Session will continue the discussion from the May 31 panel on this topic.

Look for further information in upcoming newsletters.

Possible participation and inquiries about this Think Tank Session should be made to the Center's Director of Programs, Venilde Jeronimo, by email at (venilde@worldinternetcenter.com).

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***JOIN US FOR OUR WEEKLY PUB

Come join us for our weekly pub, every Thursday from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

The Pub Talk begins at 6 p.m.  As always, the Pub is a great place to come and meet people from the Silicon Valley and all over the world. Representatives from small start-ups to major companies join in the exchange at the Center Pub.

It's...

     "The best reason to take off work early on Thursdays."

For directions, please visit http://www.worldinternetcenter.com and click on "directions" in the navigation bar.

The dress is casual and there is no fee. Just bring your good ideas!

Pub Talks are by invitation only, but companies with an interest in giving a Pub Talk should contact Venilde Jeronimo, the Center's Director of Programs, by email (venilde@worldinternetcenter.com).

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For inquiries or to unsubscribe to this newsletter, contact Sara K. Dean, the Center's Program Assistant by email (sdean@worldinternetcenter.com).