[MyAppleMenu] Oct 17, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

== AppleSurf (Top Stories) ==============

Cisco, Apple, And Probabilities (Fool.com)
<http://www.fool.com/boringport/2000/boringport001016.htm?ref=yhoolnk>
Apple isn't nearly as good a business, even when it's firing on all cylinders, as the company relies on a steady stream of innovative new products to fuel its growth, many of which are very popular but some aren't, making its earnings a bit erratic.

Apple Grades Dropping In Schools (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2641100,00.html>
Stiff competition from Dell and other Windows-based PC makers is beginning to take a bite out of Apple's education stronghold.

New Economy: Apple Dances With Nemesis Microsoft (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/16/technology/16NECO.html>
The arrival of Microsoft's Macintosh Office will be vital to the success of the new Macintosh OS X. So as Steve Jobs struggles to bring the Macintosh back to the future, he remains dependent on his past nemesis and current ally, Bill Gates.

The Readers Speak: QuickTime 5 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/15/1016rsquicktime.html>
QuickTime 3 interface was just fine, thank you. Apple messed it up with QuickTime 4 by emphasizing eye candy over functionality. QuickTime 5 takes two steps forward and another two back.

== AppleSurf (News) ==============

Does This iMac Clash With My Shirt? (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/11/buzz/imac.html>
While processor speed and memory size used to be a computer buyer's main concerns, the iMac's latest rainbow of colors has raised a troubling question the average technophile is ill-equipped to tackle: Am I a ruby or an indigo?

Adobe Shares Drop On Sales Concerns (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3219994.html?tag=st.ne.1006.thed.ni>
Adobe Systems shares fell 6 percent Tuesday after a PaineWebber analyst lowered his rating on concern that sales of the company's PhotoShop publishing and design software will be hurt by slowing corporate spending.

Pinnacle Ships CineWave (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/15/1017cinewave.html>

Apple Grades Dropping In Schools (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2641100,00.html>
Stiff competition from Dell and other Windows-based PC makers is beginning to take a bite out of Apple's education stronghold.

Obsolete Macintosh Is Still A Classic For Some Users (Union-Tribune)
<http://205.138.64.30/news/uniontrib/tue/computers/news_1u17mac.html>
The icon that appears at the start-up of every Apple computer has the distinctive shape of the Color Classic and its more common black-and-white Mac Classic cousins.

Microsoft, A People's Company? (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/flipside/2000/20001017.shtml>
The software giant remains an impersonal corporation, but I have the feeling that we, Mac users, get special treatment in exchange of our money.

Apple Computers Phased Out By Schools And Colleges, WSJ Says (Bloomberg)
<http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?s=AOewxVBUYQXBwbGUg&T=marketsquote99_news.ht>
Analysts said many schools and colleges are realizing how Windows-oriented the world is, as children learn Windows at an early age and go to college with Windows-based computers. And some schools have complained because Apple changed its education sales force and now has much less direct contact with schools, the paper said.

Designing For Champions (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/10/fha/>
A tale of talent, tenacity and technology.

Are Canadian Tax Dollars Promoting Microsoft? (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/GaryMurphy/GaryMurphy9.html>
A tax funded partnership between Canada Post & 3Web, supports and promotes MS to the detriment of other OS vendors.

A New Kind of OS  (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/MartinCraft/MartinCraft1.html>
A tax funded partnership between Canada Post & 3Web, supports and promotes MS to the detriment of other OS vendors.

New Economy: Apple Dances With Nemesis Microsoft (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/16/technology/16NECO.html>
The arrival of Microsoft's Macintosh Office will be vital to the success of the new Macintosh OS X. So as Steve Jobs struggles to bring the Macintosh back to the future, he remains dependent on his past nemesis and current ally, Bill Gates.

Apple: Two Routes To Mac OS X (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2640872,00.html>
In an all-out effort to attract developers and applications to its new operating system, Apple Computer Inc. has provided two ways to program for Mac OS X. But how do the results match up for end users?

Apple To Webcast Q4 Earnings Call (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/15/1016conference.html>

== AppleSurf (Opinions) ==============

Cisco, Apple, And Probabilities (Fool.com)
<http://www.fool.com/boringport/2000/boringport001016.htm?ref=yhoolnk>
Apple isn't nearly as good a business, even when it's firing on all cylinders, as the company relies on a steady stream of innovative new products to fuel its growth, many of which are very popular but some aren't, making its earnings a bit erratic.

Is The PowerPC Processor Falling Behind? (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0010/17.backseat.shtml>
Even though the PowerPC may still be speed king for now, there's a growing public perception that it's not. And, sooner or later, a 500 MHz PowerPC chip won't rule the roost anymore. And we Mac users can't have that, can we?

Are Canadian Tax Dollars Promoting Microsoft? (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/GaryMurphy/GaryMurphy9.html>
A tax funded partnership between Canada Post & 3Web, supports and promotes MS to the detriment of other OS vendors.

A New Kind of OS  (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/MartinCraft/MartinCraft1.html>
A tax funded partnership between Canada Post & 3Web, supports and promotes MS to the detriment of other OS vendors.

Bye To One Of The Apple Corps (Fairfax)
<http://www.it.fairfax.com.au/columns/macman/20001017/A48784-2000Oct13.html>
In the frenetic, always-on atmosphere of Silicon Valley, Mandich was an island of reason and insight. He attacked his tasks with vigour and knowledge, but he was also a very nice man with whom it was a pleasure to sit and talk.

Apple Explained, Part II: What Ails Apple? (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/appletrader/00/001016.shtml>
The truth is that we are at the bottom of a typical October bear market, which, typically, makes mud out of high flying, volatile technology stocks. It's the market's way of flushing the system.

== AppleSurf (Reviews) ==============

Baldur's Gate (Inside Mac Games)
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/00/baldursgate/>
BaldurÕs Gate is a fine game, well worth the effort it took to port it to the Mac. It offers the definitive computer version of AD&D, a good story, a huge number of places to explore and things to do, and stays fresh even after weeks of constant play.

UMAX Astra 6450 (MacNN)
<http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/astra6450/astra6450.phtml>
Software glitches aside, UMAX has done a spectacular job with the $300 Astra 6450, bringing unmatched speed and quality to the consumer level.

Risk 2 (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/reviews/risk2.shtml>
In a world where the quality of a game seems to be rated upon it's polygon count and number of cheat codes, Risk is a reminder of what really makes a game great.

Spring Cleaning 3.5 (Applelust.com)
<http://www.applelust.com/html/Reviews/Archive/moore_SC/reviews_more_sc.html>
I feel a bit badly about been so rough on Spring Cleaning, but it is simply slow, buggy, and I didn't find it especially useful.

To iBook Or PowerBook? (TidBITS)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06146>
The iBook would seem better suited to those for whom a laptop is an occasional, or secondary machine, used mostly for travel rather than frequent presentations. Since I use my laptop daily and actively, the PowerBook seems the better bet for me.

Commotion 3.0 (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/11/reviews/commotion.html>
Commotion's new interface improves an already powerful and unique product. In addition to facilitating smoother workflow, Commotion's new compositing facilities mean you'll spend less time moving between Commotion and a compositing or editing program such as Adobe After Effects or Apple Final Cut Pro.

The Readers Speak: QuickTime 5 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/15/1016rsquicktime.html>
QuickTime 3 interface was just fine, thank you. Apple messed it up with QuickTime 4 by emphasizing eye candy over functionality. QuickTime 5 takes two steps forward and another two back.

== The Wintel Empire (Top Stories) ==============

Tech Titans Show Achilles' Hells (Los Angeles Times)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20001017/t000098837.html>
Hurt by softening PC demand and strategic errors, longtime kingpins such as Intel and Microsoft face being supplanted.

IT Giants Who Don't Pay Tax Part 2: How Microsoft Does It (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14017.html>
The worst scenario for Microsoft would be if the share price stayed depressed during the appeals. A long-term financial decline at Microsoft is beginning to look more likely than a defeat in the appeal courts.

Intel Beats Estimates, Says Growth May Slow Next Quarter (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3219440.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel beat lowered earnings expectations Tuesday, but the outlook for the fourth quarter looks like it could be disappointing.

AMD, Intel Launch Chip Price War (Reuters)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2640989,00.html>
Chip industry rivals discount prices in the face of flagging demand and sagging stock prices. And analysts say they've just begun to fight.

== The Wintel Empire (News) ==============

Tech Titans Show Achilles' Hells (Los Angeles Times)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20001017/t000098837.html>
Hurt by softening PC demand and strategic errors, longtime kingpins such as Intel and Microsoft face being supplanted.

Transmeta Chip No Speed Demon (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,39486,00.html>
Sony and NEC launched the first notebooks based on Transmeta's revolutionary new Crusoe chip, but preliminary benchmark scores seem to indicate the much-ballyhooed chips are no speed demons.

AMD Moves Further Ahead Of Intel With Chip (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3216718.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD on Tuesday released new processors--the 1.2-GHz Athlon and the 800-MHz Duron--that will appear in systems from Compaq Computer, Gateway and Hewlett-Packard. Micron Electronics sells a Duron system at Best Buy stores, and IBM sells some Duron PCs directly.

IT Giants Who Don't Pay Tax Part 2: How Microsoft Does It (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14017.html>
The worst scenario for Microsoft would be if the share price stayed depressed during the appeals. A long-term financial decline at Microsoft is beginning to look more likely than a defeat in the appeal courts.

Microsoft Patch Eliminates New Hole In Server Software (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3218826.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The patch will eliminate a security hole that affects Web sites using Microsoft IIS 4.0 or 5.0 as a Web server, the company said. The vulnerability would enable a malicious person to read, write, add, change or delete files or Web pages. The server software delivers Web pages to people browsing the Net.

Microsoft Scores Extra Time To Answer EU Charges (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3216321.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The European Commission said on Tuesday it had given U.S. software giant Microsoft extra time to answer charges that it is abusing its power to gain an edge in the global market for server software.

Intel Beats Estimates, Says Growth May Slow Next Quarter (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3219440.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel beat lowered earnings expectations Tuesday, but the outlook for the fourth quarter looks like it could be disappointing.

NEC Is Third Manufacturer To Release Transmeta Notebook (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3212046.html>
NEC has become the third major manufacturer to release a notebook PC containing Transmeta's Crusoe processor, as competition in the laptop market escalates.

AMD, Intel Launch Chip Price War (Reuters)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2640989,00.html>
Chip industry rivals discount prices in the face of flagging demand and sagging stock prices. And analysts say they've just begun to fight.

Clouds Hang Over Intel's Earnings Report (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3211057.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel will report earnings Tuesday afternoon, and nobody seems to be in a good mood about it.

Microsoft, A People's Company? (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/flipside/2000/20001017.shtml>
The software giant remains an impersonal corporation, but I have the feeling that we, Mac users, get special treatment in exchange of our money.

New Economy: Apple Dances With Nemesis Microsoft (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/16/technology/16NECO.html>
The arrival of Microsoft's Macintosh Office will be vital to the success of the new Macintosh OS X. So as Steve Jobs struggles to bring the Macintosh back to the future, he remains dependent on his past nemesis and current ally, Bill Gates.

AMD Speeds Up, Supports Two-Chip Systems (Forbes)
<http://biz.yahoo.com/fo/001017/1017amd.html>

A Fleeting Chance To Bid For An Xbox (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3211072.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Winners won't get the Xbox until it starts shipping next fall. But in the meantime, they will have a hand-signed certificate from Bill Gates assuring that they will be one of the first with the console.

== Breaking Barriers (Top Stories) ==============

We're All Wired Up, So Why Can't We Watch The Ballgame? (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11616_13_30_1,00.html>
So here we are today, an information and entertainment obsessed nation, with more and more bandwidth at our disposal, but with nothing to do but download bootlegged porn snippets from Scour Exchange.

Ad Blockers And Double Standards (Independent Musician)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2641007,00.html>
It was easy to come up with excuses why musicians deserved Napster. Can you look in the mirror and avoid making those exact same excuses about yourselves now?

Web Sites Aimed At Spend-Happy Teen Girls Struggle (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11558_13_32_1,00.html>
They surf. They chat. They shop. They should have been a killer Net play. But sites aimed at teenage girls are, like, going nowhere.

== Breaking Barriers (News) ==============

We're All Wired Up, So Why Can't We Watch The Ballgame? (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11616_13_30_1,00.html>
So here we are today, an information and entertainment obsessed nation, with more and more bandwidth at our disposal, but with nothing to do but download bootlegged porn snippets from Scour Exchange.

Knight Ridder Combines News Site Into City Guides (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3217217.html>
Newspaper publisher Knight Ridder said Tuesday it has folded the Web site of the San Jose Mercury News into its BayArea.com local Web guide, a move that consolidates some of its top Web holdings.

Court: ISPs Must Dilvulge Defamers (Associated Press)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/477365.asp>
In a ruling that challenges online anonymity, a Florida appeals court declared Monday that Internet service providers must divulge the identities of people who post defamatory messages on the Internet

Microsoft Patch Eliminates New Hole In Server Software (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3218826.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The patch will eliminate a security hole that affects Web sites using Microsoft IIS 4.0 or 5.0 as a Web server, the company said. The vulnerability would enable a malicious person to read, write, add, change or delete files or Web pages. The server software delivers Web pages to people browsing the Net.

Audrey Comes In Linen, Slate, Ocean, Meadow And Sunshine (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14056.html>
3Com finally got to show off Audrey, the first Internet appliance in its Ergo range, in New York today. The device, which wouldn't look out of place in a line-up of 1950s style kitchen appliances, has a twist-knob at the front for users to access its six pre-set channels, email, calendar and address book.

Amazon Shares Start The Week On A Sour Note (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-3220066.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Amazon.com shares fell 23 percent in the past two days as Internet stocks slumped and, analysts said, investors remained skeptical about the diversification effort of the money-losing Web merchant.

'Father Of Internet' Endorses Al Gore (Reuters)
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001017/wr/campaign_gore_dc_1.html>
Gore's campaign said on Monday that Cerf is one of more than 420 high-tech leaders who have decided to back the Democratic vice president's White House bid.

Growing Number In U.S. Have Computers, Net Access (Associated Press)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3215696.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Americans' access to computers and the Internet has grown dramatically over the past 20 months with computers now in more than half of all households, a new government report said Monday.

Ad Blockers And Double Standards (Independent Musician)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2641007,00.html>
It was easy to come up with excuses why musicians deserved Napster. Can you look in the mirror and avoid making those exact same excuses about yourselves now?

Redesigned WSJ.com To 'Break Away' From Look Of Print Version (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11316_7_4_1,00.html>
"Focus groups have indicated, 'We pay you to tell us what's importnt.'"

Is Borders Set To Gain On Amazon ANd Barnesandnoble.com? (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11038_8_10_1,00.html>
With healthy revenues, the Michigan-based retailer may have more going on than people thought.

Web Sites Aimed At Spend-Happy Teen Girls Struggle (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/story/Story_Cached/0,2770,11558_13_32_1,00.html>
They surf. They chat. They shop. They should have been a killer Net play. But sites aimed at teenage girls are, like, going nowhere.

Boo.com Is Ready To Rise From Ashes (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/17/technology/17BOO.html>
Boo.com, one of online fashion's first victims, is banking on that maxim as it prepares for its reappearance on Oct. 30. Beginning this week, the new Boo is introducing itself with billboard posters and print ads in London and New York that are unabashedly self-deprecating.

Who's The Fattest Site Of Them All? (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2640862,00.html>
According to the latest survey, the sites most likely to clog your connection are JC Penney.com, Spiegel.com, and VictoriasSecret.com.

Barnes & Nobel, Yahoo Give Away Net Access (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3211106.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Bookseller Barnes & Noble said it will offer free, unlimited Internet access as part of a marketing agreement with Yahoo.

Yahoo Offering Some E-Commerce Peace Of Mind (Associated Press)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-3207535.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The moves by Santa Clara, Calif.-based Yahoo are designed to "add another layer of confidence for consumers during the shopping season," according to Brian Fitzgerald, producer for Yahoo Auctions. "Fraud is very low," he said, noting that it represents less than 1 percent of all transactions on the Yahoo commerce site.

eBay Goes To Disneyland (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-3207964.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Walt Disney Internet Group on Monday launched a new site that links to auctions on eBay.

== PenguinSurf (Top Stories) ==============

A Linux Community Grows In Africa (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20001017S0008>
Linux is becoming the OS of choice in much of Africa, where a copy of Microsoft Windows costs about five months' salary, said a report by the Linux User Project.

Linux Firm Lineo Woos Industry Veterans (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3212057.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Lineo has wooed three new executives from better-established companies in its effort to hasten the adoption of Linux in non-PC computing devices.

== PenguinSurf (News) ==============

A Linux Community Grows In Africa (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20001017S0008>
Linux is becoming the OS of choice in much of Africa, where a copy of Microsoft Windows costs about five months' salary, said a report by the Linux User Project.

Linux Firm Lineo Woos Industry Veterans (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3212057.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Lineo has wooed three new executives from better-established companies in its effort to hasten the adoption of Linux in non-PC computing devices.

== The AppleSurf Reader ==============

A Fine Line Between Comment And Insult (Los Angeles Times)
<http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/20001015/t000098211.html>
To reduce the complex, enduring and seemingly intractable problems of Israel and Palestine to a simple matter of religious fanaticism mocks the history of the region.

== SingaporeSurf (Top Stories) ==============

Singapore And Malaysia Will Not Merge, Says SM (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin13_1017.html>
The governments, peoples, languages and philosophy of life of the two nations are at variance, adds Mr Lee.

Siew Sin Wasn't Anti-Singapore (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for1_1017.html>
Tan Siok Choo: As a daughter, it is a little disappointing to know that my father's sense of closure has proved to be illusory.

== SingaporeSurf (News) ==============

NAC "Threatened" To Withhold Play Licence: Group (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin22_1018.html>
In a press statement issued last night, a spokesman for the NAC explained that the panel members were chosen "as their sensitivities were relevant to the evaluation process".

A Free Press Can Help Forge An Open Society (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for7_1018.html>
Francis Lim Khek Gee: Nobody is saying that democracy is the cure of all evils, but as history has shown repeatedly, the alternative is too hideous to contemplate. In the forging of an open society, then, the press has a tremendous role to play.

SIngapore Body Accused Of Intimidation Over Play About Muslim Women (AFP)
<http://sg.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/singapore/afp/article.html?s=singapore/headlines/001017/singapore/afp/Singapore_body_accused_of_intimidation_over_play_about_Muslim_women.html>
Singapore's National Arts Council (NAC) has been accused of using intimidatory tactics in a row over a play depicting the harrowing experiences of married Indian Muslim women. Producers of the play "Talaq" -- meaning divorce in Malay -- have questioned the council's decision to bring in two Muslim men to judge the work about oppressed Muslim women.

Singapore And Malaysia Will Not Merge, Says SM (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin13_1017.html>
The governments, peoples, languages and philosophy of life of the two nations are at variance, adds Mr Lee.

Siew Sin Wasn't Anti-Singapore (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for1_1017.html>
Tan Siok Choo: As a daughter, it is a little disappointing to know that my father's sense of closure has proved to be illusory.

== SingaporeSurf (Technology) ==============

StarHub To Invest $100m More On Mobile Coverage (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/3/news/nsing02.html>

Start-Ups Get Shown The Door By Banks (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for5_1018.html>
Tan Sin Yat: If we are to succeed in nurturing promising enterprises, then more must be done to encourage them, instead of turning them away without even understanding their business.

KRDL, China Venture Capitalist To Help Start-Ups Expand (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/2/news/nsing05.html>
Under the arrangement, KRDL spin-offs will have easier access to the China market while Shenzhen Venture Capital Company Ltd (SZVC) start-ups can reach global markets via Singapore.

PacNet Now In Broadband Market (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/cybernews/cyber4_1017.html>