Studly Servers: Jesse Picks the Biggest, Brawniest of All

Jesse Berst, Editorial Director
ZDNet AnchorDesk

When it comes to getting fit, I recommend a personal trainer. For two reasons: One, forced motivation. Two, your workout perfectly fits your fitness goals.

Planning to purchase a server -- a central computer that provides files or services to "client" computers -- should be a similar experience. You measure your computing needs, and select a server that will beef up your specific operations.

In other words, my office's dream server is different from yours, which is different from the company next door's. Here's my guide to getting the perfect fit.

How much RAM? For a small office with a handful of workstations, at least 128 MB of high-performance RAM. Click for more.

How many CPUs? Desktop performance is measured largely by processor speed. A server's strength can be boosted by adding processors. A 20-client network might be better off with a single super-fast CPU. A 75-workstations setup might need a server with four CPUs, even if each one is less speedy itself. Click for more.

What size hard drive? Storage requirements rest on two factors: total space required, and "fault tolerance" or multiple drives to keep extra copies of important data. Click for more.

What operating system? Books could -- and have! -- been written on the array of OS options -- Apache, Java, Linux, Microsoft II, UNIX and on and on. Most servers come with a pre-installed OS or work better with certain systems. Click for more.

Ultimately, what you're after is muscle. Brute strength. Raw force. Sheer power. But vim and vigor that matches your needs. Here are my dream machines among the major server types:

File Servers: Store programs and data used by several users. I covet the $1,499 Cobalt Qube 2 for its excellent usability and terrific power (32 MB of RAM and a 5.9 GB hard disk). Not to mention its stylish 7-inch, blue cube appearance. Click for more.

Print Servers: Enable scads of PCs to print from a single (or a group) of printers. The editors at PC Magazine say the $399 HP JetDirect 500X "represents the best combination of functionality, management, and price." Click for more.

Remote-Access Servers: If employees or customers need dial-in access to your network. Nicknamed a RAS -- pronounced "Raz." PC Mag gives high marks to 3Com's NETServer/8 I-modem Plus, priced at $5,495. Click for more.

Web Servers: To host Web sites and intranets. Top marks for mini-Web servers goes to the $1,249 Cobalt Qube 2700WG, distinguished by its file and directory management capability and ease of set-up. Click for more.

Enterprise Servers: Handle a slew of services at once, including email and most of the above tasks. Looking for major muscle? Try the top-rated IBM Netfinity 7000 M10, priced at about $63,000. Click for more.

Like working with a personal trainer, the above server tips will whip your operations into shape with maximum efficiency. I'm fussy. You should be too.

Share your server stories. Hit the TalkBack button and tell me. I'll post responses beneath this article. And go to my Berst Alerts forum where a discussion is underway.

I'm guessing AT&T CEO Michael Armstrong is a big chess fan, too. The mega-deals he's just plotted suggest a man who knows all the right strategic moves. And the tactics, too. To find out who's getting filthy rich as a result, check out the play-by-play in ZDNN's full report. Click for more.

Personally, I just want to know how you and I score. Will the new cable titan bring us faster access, cheaper rates, and more choices? Or does this create another power glutton with too much control over what we see and what we hear? The short answer: yes, and yes. Here's why:

THE GOOD NEWS
AT&T's new cable stronghold should produce two key wins for consumers:

Fast access faster. With its $55 billion purchase of Tele-Communications Inc. finalized earlier this year and its $54 billion bid for MediaOne, AT&T has the economies of scale to roll out fast-access cable solutions more quickly than it could starting from scratch. It is now clearly a race to supply broadband access to households across the land. Bring on the competition.

Lower phone bills sooner. With AT&T now able to push voice, data and video transmission through cable pipes, local phone companies will get a healthy dose of that C-word I mentioned above. You saw how dramatically long-distance rates fell when competition entered that market. Expect the same in local service.

THE BAD NEWS
You can't have fat corporations tossing cash, shares and power around without raising a few red flags:

More power, more control. Right now, you have a variety of options when you log onto the Internet. Unless the government intervenes, AT&T may soon control what you see first when you log on -- and make you pay for it. Sure, you can surf wherever you want, but you'll pay for some @Home-like AT&T service to get there. History suggests that when one company becomes dominant, the best interests of consumers become an afterthought.

Losers lose out. If you're one of America Online's 17 million subscribers or investors, you may feel shut out of the game. With its stake in @Home and growing network of cable infrastructure, AT&T took a big leap ahead. But don't count AOL out; the online giant has other fast-access alternatives and other cable partners to consider.

I say this broadband game is far from over. Do you agree? Or has AT&T clinched the cable title? Use the TalkBack button below to send me a message directly, or jump to the my Berst Alerts forum to join the discussion in progress.

Chess is my hobby of choice, even if it lacks the glamour of a bowling alley. Of course, if Nicci has her way, I'll be wearing someone else's shoes any day now.

Turns out reward psychology is top-of-mind right now with Web marketers. It's part of a shift in the online advertising model. The novelty of traditional banner ads is wearing thin, so marketers are searching for new strategies to engage eyeballs. Interactive, rich-media banners are one strategy. Targeted advertising is another.

The latter you'll like a lot. Marketers are finding that to get your attention, they've got to give you something in return. Coupons. Rewards. Freebies. Even information, as long as it's specifically targeted to your interests. In his new book, Seth Godin, Yahoo's guru of direct marketing, calls the concept permission marketing -- giving something to get something.

We've seen such schemes hit the jackpot already. Free-PC.com created a tidal wave of interest when it offered free 333 MHz PCs to those willing to reveal demographic info, have their Internet usage tracked and be blitzed with ads. Several ISPs followed suit, offering a free PC in exchange for a monthly service commitment.

But there are other ways this rewards trend is playing out:

Loyalty programs. To dissuade users from bypassing their sites on the way to ecommerce destinations, leading portals are looking at ways to reward visitors for using a branded credit card, clicking on a banner ad or shopping with the portal's ecommerce partners. Excite announced last month it will offer discount coupons. Click for more.

Stickiness incentives. MSNBC.com launched a trial program earlier this year using airline mileage to woo repeat visits to the site. CBS Sportsline offers rewards like autographed jerseys and game software to entice users into returning often for scores, news and stats.

Charitable giving. Log in at Greatergood.com and 5% of your purchase price when you shop at places like eToys, Amazon.com and jcrew.com will go to a charity of your choice. A similar program at Yourschoolshop.com lets you designate 5% of your purchase price to your child's school.

Now that I've explained why these rewards are coming at you, here are the five hot deals I promised:

• Prizepoint: Play online games and trivia contests and win prizes
• Studentadvantage: National and local discounts for students
• MyPoints: Visit a Web site, earn points. Read email, earn points. Respond to email, win more points
• ClickRewards: Sign up for a free membership and earn airline miles when you shop
• ZDRewards: I couldn't resist mentioning the discounts, deals and data you can get by joining ZDNet's reward program

So does the idea of marketers showering you with freebies make you a little nervous? Use the TalkBack button to send me a message directly, or jump to my Berst Alerts forum. And if you can think of any single reward that would satisfy the AnchorDesk crew, let me know.

Interactive television never materialized, of course, and the entire category was relegated to the Museum of Self-Serving Prattle, next to William Shatner's singing career and Dan Quayle's presidential aspirations.

But like a mummy from a tomb, interactive television has arisen again. While we've all been focused on PCs and the Web, the television is contending as the mainstream access method of the future.

Don't believe me? Consider these recent developments:

67 million users by 2003? The interactive TV market will serve less than 3 million people in the U.S. and Europe by the end of 1999. Market researcher Datamonitor predicts the number will skyrocket to 67 million by 2003 -- 25% of all users. Research firm IDC is more conservative, but still predicts 24 million by 2002.

Massive deals from AT&T and Microsoft. Ma Bell just became Ma Cable, thanks to back-to-back cable buys that give it roughly 60% of the market. AT&T will use that dominance to provide (among other things) interactive television running on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system.

Nearly 1 million WebTV users. Microsoft's WebTV division will have a million users before the end of the year. Right now it's a way to surf the Web on your TV. Watch for Microsoft to make it into a true interactive platform.

Satellite systems going interactive. Millions of people get TV pictures via a satellite dish. Now satellite providers are building interactive services for them. Click for more.

Emerging standards. Consortiums such as the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum and CableLabs are drafting specifications for next-generation interactive television devices.

Before I finish, let me deal with the tired old objection that "couch potatoes won't interact." In fact, they interact all night long via their remote controls. So how much do you suppose Pizza Hut would pay for an on-screen button that said "Click to Order Now!" every time one of its mouthwatering commercials came on?

Are you starting to get it?

I wish I had time to tell you more. There's so much going on right now. New products. Behind-the-scenes alliances. I'll have to settle for linking you to other stories and sites so you can see for yourself. Meanwhile, pitch in with your own ideas and opinions. Just hit the TalkBack link to send a comment, or jump over to my Berst Alerts forum, where a discussion is underway.

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Mixing Interactive Multimedia with Interactive Television

The Little-Known Company Leading the Convergence Revolution

Yang's spectacular rise is the stuff of legend -- one that mirrors the ascent of the Internet itself. In 1981, there were 213 computers connected to (what would become) the Internet. By January 1999, there were more than 43 million, according to Network Wizards.

Now the Internet is entering its next phase. To get a handle on the Next Net -- to know where things are going in time to cash in -- consider this question:

What does the Internet make possible that other alternatives do not?

The Internet rewards those who capitalize on its unique strengths. Who build products and services that cannot be duplicated anywhere else, because they take advantage of things the Net does best. For example:

Instant information. News, financial data and stock trading quickly gravitated to the Net because they involve time-critical information -- information the Net delivers faster than any other medium. Click for more.

Opportunity: Other time-sensitive applications will gravitate to the Net, such as bidding and real-time data collection (from factories, traffic sensors, vending machines, much more).

Selection and scale. The Net can host huge collections that can't be duplicated in the physical world. Amazon.com used this advantage to create an online bookstore vastly larger than any brick-and-mortar counterpart.

Opportunity: Just as superstores came to dominate certain retail categories (and decimate smaller competing vendors), super online stores will dominate many online niches.

Searchable and sortable. The Net lets you leverage large computers and back-end databases. Some wholesalers have paper catalogs that weigh 20 pounds or more. Put those catalogs on the Net and you can search through tens of thousands of items in seconds.

Opportunity: Anywhere you see a big fat catalog... that business is dead unless it moves to the Web.

Digital vs. physical. More products are being converted from physical to digital form, making the Net a powerful agent for products which can be "shipped" over the Internet with a click of a mouse. Click for more.

Opportunity: Distribution of books, software, music, video and more will happen over the Net, eliminating shipping hassles, inventory issues and waiting.

No boundaries. Frank Gens, senior VP of Internet research for IDC, tells me 30 to 50% of ecommerce will take place outside normal business hours by 2003.

Opportunity: This threat is also an opportunity for businesses previously constrained by location and time zone.

The Internet decimates another barrier: The age barrier. As Jerry Yang demonstrated, on the Net you are never too young (or too old) to have a great idea. Trick is being first to turn it to gold.

What additional opportunities do you see lurking in these Internet shifts? Use the TalkBack button below to send me your ideas. I'll post responses beneath this column. Or go to my Berst Alerts forum.