AlphaServ Debuts Its Query Language; Hair Stylists Getting B2B Site
Several Orange County companies are heralding the long-promised arrival last week of the newest version of Windows 2000, Microsoft’s industrial-strength operating system–and hoping to cash in on user upgrades.
Irvine-based Sage Software Inc. trotted out Windows 2000-compatible versions of its MAS-90 and Acuity accounting applications at the Windows 2000 conference in San Francisco. At least two large customers, Martin & Associates (Ohio) and GEM Integrated Solutions Consultants (Melbourne, Australia), have signed on to use the newest version of the software.
Canon Computer Systems Inc., Costa Mesa, meanwhile, announced that new drivers for its line of bubble-jet printers will be included in the Windows 2000 operating system, creating out-of-the-box compatibility.
Rainbow Technologies Inc., which also attended the San Francisco event, hopped on the Windows 2000 bandwagon early by announcing that its e-commerce security systems would support the platform along with Microsoft’s smartcard security system, developed, incidentally, in conjunction with Irvine-based Litronic Inc.
And Santa Ana computer distributor Ingram Micro Inc. is pulling out all the stops with a web site for resellers carrying the new operating system. According to company officials, 165 help-desk employees also underwent a collective 3,500 hours of training to support the system.
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After months of pre-launch publicity, Santa Ana software maker AlphaServe.com finally has released its Network Query Language platform. Sort of.
The company is offering a “pre-release” trial version of the programming mini-language on its web site at www.nqlsolutions.com, the first time the application has been publicly available. The company has been working on the system for the past year and is betting much of its future as an Internet-centered software maker on it.
If NQL sounds suspiciously similar to the SQL (structured query language) database standard, that’s no accident. AlphaServe hopes to take the model and apply it to any network-based repository of information, essentially treating the Internet like a giant database.
NQL is designed to make it easier for programmers to develop intelligent software agents that fetch information from a variety of computer systems over the Internet and private networks. That, officials say, will automate and personalize many of the time-consuming parts of today’s information economy.
AlphaServe, which will distribute the product over the Internet through the NQL Solutions brand name, is gearing its marketing efforts toward Fortune 500-size companies, other software makers and e-commerce companies. The market for business-to-business software-development tools reached $5 billion last year, according to market research firm The Delphi Group, and will explode over the next few years.
AlphaServe officials say they expect to launch the final version of NQL sometime in the next 30 to 60 days.
If only Frankie Avalon’s “Beauty School Dropout” had experienced the Internet.
StyleU4ea.com (pronounced “style euphoria”) hopes to add e-commerce convenience to the business of beauty supplies through its Internet hub directed at industry professionals.
The Costa Mesa company hopes to create a hub in which stylists and fashion experts exchange information, buy and sell products and advertise their services.
Although the site is not yet functional, the company unveiled it at last week’s International Cosmetology Expo in Los Angeles.
Now, if only someone would invent online haircuts.
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Bits:
Rancho Santa Margarita memory maker Viking Components has released its first set of Rambus-based products, 128-megabyte and 256-megabyte modules for Intel’s 820 and 840 chipsets Toshiba has released a new line of low-cost Pentium III-based laptops. Pricing starts at $1,999 QuickStart Technologies, Irvine, is launching a suite of consulting services for e-commerce businesses called “Total e-Business.” The package will include marketing, customer relationship management, training, and data mining. For more: www.quickstart.com Irvine web hosting company W5 Internet Factory is sponsoring a web site for the Relationship Building Network, a business-networking group, at www.rbn2000.com Smith Micro Software Inc., Aliso Viejo, has completed an e-commerce outlet for customer Gerber Legendary Blades that allows shoppers to design their own tools Japanese computer equipment distributor TechnoGraphy Inc. will ship Procom Technology Inc.’s line of network-attached storage devices under an agreement announced last week Horizon Financial Services founder Brian Horn has launched an Internet-based insurance company called goapply.com. The Costa Mesa company will sell insurance and financial services online GTC Telecom, Costa Mesa, will promote its long-distance and Internet services through www.Multibuyer.com, a web site that allows customers to buy in volume Anaheim’s public works department has launched a web site at www.anaheim.net.
Ken Spencer Brown can be reached at kbrown@ocbj.com or at (949) 833-8373.
