Last updated:Wednesday, May 29, 1997, 8:30 a.m.
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Novell is going to lay off 1,000 as a result of second-quarter losses and in an attempt to streamline its business. That's 20 percent of its workforce.

Worried about the lifespan of the 56K modem you're contemplating buying? U.S. Robotics promises a free upgrade to its x2 modems just in case international standards that will be adopted next year render it incompatible.

Wasn't it just last week that the feds were warning us to take online medical advice with a grain of salt? Now, the new National Guideline Clearinghouse will post the full range of treatment guidelines on the Web, the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday. The site won't go up until fall of 1998.

The numbers are squishy: But online advertising, particularly the customized ads that track a user's personal preferences, looks like it has a good future.

Too much, too quick: Is the PC industry its own worst enemy by introducing too much, too quickly before consumers have a chance to consume? Look at Intel's release of the Pentium II just a couple of months after the Pentium MMX comes out.

Multimedia mavens: You'll want to check out this (New York Times; registration required) story on women and the multimedia arts, based on a conference going on in Washington D.C.

While we're at it, there have been a passel of wired women confabs lately and one of the bigger ones, Women In Technology International, is coming up next week.

Java eclipses Sun: The theory at coursey.com is that Sun is a lot more like failed or faltering tech companies than it is like Microsoft or Netscape. Java is basically a software product put out by a hardware company -- and it can run on any hardware. JavaSoft shouldn't wait around for its partners to write cool stuff, but "run like hell and define define Java as it goes along."

Konnichi wa: America Online says it is off to a strong start in Japan just a month after launch.

Stock options add up: Especially if you're the Benjamin Rosen, chairman of Compaq and you cash in 160,000 shares. Rosen said in an SEC filing that he reaped a $10.7 million pre-tax windfall.

Feed or bleed: Webzines are starting to ally with big guys as pioneers learn it's hard to keep up when the others have the capital.

Note: I'm off to an unplugged and unwired vacation for the next couple of weeks (I'll see you laid-off Novell workers out there in the canyonlands), but ace reliever Dave Goggins will fill in here and swat down any bugs that come up.

Informix, Oracle in court
Publishing in a vacuum
Chris Nolan: Gates was served softballs
Digital, Intel turn up the volume