10-9-95. NYPaper: "Is the top priority in computing shifting from speed to how easily you can interact? How fast will the Microsoft-Intel duopoly fade?" Denise Caruso's column When the Internet's original creators decided to publish their networking standards so that any computer could connect to the network, they certainly had no idea that almost 30 years later, their decision would provide the first real lever to pry the Microsoft-Intel duopoly from its leadership role. But this very prospect is why one well-known technology investor made a speech last week called, "Why Microsoft and Intel Don't Matter Anymore." "Haves and Have-Nots Revisited. Rich Nations Talk High-Tech, but the Poor Live No-Tech." Digital technology is revolutionizing telecommunications and erasing the boundaries that separate the telephone, computer and media industries. But the revolution's inequality takes the shine off a business that has celebrated itself as both a one-stop shop for the Information Age and a force for positive political change in the world. "The present reality is that the technology gap between developed and developing nations is actually widening," said Nelson Mandela, who spoke at Telecomm 95's opening. "A software gift service, by lawsuit and negotiation, tries to demonstrate that it takes its claim seriously." Sandra Chartrand's Patents column. One controversy is a patent issued in 1985 for selling software to individuals through the Internet and some CD-ROM's. Its owner, Interactive Gift Express Inc. says the patent covers the selling and downloading of digital information. There are those who disagree. "I've read the patent and can actually say that there is no invention there at all," said Richard Stallman at MIT. Trio: GOB_ble (16 kb)