The Circuit
Paper or Plastic?
For those inclined, President Clinton's fiscal 2001 budget request can
be picked up in the cumbersome paper format or on CD-ROM. You'd think that
in this day and age, people would choose the CD-ROM, especially because
it costs $17 vs. $78 for the paper version. But most people still want the
weighty books. Either people are stuck in the 20th century or, on the flip
side, maybe it's a sign that technology still doesn't provide the same user-friendly
interface that paper does.
Goin' Courtin'
When Inacom Corp. announced in December it would sell off its Government
Systems Division, a number of resellers, including GTSI, Intelligent Decisions
Inc. and Federal Data Corp., were mentioned as possible buyers. But has
a new name been thrown into the mix? Chantilly, Va.-based CDW-G Inc. supposedly
has contacted Inacom executives in hopes of reaching an agreement. When
interviewed in December, Mark O'Donnell, vice president of Inacom Government
Systems, acknowledged that the company was in negotiations with a "large
government reseller" but would not disclose names. Inacom is expected to
complete negotiations by the end of March.