IT Predictions for 2000: A Cautionary Tale

As the turn of the millennium approaches, many in the tech industry were busy making predictions about what the new year would bring. However, a satirical piece from Defrag, a popular tech publication at the time, gave a tongue-in-cheek take on what to expect in 2000. The article, titled "IT Predictions for 2000," offered a humorous look at the possibilities, while also offering some insightful commentary on the state of the industry.

Key Takeaways:

• The article predicts that several major tech companies, including AOL, Yahoo!, Time-Warner, Amazon, eBay, CDNow, CNET, Disney, and Microsoft, will merge and then go into receivership due to the "cost of constantly printing new letterheads and the increasing size of business cards."
• The author of the article humorously suggests that the companies will become desperate for new colors and will release a heat-sensitive/Mood ring iMac.
• The article also mentions the possibility of Linux becoming the "Windows-killer app," although it notes that this was already the case in 1999.
• AOL/Yahoo!/Time-Warner/Amazon.com will merge with eBay, as predicted by the sixth prediction on the list.
• The author sarcastically notes that AOL/Yahoo!/Time-Warner will merge with Amazon.com, eBay, CDNow, CNET, Disney, Go, Microsoft, and Intel.

Statistics:

• The article does not provide any specific statistics, but it does note that several major tech companies will merge and go into receivership.
• The author mentions that internet stocks will go up and up until they go way down, although no specific timeframe is provided.
• The article does not provide any data on the costs of printing new letterheads or the increasing size of business cards.

Sources:

• Defrag ( texte not explicitly dated, although it appears to be a 1999 text )