----- Begin Included Message ----- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 17:58:16 -0400 From: David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu> Subject: HK IT Expo Opens On Internet Traffic Jam 09/29/95 CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Hong Kong's IT Expo opened on Wednesday for a four-day spree and organizers said at 5pm on the opening day that 10,000 visitors had already been through the doors. It's the sixth Expo and so far the largest, with over 240 exhibitors attending. Unlike other years, major computer manufacturers were notable by their absence -- with only IBM, Digital and Microsoft making their presence felt with large stands. Most of the action on Day One was centered around Internet products and service providers. But Wednesday was not the best of days to start putting the Internet through its paces before the public. As the crowds turned up and providers began hyping the wonders of e-mail, databases and World Wide Web sites from Alabama to Zagreb, computer response became embarrassingly slow. One of the territory's largest providers, Asia On-Line, reported a major problem somewhere in the US "backbone" of the Internet. Technical staff were unsure which company was having problems, but noted that the system kept looking for alternative routes, indicating that one of the larger data highways was closed to traffic. (Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928) ----- End Included Message -----