Stories of the Year

As the year draws to a close, the editors at VARBusiness have ranked the top 10 stories of the year in hardware, software, networking, storage, the channel and distribution. From Bill Gates and the DOJ to eBay becoming a channel to the HP-Compaq merger, they provide commentary and insights that help put into perspective a year that can never be forgotten.
Software
Networking
Storage
Distribution
The Channel
Hardware

In a year that was dominated by one overwhelming story, 2001 saw its share of other news events worth remembering.

Ironically, two of the biggest IT news stories of the year--the federal government's proposed antitrust settlement with Microsoft and the proposed merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq--will likely go down as two of the bigger news stories of 2002. That's because neither are likely to be resolved until the beginning of next year at the earliest.

For the record, this reporter believes that the Microsoft settlement has the greatest impact on the industry and thus gets the nod over the HP-Compaq merger as the biggest IT news event of 2001. If you're lingering on the fence over that one, then consider the following: On Dec. 17 of this year, Gartner issued a chilling report that foresees great consolidation ahead in the software industry. According to its forecasts, as many as 50 percent of the world's leading software companies will become the subject of merger, acquisition and divestiture. Many factors contribute to this trend, of course, but none so much as the sheer power and influence of Microsoft, which, according to detractors, is conducting itself with the brashness of a child that knows nothing of punishment for unruly behavior. Within the past few months, customers have complained about price hikes, business partners about channel conflict and software developers about poor treatment. Should this continue, Microsoft may prove right the anti-monopolists that it once so bitterly denounced as sore losers.

That said, who can argue that Windows XP is not a good product, security issues notwithstanding.