Software Industry

JANET RENO'S Justice Department may have taken on more than it can handle in its bid to curb giant Microsoft Corp.'s dominance of the fast-evolving computer-software industry. The attorney general wants Microsoft to end alleged predatory practices involving its Internet browser.But Ms. Reno may be attempting to hold back the tide. Computer advances are coming so rapidly that Justice's complaint could soon be out of date. It wants Microsoft to sell its browser software, which lets people navigate electronic links via the Internet, separately from its operating system.

Owen S. Jacobs, an executive with a Massachusetts software company and former Roland Park resident, died of a heart attack Sept. 4 in Sudbury, Mass. He was 38. Mr. Jacobs had just finished exercising at a Sudbury gym when he suffered a fatal heart attack after returning to his car, said his father, E. Neil Jacobs of Rodgers Forge. Mr. Jacobs was born in Baltimore and raised in Roland Park. He was a 1987 graduate of the Gilman School and earned a bachelor's degree in history from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. "After college, he worked in sales and marketing jobs in the software industry.

In a significant endorsement of Lotus Development's business-office software, Coopers & Lybrand, the accounting and consulting firm, has decided to adopt Lotus' products for use on all of the company's personal computers.Coopers & Lybrand, which has already purchased 28,000 copies of Lotus Notes and Lotus' suite of spreadsheet, word processing and other desktop applications, intends to put Lotus software on every personal computer used by Coopers' 70,000 employees in offices in 120 countries.

"NOTICE: Reading this column confirms your acceptance of the following terms:"You may not criticize or mock the contents of this article, or use the information or opinions herein in a manner contradictory to the best interest of this author, the publisher or their heirs and assigns, including the author's pet bunny, Muffin."No warranty is offered or implied as to the veracity of the contents, the suitability for any task or entertainment value."Any legal action against the author arising from the contents herein requires the prior written approval of the author's mother and can be filed only on a cloudy afternoon in Bahrain.

Reuter"Reuter (REUT, OTC, around $4) -- not to be confused with the news service, Reuters Holdings -- is involved in building recycling facilities," says Richard Perkins of Perkins Capital Management."

Deal to create health care giantUnited HealthCare Corp. said yesterday it will buy MetraHealth Cos. for $1.65 billion in cash and stock, creating the largest U.S. managed-care company.By purchasing privately held MetraHealth, Minnetonka, Minn.-based United HealthCare moves into all 50 states and boosts its ability to compete on the East Coast. After the acquisition, United HealthCare will jump ahead of U.S. Healthcare Inc. as the country's No. 1 health-care provider.Investor buys USAir preferredEverest Capital Ltd. and its affiliates have acquired a 9.3 percent stake in a class of preferred stock issued by USAir Group Inc.The investors paid $14.13 million to acquire 396,100 shares of USAir's Series B cumulative convertible preferred stock, according to a Schedule 13D filed yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

WASHINGTON - In a rare display of agreement, the warring parties in the Microsoft Corp. antitrust case jointly notified the Supreme Court yesterday that they will have the case ready for the justices by late summer. U.S. Solicitor General Seth P. Waxman, the government's top advocate at the Supreme Court, said Microsoft will file its opening papers July 26. The Justice Department and the states will reply 20 days later, and Microsoft will answer them a week later - completing the schedule by Aug. 22. If normal schedules had been followed, the case would not have been fully developed until late September.

GM and union agree on contractGeneral Motors Corp and the International Union of Electronic Workers reached a tentative agreement last night on a contract to cover 23,000 workers in four states."

USAir mileage fell in JuneUSAir Group Inc. said its airline unit's revenue passenger miles, or the number of miles flown by paying passengers, fell 2.6 percent to 3.3 million in June from a year-earlier 3.4 million.The Arlington, Va.-based company said available seat miles in June decreased 5 percent to 4.8 million while the percentage of available seats actually sold increased 1.7 percentage points to 68.1 percent. The company's stock closed down 37.5 cents a share yesterday at $11.375.Lockheed gets Asian satellite pactLockheed Martin Corp.