Congratulations to Bermuda-based Terra Nova Holdings for winning the Financial Times International Business Web Site of 1999 award for best financial services company on the Internet.

The competition, in its third year, is sponsored by UUNET, the Internet communications company owned by MCI WorldCom. About 300 companies entered this year's competition which focuses on the business benefits of the Internet. The winners were honoured last week in a ceremony.

Terra Nova won for its London-based sites www.internetinsure.com, www.cargoinsure.com, and www.artinsure.com. Terra Nova is involved in eight Lloyd's syndicates and operates the sites in partnership with brokers Benfield Grieg who develop and host the sites, according to the Financial Times.

The sites enable businesses to buy insurance direct via the internet with Benfield Grieg acting as virtual broker.

"Terra Nova appreciated that just placing current products on the web was not enough to obtain new business, so a number of internet products were specifically developed -- InternetInsure, CargoInsure and ArtInsure, each with its own product branded web site,'' the Financial Times stated.

Terra Nova was commended for successfully managing to expand its business into markets worldwide without affecting relationships with brokers in the traditional Lloyd's market.

The Financial Times should have added that the innovation is also a move by an aggressive broker to ensure it keeps in the rapidly changing business which threatens to cut out the middle man.

The sites are ordinary looking by today's whizz-bang Internet design standards and that's good. They are very functional and seem to involve as few clicks as possible in getting clients and brokers to the "buy'' button once they have determined the product they want and the cost involved.

InternetInsure provides insurance to protect UK companies for any liability they may incur on the Internet. The site has a wonderful scrolling news window, put there to remind or alarm prospective clients about their liability on the Internet.

On Saturday the site had the news that Norwich Union paid out 450,000 pounds for liability incurred over employees' use of e-mail.

"Internet Insure provides extensive insurance cover against certain legal liabilities which threaten UK organisations who have web sites or whose staff use e-mail,'' the site states. "Contrary to popular belief, the Internet is not a carefree and unregulated computer network. It is in fact subjected to the same laws (including unfamiliar foreign laws) that rigorously regulate material published in any other medium.'' Clients are directed to a variety of forms involving choices in which they answer yes or no regarding what they are doing on the Internet so they can get a price quote. They are directed to a live broker by telephone only if they fit into certain categories of business, for example if they are an Internet service provider. The rest are able to do business directly on site.

CargoInsure is designed for the "cargo insurance needs of importers, exporters, manufacturers, carriers and freight forwarders and gives assureds the ability to trade all of their insurance needs electronically thus minimising the volume of paper traditionally associated with this class''. The site currently deals in six currencies according to a client's needs.

The ArtInsure site which is designed for providing coverage for private art collections, museums, art dealers and exhibitions. "The site gives you the ability to quote, bind coverage and advise any changes on-line and also offers a full claims service direct with Lloyd's Claims Office, with claims payments being made directly to the original broker and/or direct customer,'' the introduction stated.

I was much more interested in the links list which gives a very comprehensive list of sites dealing with information, research and valuations on antiques and art. Terra Nova (Bermuda) Holdings Ltd. is the holding company for: Terra Nova Insurance Company Limited in the UK, Terra Nova (Bermuda) Insurance Company Ltd., Corifrance in Paris, Terra Nova Capital Limited and Octavian Syndicate Management Limited which manages eight Lloyd's syndicates in which the company participates.

As a test I typed in www.terranova.com on my browser to find out that -- unfortunately for Terra Nova -- the domain name has been taken by Forestal Terranova S.A. a Chile-based forestry and lumber conglomerate. On its site the company has a picture of a lake which manages to shimmer and look inviting as if clear-cutting had never occurred. Ah, well Terra Nova can try for terranova.bm.

Everyone who's battled with their computer to get the darn thing to work or found Window's mystifying (yes, that's everyone) must be forgiven for applauding Judge Thomas Jackson's initial decision that Microsoft Corp. had abused its monopoly over computer operating systems. His was the first legal blow struck against the Microsoft empire. The next step is the conclusions of law to clarify what legal infractions, if any, have been made by the company.

It will be difficult to determine what the decision will ultimately do for the consumer. Real benefit might be derived if Microsoft is compelled to give away the secret source code for the Windows operating system, which will allow other companies to modify and improve it without having to deal with Microsoft first. Some critics say such a move will encourage the emergence of leaner, faster and easier-to-use software capable of running on less powerful and cheaper computers.

Perhaps Judge Jackson's feelings were indicated at the US District Court site for the District of Columbia (usvms.gpo.gov). There visitors are given a choice of downloading the complete decision in html, pdf or WordPerfect files.

The ruling was not available in Word, Microsoft's rival word processing document software to WordPerfect. Ha! Tech Tattle is about issues in technology. Contact Ahmed at Tel: (011-44)-1273708386 or ahmedelamin yhotmail.com.