Old and New World business strategies struggle for balance as the Internet gains momentum in Europe: Americans forage for business opportunities, while the EU looks to e-business as a source of unity. History, as defined by Voltaire, is one damn thing after another. The year 2000 gave European proponents of the New Economy abundant reason to agree with him. First, there was the Nasdaq valuation crunch, which served as confirmation for European skeptics who regard the Internet as a passing fad. It didn't help that the highly anticipated IPO of Dutch ISP World Online echoed the Nasdaq crash on the Amsterdam exchange in an atmosphere of management malfeasance. Then there was the WAP (wireless application protocol) flop, as consumer expectations for mobile-Internet access were dashed by slow connection and download speeds, meager service offerings, and cramped viewing screens. As one technology wag put it," WAP is the sound your mobile phone makes as you throw it into the waste can." So much for Europe's image as leading the charge toward the mobile Internet.
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机译：随着欧洲在欧洲的发展势头强劲，旧世界和新世界的业务战略都在努力寻求平衡：美国人在寻找商机，而欧盟则将电子商务视为团结的源泉。伏尔泰将历史定义为一件又该死的事情。 2000年使新经济的欧洲拥护者有充分的理由同意他的观点。首先，出现了纳斯达克（Nasdaq）估值紧缩，这证实了欧洲人的怀疑，他们认为互联网是一种过时的时尚。在管理不善的氛围下，备受期待的荷兰ISP World Online的IPO与阿姆斯特丹交易所的纳斯达克股市崩盘相呼应，这无济于事。然后出现WAP（无线应用协议）翻牌，因为消费者对移动Internet访问的期望因连接和下载速度缓慢，微不足道的服务产品以及狭窄的显示屏而破灭。正如一种技术所说的那样：“ WAP是您将手机扔进垃圾桶时发出的声音。”对于欧洲的形象而言，引领移动互联网的潮流如此之多。
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