The Web science program is an academic effort, but corporate technology executives and computer scientists said the research could greatly influence Web-based businesses.

And major newspapers, fearing competition for their lucrative classified car advertisements, even formed their own Web-based business, cars.com.

While the overall stock market has recently slumped, some new issues of Web-based businesses, like Geocities, have risen sharply.

In 2000 and 2001, this "missing link" caused the death of thousands of Web-based businesses.

Their traditional interest groups - insurance, realtors, broadcasters, wholesalers - are going to be coming into conflict one at a time with Web-based businesses.

He said he would use it to draw traffic to his Web-based business but would consider selling it.

Tens of thousands of people are starting their own Web-based businesses and auction houses.

Each started a Web-based business that extends and amplifies what he or she had been doing before.

But suppose a Web-based business like Shutterfly goes out of business?

The performance at this level is almost comparable with the speeds of T-1 lines, which many companies use to operate Web-based businesses.