E-speak, along with similar pursuits by several of HP's rivals, including Sun and Microsoft, signals a basic change in how business gets done on the Internet.

FORBES: The Net's Big Thing

To make basic what already is, failure signals an economy on the mend simply because the bad business ideas, investments and labor misuses are cleansed from the economy.

FORBES: "Necessary" Bank Bailouts Harm the Economy, Wreck the Banks

China, which sees basic chemicals as strategic, is undeterred by market signals.

ECONOMIST: Reliance bids for LyondellBasell

Millions of cable customers have only the most basic service, sometimes with boxes that receive only traditional analog signals, which take up far more bandwidth than digital signals.

WSJ: Cable Must Air Broadcast Signals

Most broadcast stations are part of the basic cable packages people buy, and just 10% of the population receives its TV signals only through the airwaves.

CNN: High court rules for broadcasters on TV 'indecency'