11th October 1999 Archive

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Rise not shining in chip desperation derby

Tiger, tiger burning a little dim

Internet jockeys now routinely trot out phrases suggesting that they're at the leading edge of technology, with the pace a constant gallop towards a winning post which moves so fast that they can never cross the line. But those hip and cool cyber wallahs are living in a slightly different universe from the grumpy and …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 08:12
VA Linux files IPO, Intel invests in TurboLinux

Hands up all the Linux outfits Intel hasn't put money into yet

Intel has reinforced its status as the sugar daddy of Linux developers with an investment in TurboLinux (formerly Pacific HiTech), whose primary focus in the past has been the Asain market. TurboLinux is however now building up it US operations. Meanwhile another Chipzilla Linux chick, VA Linux, has filed for IPO, as widely …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 08:38
IE5 security hole plugged

Active Scripting saved for posterity

Microsoft has produced a patch for the latest IE5 security hole. The problem (IE5 security hole leaves PCs wide open), discovered last month, gave those pesky "malicious Web site operators" the ability to gain access to the computer of visitors to their sites. This feature was designed into IE with the intention of allowing Web …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 09:02
AMD, Intel deny mobo muscle allegations

But i820 debacle has had its part to play

Allegations that Intel has used its muscle in the market to deter Taiwanese manufacturers from producing motherboards for AMD microprocessors were denied by both companies today. On the contrary, AMD has said that it is very pleased with the response of the Taiwanese mobo makers, with more partners coming on board quicker than …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 09:21
Via piles pressure on Chipzilla with chipset intro

Don't forget, Chipzilla is paranoid about Via

Chipset manufacturer and up-and-coming processor contender Via will today announce the intro, in volume, of its Apollo Pro133A chipset. The chipset, which is the subject of litigation by Intel's large legal department, supports AGP 4x, the 133MHz front side bus, PC-133 and the ATA66 bus. Via claims it is the first to market with …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 09:38
Nokia goes down the toilet

...but survives to tell the tale

It's so much easier when our readers do the writing...although we think it's a bit wierd when people refer to themselves in the third person. A Register reader claims Nokia 8110 owners can breathe a deeper sigh of relief when going to the toilet, after the mobile survived a schoolboy style dunking. As he was expecting an …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 09:42
Phreaker with £100k phone bill avoids jail

Judge warns UK phone hacker to stay out of trouble

UK phone phreaker Paul Spiby was handed down a sentence of 100 hours community service and two years' probation by a judge at Southwark Crown Court last Friday. Spiby was caught after he used a phone link to Nicaragua to run up £106,000 worth of free phone time over a 64-day period two years ago. He was facing 14 sample charges …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 10:56
Intel to come clean on i820, Rambus tomorrow

Seven Dramurai crumble, while DDR solidifies

Intel will tomorrow morning US Satan Clara time hold an analyst briefing at which it is expected to clarify its position on the vexed future of the Camino i820 chipset and Rambus memory technology. As we reported last week, the indications are that it will admit that product is at least three months away. Sources have told The …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 11:02
Gates in secret meeting with head of EC

Prodi comes under fire for taking tea with the Great Stan

Bill Gates is to meet the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, this afternoon, although the exact reason why remains a mystery. A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that the meeting was due to take place at 3.00pm but insisted there was "no specific point" to the meeting. They are just to talk …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 11:41
Apple hit by 'PowerPC G4 can't reach 500MHz' bug

Data cache corruption glitch not to be fixed until December

Apple may have a tough time shipping its upcoming 500MHz Power Mac G4, thanks to Motorola's apparent inability to ship a PowerPC 7400 (aka G4) that works at that clock speed. According to Apple-watching Web site MacWeek, Motorola's list of bugs yet to be fixed ('errata', as they're called in the semiconductor business) in the …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 11:42
Acer Semi to merge with TSMC?

Rumours are rife, Shih must be hopeful

Speculation is mounting that chip maker Acer Semiconductor and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) -- the island's largest foundry -- are to merge. Back in June, TSMC revealed it would take a 30 per cent stake in Acer Semi, and now a full-blown merger is thought to be on the cards. Wire services have picked up on …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 12:09
Intel admits founder's Law on its last legs

Chip transistors will soon be too small to work, says Chipzilla boffin

Watch out, semiconductor people -- Moore's Law is about to be repealed. That's the conclusion of one Paul Pakan, a scientist at Moore's own company, Intel, published in an article in a US science journal called... er... Science. The gist of Pakan's comments is that while chip developers have been dutifully doubling the number of …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 12:14
Profit slips as Ideal looks to services

New division to save the day as traditional stomping ground gets over-crowded

Ideal Hardware saw profits slide for the year ended 30 July 1999, but said the company had turned the corner thanks to its new services focus. Ideal, the distribution business arm of the InterX Group, today posted pre-tax operating profits of £7.6 million, down on last year's £8.9 million. Sales grew by over 38 per cent – with …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 12:39
DRAM supplies dry up – OEMs face long wait

Memory market continues to be as stable as a drunken uni-cyclist

DRAM has been placed on allocation by most of the world's top vendors, with no signs of shortages letting up by Christmas. According to Electronic Buyers' News (EBN), the last four years of oversupply have been laid to rest, and manufacturers are admitting that they have sold out of memory. Last week saw Micron Technology …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 14:48
Fear and loathing in Euro telecoms market

France Telecom and Deutsche wrangle over wreck of global alliance

EC Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, who in his declaration of interests for the new allegedly cleaned-up Commission declares membership of the administrative board of the Pori Jazz festival, announced in Geneva yesterday that the regulatory regime in Europe is causing the tail to wag the dog, and that the commission would issue a …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 14:51
Dirty Dozen picked for W2K

MS buddies up to push new Office variant to corporate market

Microsoft has picked its dirty dozen for the UK launch of Windows 2000. The 12 companies in its Partner Rapid Deployment Programme (PRDP) group will push Windows 2000 out to corporate users keen to be among the first to use it. Some of the bigger names included in the list were Compaq, Computacenter, Hewlett-Packard and ICL. …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 18:01
Japanese chip makers look forward to a merry Xmas

Price hike declared ahead of busy period

Top Japanese chip makers have been upping prices to major PC vendors in preparation for the pre-Christmas stampede. NEC and Mitsubishi were among vendors reported to have agreed with PC manufacturers in Japan and worldwide to sell 64MB DRAM at Y780-Y880 a unit for September delivery. This represents a hike of around 14 per cent …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 18:02
MS, Intel and friends want to keep your data safe

'Open' alliance uses e-trust figleaf to cover control-freak nuts

Microsoft and Intel have both managed to screw up over unique ID numbers, but here comes the second wave assault; with the aid of Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and IBM they've formed the "open" Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) "focussed on building confidence and trust of computing platforms in e-business transactions by …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 18:33
Taiwanese notebook makers bid for Hyundai LCD

Consortium sets its sights on Korean's screens division

A consortium of key Taiwanese notebook manufacturers is launching a joint bid to buy Hyundai's LCD division. Named among the interested parties are Clevo, Compal and Mitac. They have put forward a combined bid which is believed to be in the region of NT$5 billion, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News. Hyundai has been …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 18:56
AOL UK users strike back

Twenty-four hour boycott of service is threatened unless ISP sorts out 0800 access

A small but militant band of AOL UK subscribers is threatening to hold a 24-hour strike in protest against the service provider's decision to delay the introduction of 0800 access. Although no date has been set for the direct action, it's clear there is a mood of discontent among some users against the service provider. What's …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 19:02
CurrantBun goes stale, gets thrown in bin

News International tries again, with fiendishly renamed Bun.com service

News International (NI) has conceded that less than six months after launching its CurrantBun service, the ISP has gone stale and is in need of a re-design. It admitted as much after re-branding its site and stripping out all references to dried fruit. Most radical of all is that Bun.com, as it is now known, has ended its " …

Business 11 Oct 1999, 19:03