The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

27th January 2000 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Boo.com fires 70 staff

    Normal post-Christmas headcount reduction

    Boo.com, the extravagently funded online sportswear retailer, beat all other pure "e-tailers" in a Credit Suisse First Boston 1999 Holiday E-Commerce Capability survey. Most customer phone inquiries were answered by Boo.com's multi-lingual 24-hour customer service department within an average of three rings, CSFB found. Maybe …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 08:54

  • Judge switches horses but reinstates MS Java ban

    Backs off on copyright, goes for unfair conduct instead

    Both sides in the Java dispute between Sun and Microsoft claimed victory this week, but Judge Ronald Whyte issued two Orders that had the combined effect of reimposing at Sun's request his November 1998 Order of a preliminary injunction, albeit on different grounds, to prevent Microsoft from subverting Java. The judge changed …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 09:51

  • UMC, Siemens and IBM to cooperate on copper chips

    e-DRAM -- you knew it had to come

    The biggest foundry in IT powerhouse Taiwan, has struck a deal with IBM and Siemens spin-off Infineon to make .10 micron logic chips which use copper interconnects and also combine memory, logic and mixed signal circuits in one part. The chips, which will be called e-memories, or e-DRAM, will be developed by boffins and …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 09:55

  • New hack attack is greater threat than imagined

    And it may be only a warm-up

    It was news a month ago; days later it vanished. The mainstream press may have forgotten it, but security specialists gathered in California last week for the sixth RSA Conference to consider the growing trend in malicious computer assaults called distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Using tools called trin00 and tribe …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 10:26

  • Intel drops PIII prices twice in a week

    Empty listings tell the story

    Chip giant Intel has made "adjustments" to its pricing for the second time in a week, but that is unlikely to ameliorate distributors and dealers, both of which are suffering chip starvation. Tech Data and Ingram sent out letters to its customers late yesterday with details of the changes, but also warned them that there was …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 11:26

  • W3C officially recommends XHTML bridge to XML

    Redefines HTML 4 as XML document type

    The closest thing the Web has to a governing body, the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) has officially recommended XHTML 1.0 for use by Webmasters everywhere. XHTML (eXtensible Hypertext Mark-up Language) is the latest HTML specification, version 4, redefined as an XML document type. As such it's a bridge between HTML and XML as …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 11:47

  • Mitsubishi settles with Elonex over power patents

    Plucky Londoners win another round in their battle with world+dog over monitors

    Elonex has scored another victory in its battle to stop monitor manufacturers infringing on one of its power management technologies, following an out of court settlement with Mitsubishi. The terms of the agreement with Mitsubishi are being kept under wraps, but it now owns a licence from Elonex and legal action in this matter …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 11:55

  • Right-wing think tank says break MS Windows

    Split OS operations into competing companies

    A right-wing Washington think tank is to call for the breakup of Microsoft later today. The Progress & Freedom Foundation, which is run by former members of the Reagan and Bush administrations, has scheduled a press conference for 11am US Eastern time today to present Creating Competition in the Market for Operating Systems: A …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 12:04

  • Sleaze unearthed at Tory party ISP

    With only 1,200 users it shouldn't take long to weed out the miscreants

    The Conservative Party has only managed to recruit a paltry 1,200 people to its own blue-branded ISP launched four months ago at its annual conference, The Register can reveal. The disappointing turnout for Tory.org is likely to cause a few red faces at the party HQ although some have suggested it simply reflects the current …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 12:05

  • Big White wrong-foots Big Blue

    Supercomputer fails to spot massive snow storm

    US weathermen are kicking themselves after putting their faith in an IBM supercomputer used to predict the weather, after a massive snowstorm brought much of the East Coast to a standstill and claimed seven lives. The computer had reckoned there was a 40 per cent chance of light snow falling, but this actually turned into a …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 12:19

  • Toshiba demos MPEG 4 movies over Bluetooth

    Quality's not much to write home about, but it's definitely a step in the right direction

    Japan's Toshiba has demonstrated a prototype system that sends movies across Bluetooth wireless networks, according to the Nikkei newswire. Toshiba's set-up involves transferring images grabbed by a digital camcorder, compressing them using the MPEG 4 format, and beaming them to another machine via Bluetooth. PC-to-PC …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 12:21

  • NEC unveils IEEE 1394 ‘Firewireless’ home LAN

    Reaches standard 400Mbps data throughput -- well up on earlier wireless 1394 efforts

    NEC has developed an IEEE 1394-based wireless networking system designed to connect home computers to entertainment devices and other appliances. Each device can communicate with others at the standard 1394 data rate of 400Mbps at distances of up to 12m with a direct line of sight and 7m through walls. NEC isn't the first to …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 12:45

  • Colour Palm IIIc to ship 20 February – Best Buy

    Just in time for the IPO

    As predicted, Palm Computing will ship its first colour handheld next month, just in time for the 3Com subsidiary's upcoming IPO. According to readers of Apple-oriented Web site MacInTouch, US retail chain Best Buy has added the colour Palm IIIc to its product database, which describes the device as possessing a colour screen, …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 13:01

  • China orders Web sites to guard against secrecy leaks

    Walls have ears, you know...

    Chinese authorities have imposed security checks on all Web sites in an attempt to protect state secrets. The move is thought to be the first time a government has moved to restrict the availability of free information on the Internet. Chinese journalists found guilty of publishing state secrets now risk imprisonment or could …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 13:38

  • Maxdata goes on a VAR hunt

    Pitches its offering at systems builders and resellers in bid to become a player

    Maxdata is stepping up its channel strategy for PC sales in the UK, with plans to recruit 30 VARs this year. The vendor, which started shipping desktops to system builders last July, said it was hunting for resellers to sell its four ranges of Maxdata Artist systems. It also aims to get more PC assemblers to switch to buying its …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 13:41

  • Intel Pentium II rises from the dead

    The shortage game gets ever more interesting

    One peculiar side effect of Intel's current problems with supplying processors is the sudden availability, once more, of the Pentium II 400MHz processor. Distributors have been told over the last few days that there is now wide availability of the processor, which actually entered the chip gulag many many months ago. Just …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 14:46

  • Intel forced into deal with Reliance

    Or Reliance forced into deal with Intel

    Reliance, the server chipset vendor, has entered into an unholy alliance with its biggest rival -- Intel. At the same time, the company is renaming itself ServerWorks. The deal means ServerWorks will have access to future specifications of Intel chips. The company makes chipsets for Intel platform servers and speculation has …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 15:25

  • MS unveils Win2K anti-piracy tools

    Look out fellas, they've got stickers on 'em

    Microsoft outlined the anti-piracy measures for its Windows 2000 Professional operating system today at the Computer Trade Show in Birmingham. The US giant, which let copies of the software loose into the OEM channel on Monday in readiness for next month's launch, has added a couple of natty little features to try and foil the …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 15:35

  • Akamai profits plummet despite 206 per cent revenue rise

    Meanwhile, IBM licenses its Web acceleration technology

    Web acceleration specialist Akamai today posted a fourth-quarter loss up 58 per cent on the previous three-month period despite an increase of 206 per cent in the company's sales. During the quarter, Akamai lost $29.2 million. In the previous quarter, it lost $18.5 million. Figures for the same period last year were not given, …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 15:59

  • Telinco chairman picks up £90m

    Cheesy Cheshire Cat grins all round after World Online deal

    E-ntrepreneur Chris Matthews has walked away with a cool £90 million from the sale of Telinco Networks to World Online. The founder and former chairman -- who started the company on just £16,000 -- is to invest the cash in a number of e-commerce ventures, led by his shopping portal, hoojit.com. It's likely his new company will …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 16:00

  • E-incubator targets UK students

    Drop out of university, become mega-rich, change your name to Gates

    Undergraduates who can't face the thought of attending any more lectures are being given the chance to bail out before they do their final exams. A new incubator fund from Oxygen Group plc is raising £2.2 million, through a placing of 110 million ordinary shares, to invest in students who have a cracking Internet business idea. …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 16:36

  • Korean housewives get ecommerce call-up

    Government to offer cut-price classes on using the Net

    The Korean Ministry of Information and Communication has unveiled details of a subsidised scheme intended to unlock the untapped online buying potential of the Korean housewife. The Korean government will provide courses in 800 private computer centres between March and August next year in an attempt to accelerate growth in …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 17:39

  • New crypto technique beats current standard

    The NSA has got to hate this one

    A new cryptographic technique developed by NEC is set to be unveiled during the Encryption and Information Security Symposium in Japan this week. Called Cipherunicorn-A, the technique creates a number of false keys in addition to the true encryption key, making it more difficult for potential intruders to crack. The approach …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 17:43

  • Online critics to judge Clinton performance

    Cyber vox pop planned for State of the Union swan song

    In a foreshadowing of cyber-stunts geared to this year's looming election season, US President Bill Clinton's final State of the Union address will be evaluated instantly by viewers via the Web, polling outfit InterSurvey announced today. The poll was designed in partnership with CBS News, which will of course broadcast the …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 19:19

  • AMD clarifies overclocking position

    Breaking the casing is a problem

    AMD today issued a clear statement on where it stood on companies which resell, and overclock its Athlon microprocessors, and on those who take advantage of the so-called "golden fingers" on the chip. That follows reports earlier in the week that alleged AMD was taking actions against people who overclocked its products. A …

    Business 27 Jan 2000, 20:49