26th February 2000 Archive

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French credit card hacker convicted

Crime doesn’t pay, and neither does integrity...

Serge Humpich, the 36 year-old engineer who discovered flaws in the chip-based security of French credit cards, was sentenced yesterday in Paris. Under the ruling issued by the 13th correctional chamber, he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of 10 months, 12,000 francs (approx. £1,200) in fines, and one symbolic franc …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 08:41
Microsoft drowns out Corel

Pump up the volume

It was a little childish to hear the volume from the Microsoft booth crank up when Michael Cowpland was giving his CeBIT 2000 press conference at the nearby Corel booth. Even after a complaint to the CeBIT management, the volume was turned back down again for a short time only. But perhaps we are being unkind: maybe there is a …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 11:05
CeBIT – for Germany, or the World?

Either way, it's enormous

More than 700,000 visitors are expected at the 30th CeBIT this year, held a month earlier than usual, to see the 7,800 exhibits in 26 foot-weary halls to make the biggest trade show of any kind in the world. It could have been even bigger -- mercifully, CeBIT Home separated out the consumer side a few years ago, and it is being …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 11:09
Schroder calls for Blue Collar Net junkies

More jobs wanted, too

By happy coincidence, Chancellor Schröder is a former prime minister of Lower Saxony as well as native of Hannover, where he lives in a pleasant house near the zoo, so it was no problem for this local boy to drop by CeBIT to open it. His special theme was jobs, and he hopes that the sector will produce 350,000 in the multimedia …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 11:14
Sommer attacks EU competition regime

Big is good

Ron Sommer, chairman of Deutsche Telekom, attacked "parochial" European competition law, at CeBIT 2000. Outlining his special agenda for TIMES,(Telecommunications, Information Technology, Multimedia, Entertainment and Security Services), Sommer said he wants DT to become a player unconstrained by the present competition law in …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 11:18
German IT lobby chief calls for relaxed immigration controls

...and Internet price cuts

Hannover has a modest track record in IT, since it was here that Leibnitz developed the binary system in 1673, and built the first useable calculator -- well, that's what Hannover mayor Herbert Schmalstieg said at the opening ceremony. Of course, the Hannover area has also produced Mixter,the hackmeister, who became in a few …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 11:32
CeBIT letter sets out opposition to online media

But offers best regards

CeBIT 2000 Hannover (24 February to 1 March) Dear Sir/Madam, We are in receipt of your request for press ID. Sadly we are unable to grant this request. Due to the ever-growing number of online media, it has become increasingly difficult to verify journalistic credentials. To meet the journalistic criteria an applicant must be …

Business 26 Feb 2000, 12:49