14th September 2000 Archive

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Superdome service is mandatory, admits HP

Just like we told you...

Superdome, Hewlett-Packard's new top-of-the-range 9000 series servers, will come with a mandatory service contract, as we reported on Tuesday. That isn't quite how HP's promotional video for Superdome presents it, however. "For those customers choosing [our emphasis] to partner with HP for operational excellence, two additional …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 01:25
Notebooks to take quarter of PC market in 2000

Users prefer biggest screens too

Notebook PCs are becoming increasingly popular, there's no doubt, and will account for almost 25 per cent of all PCs shipped this year, according to a report from LCD-market watcher DisplaySearch. Some 24.4 million laptops will ship in 2000, the company reckons, an increase of 31.5 per cent on 1999. In total, around 100 million …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 08:15
Napster brief slams RIAA tactics

Music biz Ignore or minimised key precendents - Boies

Napster legal chief David 'Microsoft anti-trust trial' Boies yesterday accused the music industry of "serious errors" in its court filings and that the MP3 sharing software company is protected by the US Home Recordings Act (HRA). Boies' comments, made in a filing with the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, follows 'friends of …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 09:08
MS .NET chief jumps ship – execs-odus resumes?

Just when you thought Paul Maritz wasn't leaving after all...

After a short hiatus Microsoft's exec-related butterfingers syndrome has re-emerged. Paul Maritz, VP of platform strategy and the developer group, has decided to leave the company in order to spend more time with his farm. The news is particularly bizarre, because although in July of last year it did seem like people were …

Software 14 Sep 2000, 09:34
He's back! Dr Meatloaf on those H-1B Visa quotas

'Indentured servitude' meets NIMBY greed

The British government may be having problems explaining the distinction between 'legitimate' economic migrants (they want them to stay) and 'illegal' immigrants (they want to lock them up, then send them back). But that's nothing compared to the sinew-splitting ideological contortions taking place in Silicon Valley right now. …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 09:36
UK telcos in game of chance

Just like a game of Monopoly

The future of competitive telecom services in Britain could be reduced to little more than a crap shoot according to official documents from the Electoral Reform Services (ERS). Some 30 telcos have submitted their applications to install equipment in local exchanges as part of local loop unbundling (ULL). But if the allocation …

Data Networking 14 Sep 2000, 09:38
Unfaithful Argentineans get online help

Far from the end of the affair

An Argentinean Web designer is cashing in on perfidious surfers with a site that will provide convincing cover stories for any romantic double-dealings. Raul Tello came up with the idea while four of his female friends were cheating on their husbands and needed plausible excuses for those naughty weekends away. His new site, …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 10:40
E-bookshop in Fatbrain deal…

...and other stuff

Barnes and Noble.com has acquired technical bookseller Fatbrain.com in exchange for $4.25 per share for all outstanding shares in Fatbrain.com. The deal comprises 75 per cent Barnes and Noble stock and 25 per cent cash, the companies said. Future Internet Technologies plc (formerly Griff-Tech.com plc) recorded a loss for the …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 10:44
SCI warning rocks PC sector

Says sales are weak for set-top boxes

The big PC manufacturers had their share price rocked yesterday after a profit warning from electronics assembler SCI Systems. In spite of analyst reports claiming PC sales are on the up, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq lost 5.41 per cent and 5.56 per cent respectively from their stock price, on the announcement. SCI Systems is the …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 10:45
Civil liberties group cancels Amazon partnership

Not happy with its new privacy policy. Nor are we come to that

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has sent a letter to its subscribers and produced a press release detailing its decision to break all ties with online bookseller Amazon over its new privacy policy. EPIC is based in Washington DC and was established "to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 11:15
Chip and Chimp Zilla's analyst ratings downgraded

Do you want the good news or the bad news, Mr Barrett?

There's good news for Chipzilla - archrival AMD has been downgraded by Wall Street analysts and had five per cent knocked off its share value yesterday, closing at $29. But the not-so-good news is that Intel has also been given the analytical thumbs down, closing at $61.25 - six per cent down on the day. Both chip makers were …

Channel 14 Sep 2000, 11:33
Sony ups anti-SGI box to 64 PlayStation 2 chips

Multiple Emotion Engine box on sale next year

Sony's assault on SGI's grip on the Hollywood special effects market intensified yesterday when the Japanese giant said it plans to release its high-end PlayStation 2-based graphics workstation sooner than planned. The machine, the GSCube, is based on the PlayStation 2's Emotion Engine processor. When GSCube was announced …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 12:07
Virgin offers download beating music-to-your-door service

Get the album in 30 minutes or download it over a couple of hours

Never let it be said the music biz doesn't come up with some smart solutions to the hated world of digital distribution via the Net. Why take time to download a single track when Virgin Megastores can whizz you round a copy of the album in under 30 minutes? That's what the retailer is claiming, anyway. It announced today a tie- …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 12:29
Beta testers urged to rig ZD poll, as WinME retail push kicks off

And anybody in the UK paying more than £49.99 for the full version is a blockhead, apparently...

As The Big Day dawned, evidence that Microsoft is making a serious attempt to make a massive commercial success of Windows ME is mounting. The software's official rollout is today, the public prints (in the UK, at least), bulge with special WinME deals bearing the thumbprint of MS co-op marketing money and - oh yes - we …

Software 14 Sep 2000, 12:55
S3, Psion to partner on mobile Net products

Preparing a major co-marketing, co-development and technology sharing deal

Former 3D graphics company and now information appliance specialist S3 has signed a co-marketing, co-development and technology sharing deal with Britain's PDA pioneer, Psion. Actually, they haven't. What the pair have signed is an agreement to discuss signing a co-marketing, co-development and technology sharing agreement. As …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 13:03
Online fraudsters fleece UK etailers

Tut, tut, what do you expect?

Online crime pays, according to a report published today by Experian. The global information solutions group claims nine out of ten efraudsters aren't caught and are simply getting away with it. The survey reveals that when it comes to checking the authenticity of credit card transactions, many of Britain's etailers are lax. …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 13:10
More domain name craziness – .hm this time

The Royal family should get it

Following on from Tuvalu, which has the top-level domain name ".tv", a reader has drawn our attention to the Heard and McDonald Islands - situated about 1,500 km north of Antarctica, 4,100 km south-west of Australia, and about 4,700 km south-east of Africa. These two islands have the TLD ".hm" - not quite as sexy as "tv" …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 13:16
Inktomi buys into live broadcasting

Gets Fastforward for $1.29bn

US Internet giant Inktomi Corp has agreed to buy online broadcast software developer FastForward Networks for $1.29 billion. The deal will let Inktomi add live broadcasting technology and management to its existing products - that currently offer Net searches and manage Internet traffic for customers such as ISPs, content …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 13:44
MS Windows licences shrink to barcodes – unique IDs here we come?

Updated, seriously OEMs bravely give in, and sell birthright for a mess of discounts. Again.

What's rumour in one part of the world or the channel sometimes turns out to be done and dusted elsewhere, and so it is with the Microsoft 'barcode the Windows licence onto the PC" plan we reported on earlier today. Quantities of readers from numerous parts of the world report that it's been going on for varying amounts of time …

Software 14 Sep 2000, 13:55
C&W calls time on CallNet

Another one bites the dust

Cable & Wireless has pulled the plug on troubled ISP, World CallNet, the telco confirmed today. A spokesman for the company said it took the action within the last 24 hours because "substantial monies" was owed to C&W. "They are in serious financial difficulties," said a sombre spokesman. It's understood that CallNet's former …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 14:36
Super-duper conductivity is coming

But don't hold your breath for cooler faster machines

Research published in this week's Nature suggests that affordable superconducting wires are closer to reality than ever. The new material could lead to far more efficient engines, transformers and power transmission lines, according to those in the know. This is as well as bringing magnetic train rails from the realms of the …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 15:00
Become an online Del Boy in minutes

Salvage Web site is a sort of Aladdin's cave

Eighty Japanese answering machines that don't work, blow-up dolls that contain lethal gas etc etc - these were the tools that Derek Trotter used to carve himself out a millionaire lifestyle in Only Fools and Horses. But that dream could also be yours. Actually, to be fair, www.salvagesale.com is a professionally run outlet from …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 15:06
AOL to open up instant messaging to secure Time Warner deal?

Looks like the FCC is getting medieval on its ass

Well, we've been pondering what the FCC would do with the AOL/Time Warner deal and it looks as though it's come down hard. Of course the big stumbling block has been AOL's instant messaging technology which has a virtual stranglehold on the market. According to whispers and nudge-nudge-wink-winks, the Federal Communications …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 15:18
Mushkin memory mardi gras

HWRoundup Plus rockin' PIII overclockin'

Glide Underground delves into the world of RAM, as Chris Kim reviews PC133 memory from Mushkin. Four out of a possible five stars can't be a bad thing, and while the real whizz bangers out there might not be utterly amazed, this gets big points for reliability. More Mushkin stuff can be found over at Tweaktown, who have taken …

Hardware Roundup 14 Sep 2000, 15:23
Intel signs death warrant for support forums

No chance of last minute reprieve this time

Intel is casting its users into the outer darkness by finally closing its processor and motherboard support forums. The news comes as some surprise given that the original closure notice on 18 July was withdrawn nine days later following a torrent of complaints from regular forum users. But this time, Chipzilla's mind appears …

Channel 14 Sep 2000, 15:34
Yes, it's the Register SofaCam!

Your secret eye on the Reg office...

Click here to meet previous guests of Vulture Central. The Register: Sofa, So Good... ®

Site News 14 Sep 2000, 16:41
Fantastic see-through PC plastic

A clear case of fire-proof computers

NEC and Sumitomo Dow are to put a new transparent PC casing plastic on the market. The transparent version of "NuCycle" plastic is said to be flame retardant - even with a thickness of just 3mm - light, strong and re-cycle-friendly. NEC is plugging it as a trendy and safe cover for computers, phones and electronic products in …

Business 14 Sep 2000, 16:49
The SofaCam™ Archive

Past visitors to The Reg's office

Let's hear it for... Steve Jobs... Bill Gates and friends... Bill Gates and friend... Bill Gates and no friends at all... A tired and emotional Reg cub reporter Snappa Paparazzi O'Leery pops in for a coffee

Site News 14 Sep 2000, 16:51
Golfers play to get kids into chips

This idea isn't going to give anyone wood

IT execs in Oregon have resorted to a charity golf match to persuade kids to take jobs in the chip industry. High flyers teed off yesterday at the event organised by SEMI - the trade association for chip companies. It hoped to raise $26,000 at the Second Annual SEMI Pacific Northwest Invitational Tournament 2000. This money …

Channel 14 Sep 2000, 17:01
Rambus piles pressure on Infineon

Mannheim suit follows Virginia junket

Intellectual property firm Rambus continues to pile the pressure on errant Dramurai who refuse to play its patent game. The firm has launched fresh legal action against Infineon in a Mannheim court, asking the court to issue an injunction preventing it from infringing patents it says it owns on synchronous memory and double …

Channel 14 Sep 2000, 17:24
Mediation encouraged in anti-abortion Web site trial

It doesn't look likely, though

A bitter court appeal over an anti-abortion Website is this week once more set to test freedom of speech in cyberspace. Lawyers on opposing sides - representing either stringent anti-abortionists or abortion doctors - have been given until today to reach a compromise by a Federal Appeal Court in Oregon. If they fail to agree …

Music and Media 14 Sep 2000, 17:30
Samuel 2 first silicon ships

Chips made by TSMC at .15 micron

German news site tecchannel is reporting that Via managed to ship first samples of Samuel 2, using 64K of level two cache in early September. According to the report, the chip is being tested in-house right now, with OEMs and mobo vendors expected to get samples in December, and chips to start rolling out of the door in Q1, …

Channel 14 Sep 2000, 17:53
Oracle's tools giveaway pays off

Reports higher margins, fewer heads

Oracle's net income growth ran ahead of revenue growth in the first quarter, the company reported today. Revenues were up 14 per cent to $2.26 billion in the quarter of the corresponding quarter last year, but slightly lower costs and higher margins saw net income more than double over the same period last year to top $500 …

Software 14 Sep 2000, 23:28