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10th October 2000 Archive

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  • FBI cyber-ethics road show commences

    'OK kids, repeat after me: I will not hack the government....'

    An FBI road show called the National Conference on Cyber Ethics, purporting to inculcate responsible computing among the nation's youngsters, kicked off at Marymount University near Washington this weekend with National Infrastructure Protection Centre (NIPC) Director Michael Vatis calling for broad educational initiatives. " …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 04:51

  • Bad fungi blamed in Psion pix nix

    Updated There's something in the Norwegian Wood Shed

    Psion tells us that Norwegian mobile portal Wapland has got it all wrong. The photos it claims to be the next generation Series 9 (actually, we made the name up) are not a Series 9 at all. Yes, the devices are genuine, and originate from Psion, but are concept machines that have been doing the rounds for ages, and emphatically …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 09:22

  • COMA chameleons: The Reg goes inside Sun's Serengheti

    Exclusive So it's COMA vs ZzzzSeries. But which one is cash coherent?

    Sources familiar with Sun's Serengheti servers have given The Register a low down on the architecture of its next generation big iron servers. Sun has widely been tipped to adopt a NUMA-like architecture for the servers at the high end, given that the scalability of pure SMP implementations is um, contentious above 64-CPU …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 09:28

  • ntl suffers LLU frustration

    TMA in Brighton Tries to cure it at a stroke

    Telecoms outfit, ntl, has hinted that it might explore other avenues for delivering broadband services other than engaging in ADSL services via Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). In particular, the Hampshire-based company is considering accelerating the roll-out of broadband services to businesses via its own DSL-enable network, …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 09:29

  • Violence breaks out at genteel seaside resort

    TMA in Brighton Telecoms...it's a dangerous business

    The peace and bonhomie of TMA2000 was shattered yesterday afternoon after one of the attendees was forcibly ejected from the telecoms conference and thrown out onto the street. The incident happened at around 16:45 (BST) when a security man, slightly built and wearing a blazer and slacks, grabbed a middle-aged grey-haired chap …

    Bootnotes 10 Oct 2000, 09:30

  • Conference hit by freak weather

    TMA in Brighton People get wet

    TMA2000 was on the verge of being washed out yesterday as the wind and rain of typhoon "Beattie" (BT, geddit?) lashed the south coast resort of Brighton. Waves several feet high pummelled the shore without threatening the seafront conference centres and hotels that hosted the three-day conference telecoms managers. The wind …

    Bootnotes 10 Oct 2000, 09:32

  • Sir Pete denies BT break-up

    You wouldn't expect him to say anything else

    BT CE, Sir Peter Bonfield, has all but ruled out breaking up the monster telco. Reports at the weekend suggested that the appointment of FD, Philip Hampton, who oversaw the break-up of British Gas, was a precursor to the subdivision of BT. But Sir Peter told the Times that this wasn't accurate and that he had "virtually ruled …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 09:36

  • TV licence needed to watch the BBC on your PC

    Even streamed content from its site

    Sneaky PC users who've been watching Jeremy Paxman for free on their PCs via the BBC's website need to buy themselves a TV licence, according to the licensing authority, writes Chris Ward-Johnson. The advent of broadband xDSL and cable modem services means more and more people will be tuning in on their computer screens instead …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 10:35

  • Lib Dem emails hacked

    Fingers are pointing at the Labour Party

    A Labour party MP is alleged to have illegally hacked into a Liberal Democrat's email. Following the allegations, House of Commons officials have been asked to launch an investigation, and a memo has been circulated in the Lib Dem party, warning members to take precautions to protect their emails. The Independent newspaper …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 10:37

  • Ebookers buys its parent for $15m

    Boo founders write book on how to burn £180m

    Online flight booking site Ebookers.com, yesterday bought its offline parent company, Flightbookers for $15 million. The offline company was 100 per cent owned by Mr and Mrs Dhamija. Mr Dhamija also owns 55 per cent of Ebookers.com. Ebookers was valued at $510 million at its share height. Yesterday it was worth $100 million. …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 10:51

  • Taiwan chip makers slam silent fab claims

    We're just back to normal after months of over-production

    Taiwan's semiconductor industry has denied that it will soon have chip fabrication plant standing idle, awaiting orders. Instead, chip companies will simply not be "working as intensively" as before, according to industry spokespeople cited by Taiwan's business paper, the Commercial Times. Taiwan's semiconductor makers were …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 11:31

  • Sinclair ZX-81 back from the dead

    Updated Archaeologists unearth unsold inventory

    Fans of early 1980s computing can now get their hands on that pioneer of home PCs, the Sinclair ZX-81, thanks to US company Zebra Systems. Zebra claims to have a warehouse full of old ZX-81 DIY kits, picked up when the machines were discontinued. In the US, Sinclair's computers were sold by watch-maker Timex, under the TS1000 …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Sony's Transmeta PC: Speeds and feeds

    It's evolution, not revolution folks.

    Here's some real red meat for Transmeta watchers to chew over. Sony has released the speeds and feeds for the Crusoe-powered notebook that will ship Stateside later this month. But perhaps a little ominously, the battery life doesn't quite live up to the much touted "all-day on" claims made on behalf of the wonder chip. So here …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Consumer Association gets mad with Freeserve over abnormal users

    ISP sends notices to quit

    The Consumers Association (CA) has attacked Freeserve and other flat-fee ISPs for being "more interested in increasing their customer numbers than in delivering the services that consumers were originally promised when they signed-up". The accusation follows last week's decision by Freeserve to bar a minority of "abnormal users …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Spam a friend for Dubya! Bush campaign mounts email assault

    Relax, libs - it's accidentally bombing London...

    A strangely spamlike viral marketing campaign is being cranked-up in support of George W Bush's campaign for the US presidency. We use the term "spamlike" advisedly; as we all know, spamming is what other people do, we do permissions-based email marketing, right? But The Register does have evidence that ClickAction, running the …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • DTI petitions to wind up £100 PC business

    Trading Standards acts to stop PC Help

    Lancashire company Smartalk Ltd is facing a compulsory winding up order from the DTI over its £100 PC giveaway scheme. The DTI petitioned the High Court on Friday for the action, and the Official Receiver has been appointed as provisional liquidators. This will put a stop to the PC Help, too-good-to-be-true, scheme the company …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Psion's Series 9, Odin found in Norwegian wood

    Symbian's Crystal breaks cover

    Pictures of Psion's successor to the Series 5 have been published by Norwegian site Wapland. Snaps of a prototype of the joint Psion/Motorola Quartz phone, 'Project Odin', are also online on the same page. It's the first time we've seen instances of the Crystal reference design, a half-VGA (320x240) keyboard-based specification …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Infineon countersues Rambus

    We're Rambushed - take cover...

    Rambus has found itself 'Rambushed' by Germany's Infineon Technologies - even as the Direct DRAM company withdrew its patent infringement complaint against Hyundai, sort of. Infineon has accused Rambus of violating its patents - the same charge Rambus earlier made against the former Siemens subsidiary. Rambus' claim against …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Kenwood moots Bluetooth shopping mall LANs

    Public basestations to take wireless printer cable killer outdoors

    Japanese consumer electronics company Kenwood is developing a PDA equipped with the Bluetooth wireless networking technology to provide cable-free Internet access - and as an alternative to the mobile phone. Kenwood's take on Bluetooth is interesting. Bluetooth was developed by mobile phone vendor Ericsson as a replacement for …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Famous Five remake with added technology

    Internet, WAP and lashings of ginger beer

    A remake of the TV series of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" will have the main protagonists using the Internet and WAP phones in their adventures. "The New Famous Five" will be made by the same group that was responsible for "Byker Grove." Peter Murphy, director of programming at Zenith commented: "Our aim is to bring Famous Five …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Wickes resigns from InterX board

    Transition complete

    James Wickes, co-founder and chief executive of hardware products distie Ideal Hardware, has resigned from the board of InterX (which was once upon a time the holding group for Ideal). The move marks the completion of the transition of InterX from a IT hardware products distributor to a big-ticket software group. Philip …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • Energis pushes telco love-in

    TMA in Brighton Move your body real close

    Bob Taylor - MD of Energis - wants to get all touchy-touchy feely-feely with his telco chums. Today, he's launching something called "Closer" to Energis Partners and the reseller channel. It's all about Energis helping support Energis partners with online sales and marketing, training and accreditation scheme. You know, a …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • EC to rule on AOL, Time-Warner Wednesday

    Well, they'll discuss it at least

    The European Commission will decide whether to allow AOL's $135 billion merger with Time-Warner on Wednesday, an EC spokeswoman admitted today. "The ruling on AOL/Time Warner is on the agenda for Wednesday's Commission meeting," she told Reuters this morning. Of course, whether the EC will actually announce its decision is …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:32

  • ISPA bottles LineOne ruling

    LineOne gets away, punters must pay

    The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) is to take no action against LineOne over the way it treated customers following its decision to ditch unmetered Net access, the industry body has ruled. In July ISPA claimed that the "compensation that has been offered to date is unsatisfactory" after thousands of net users …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 11:40

  • The Sun accuses PC dealers of fencing stolen goods

    But names no names

    Ten out of 30 secondhand computer dealers whose phone numbers appears in a "mainstream" magazine "appear to have been convicted of hi-tech crime", The Sun claims today. We assume the hi-tech crime is fencing stolen goods - a as the accusation is contained in an article advising small businesses how to ensure their PCs remain …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:54

  • SGI Q1 2001 loss to double expectations

    Company spends to buy back stock, clear fiscal decks

    SGI will significantly widen its losses by buying back up to 50 million of the company's shares - some 27 per cent of its outstanding stock - part of a program to clear the company's financial decks. Wall Street analysts expect SGI to lose 14 cents a share, according to First Call's average, for its first quarter of fiscal 2001 …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 11:58

  • DRAM spot prices expected to surge

    But not for long

    The spot price for 64Mb DRAM chips is set to rise, but any recovery will be shortlived, according to a Commerce Times article carried in AsiaBiztech. Manufacturers, system builders and distributors are expected to restock their inventories in mid-October, to prepare for the Christmas buying season. The spot price is expected to …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 12:07

  • In-stadium instant messaging for sports fans

    Hitachi ePlate handhelds and lots of stats

    The weekend home game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders was used to launch a wireless network allowing 49ers fans to access game statistics and send instant messages to each other during the game. Ninety four "luxury suites" were networked and equipped with Hitachi ePlate handheld computers, but there are …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 12:13

  • Orange reshuffle brings in France Telecom exec

    All in all a good compromise

    Orange is to reshuffle its top management next month, bringing in a senior exec from parent France Telecom to the chief exec position and pushing Hans Snook upwards to become his superior. Jean-Francois Pontal will report direct to Hans, who will be given the grand title executive chairman. The rest of the directors are expected …

    Data Networking 10 Oct 2000, 12:17

  • Printing with warpaint

    Updated: Woad is on the brink of commerciallity

    After three years of research, UK farms have announced that plans to used Woad as a new dye for printer ink are now within the realms of commercial possibility. The dye, which was traditionally used to decorate the body - particularly before going into battle - as well as to dye fabric. It was commonly grown in the 16th and …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 12:20

  • IR35 protestors win first round of legal challenge

    High Court sides with Professional Contractors Group

    The High Court today gave protestors against the IR35 tax change permission to have it judicially reviewed. It is the first step towards getting the measure repealed, and the government demonstrated its intention to fight all the way by producing legal arguments against the petition. The arguments, which gave a strong …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 12:22

  • Burglar.com is illegal, coppers claim

    They're gonna sit on the fence

    A web site that connects the victims of a burglary with the people who have their property is illegal, according to the police. Theburglar.com bills itself as a "Link to the underground". There are three ways to register. 1) As a finder. In this category, you are completely anonymous, and theburglar.com guarantees not to pass …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 12:25

  • Apple sales chief quits

    Mandich to 'spend more time with his family'

    Mitch Mandich, Apple's most senior sales manager, is to quit the company to "spend more time with his family". In the UK, that's become a popular euphemism for leaving under a cloud - primarily because the fellow who's 'resigned' has in fact been fired. We're sure that's not the case with Mandich, not least since he'll be …

    Mac Channel 10 Oct 2000, 12:35

  • Europe to OK AOL, Time-Warner deal tomorrow

    But conditions will apply

    AOL and Time-Warner will learn tomorrow that their proposed $135 billion merger has been allowed by European Commission anti-trust regulators to proceed - provided conditions are met. At least, that's what an EC insider has told Reuters. That the EC will discuss the AOL/Time-Warner merger was admitted yesterday by a Commission …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 12:40

  • The race for the P4: Chipzilla shuffles top jobs

    Nothing sorts trouble like a game of musical chairs

    Top level shuffling at Intel, apparently aimed at solving the company's recent run of trouble with the P4, has seen three big names moving around like pieces on a chessboard. Mike Splinter, the current senior VP of the technology and manufacturing group, will move up a notch and take the presidential spot. In his new position …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 14:11

  • Yahoo! gives US free phone calls via Web

    Plus a stack of other gratis cybergoodies

    Search engine Goliath Yahoo! has launched a service with Net2Phone offering free phone calls via the Web. Registered users in the US are being tempted by a range of other cybergoodies in today's announcement - these include being able to listen to emails or Yahoo-tailored information such as stock quotes, news, sport and …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 14:33

  • S3 unveils badged Psion PDA

    Mako mine Revo

    S3 has unveiled the first fruit of its partnership with UK PDA pioneer Psion. Today it took the wraps off the Diamond Mako, an electronic organiser that bears an uncanny resemblance to Psion's own Revo Plus. And, sure enough, that's exactly what Mako is. It's disappointing - we had hoped the pair would come up with something …

    Business 10 Oct 2000, 15:27

  • IBM builds $2.5bn chip plant in New York

    Big Blue flies to Big Apple to outline plans

    IBM is to build a new $2.5 billion chip plant in New York as part of a $5 billion expansion plan. The East Fishkill factory in upstate New York, due to be announced in the Big Apple today, will represent the biggest capital investment in the state's history. It will also be the most technically advanced chip-making facility in …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 15:36

  • Nobel prize awarded to computer chip inventor

    He's astonished

    The inventor of the integrated circuit, or computer chip, expressed astonishment for winning a half share in the Nobel Prize for Physics today. Jack Kilby, 77, a former Texas Instruments employee, said he had "not anticipated this at all. In fact, I thought it most unlikely". Kilby's integrated chip set of the train of …

    Channel 10 Oct 2000, 16:03

  • BBC controls your mind

    Why waste your time on individual thought?

    It's what we always suspected - the BBC has pretended to give you an unbiased, independent viewpoint on world events but in fact it was working towards mass mind control. Thanks to a reader who still maintains the capacity for individual thought, the first leakage can be found and - confound them! - it has been processed …

    Bootnotes 10 Oct 2000, 16:20

  • HWRoundup Game board overload

    Hoodoo Voodoo5, GeForce2 do-be-do-be-doo

    Game boards ahoy. First up is the Voodoo5 5500 AGP, which gets a once over at Maximum3D. A very enthusiastic reviewer, and a whole load of benchmarking and full screen anti aliasing whojamaflips later, you should know everything you ever wanted to know about the Voodoo5 5500 AGP. Click here for the rest. Feelin' fishy and …

    Hardware Roundup 10 Oct 2000, 16:35

  • Celebs mince cybersquatters

    Rich French bird + singer wins URLs

    Just when you thought it was safe to register URLs, along comes WIPO again. Now, French actress Isabelle Adjani and singer Sade have won URLs from those evil cybersquatting scum. Now, you probably don't know Isabelle Adjani (unless, of course, you're an arty-farty type), but she's been in a load of classic French films. Subway …

    Music and Media 10 Oct 2000, 16:43

  • MS drags feet on AMD Sledgehammer support

    But we shouldn't be surprised...

    Out-takes from a recent Microsoft developers conference in Europe suggest that Wintel is circling the wagons in the face of a 64-bit assault by an AMD allied with some decidely Redmond-hostile outfits. Or alternatively, one could speculate that Microsoft's efforts to implement 64-bit Windows on Itanium have left it no time to …

    Software 10 Oct 2000, 18:04