23rd October 2000 Archive

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PCs sell well (including Dell)

Sky not falling down

Guess what, the sky is not falling down on the PC industry, the US is not saturated with PCs, and Q3 sales - even in Europe - are looking pretty healthy. Worldwide PC demand was strong in Q3, with sales up 18.3 per cent on the same period last year, according to market research firm IDC. It says that fears of slowing demand …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 08:12
Freeserve: which bit of unlimited don't you understand?

Letter Mind your Ts&Cs, abnormal user says

This correspondence is now closed - unless we get something else worth publishing. From Glyn Griffin I read the article Freeserve 'right to kick out heavy users' with interest. I understand the points made by Messrs McPherson, Greenaway and King. They have answered Andrew Smith's question to the letter explaining how one per …

Letters 23 Oct 2000, 08:55
Son of Intel 815E arrives

Pundit's favourite chipset goes walkabout

Intel's popular (aka working) 815E chipset has spawned a mobile offspring, the 815EM, designed for Pentium III notebooks. The new chipset integrates graphics functionality and can also support external AGP 4x or AGP 2x graphic controllers. Support for Chipzilla's SpeedStep power management is also included. The 815EM uses the …

Channel 23 Oct 2000, 09:23
32MB on a humble floppy

On sale next year

Matsushita-Kotobuki has developed a way of boosting the capacity of a standard 1.44MB floppy to 32MB. The FD32MB technology will be used in conjunction with the company's 240MB "super disk drive", currently in development. By using the super disk magnetic head for data writing and a conventional magnetic head for reading, the …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 10:21
New Intel shortage shock

Risk of widespread leaks?

Intel's aggressive plans to get a new Flash memory fab up and running in 12 months rather than the usual 18 have been foiled by a shortage of plumbers in the Denver area. The opening of the new $1.2 billion Colorado plant, which will make Flash memory for cellphones and MP3 players, has been delayed until early next year …

Channel 23 Oct 2000, 10:30
Text me, sex me, anyway you want me

99 per cent ovulation, one per cent perspiration

Motherandbaby.co.uk has come up with a cracking use for the mobile phone - it's sending out SMS messages to wannahavebaby subscribers, suggesting when they should have sex. (German readers, a site called Zappybaby.de offers the same service.) The reminder is sent to couples on the day the woman is supposed to be ovulating ( …

Data Networking 23 Oct 2000, 10:52
Amiga unveils next-gen hardware spec

But manufacturers support seems very thin on the ground

Amiga re-introduced the computer that bears its name after years of focusing solely on software. It also announced the platform's first licensee. Amiga boss Bill McEwen announced plans to provide new Amiga hardware not long after he bought the company off previous owner Gateway, and this weekend the company released the basics …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 10:54
Intel worker caught in paedo sting

Six years' probation for attempted kiddy rape

Ex-Intel employee Scott Berger, 40, sent more than a dozen explicit email messages from his computer at the company's Chandler, Arizona, plant to a chat room member he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. But when he went to a shopping mall to meet his chat room partner, 'she' turned out to be an undercover (male) detective. …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 11:21
Universal tests Napster-style music service

Subscription-based streaming audio service could win the day

'Big five' recording company Universal Music Group has begun secret trials of an unlimited access, subscription-based digital music distribution service. Universal itself won't discuss the trial, but its parent company, Seagram, and the drinks giant's prospective merger partner, Vivendi, have mentioned it during talks with …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 11:42
Watch out, there's PC channel stuffing about!

Gartner claims, PC maker disdains

Blimey! It didn't take long for a riposte to IDC's optimistic assessment of the PC industry. And from Gartner Dataquest, it's bitter rival, too. Gartner releases its Q3 PC league tables today reckons sales were 15.2 per cent, substantially less than IDC's 18.3 per cent. But worse, much worse, it reckons that much of the ' …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 11:50
HW Roundup Monitors, roadmaps and drivers

Plus other tasty treats from siliconland

Sharky Extreme has compiled its own version of Intel's plans for the future. A roadmap pieced together from snippets of info from various sources, this is what the big fishy ones think Intel has in store for the desktop CPU and chipset sector. We thought you might like to take a peek. Go here if you do. If you like your …

Hardware Roundup 23 Oct 2000, 12:25
And the Physicus winners are…

You lucky, lucky devils

It's been a busy week at Reg Merchandising. Our Physicus competition attracted 601 entries, so many that publisher Tivola kindly agreed to offer another five copies. So, we now have 10 happy punters who correctly answered the question: "What is the value of the gravitational constant?" Meaning big G, not little g. And the …

Site News 23 Oct 2000, 13:34
US National Security Agency (NSA) badly crippled

Too busy not dying for any cyber-defence stuff

Those accustomed to imagine the US National Security Agency (NSA) as some guild of omniscient, malevolent hermits effortlessly deciphering all the electromagnetic noise enveloping the modern world will be bitterly disappointed to learn that its basic, functional competence is in doubt. While the Agency has been credited with …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 13:38
Lucent boots out boss

Stopgap replacement

Lucent Technologies has turfed out CEO Richard McGinn - and in a bit of a hurry too - the only person it can find to replace him at such short-notice is chairman Henry Schacht. The networking/telecoms equipment maker said it had "determined that an immediate change in leadership was necessary", this weekend at a meeting where …

Data Networking 23 Oct 2000, 13:56
Lucent fires CEO

Stopgap appointment

Lucent Technologies has turfed out CEO Richard McGinn - and in a bit of a hurry too - the only person it can find to replace him at such short-notice is chairman Henry Schact. The networking/telecoms equipment maker said it had "determined that an immediate change in leadership was necessary", at a meeting this weekend, when …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 14:02
BT feeling Blu after Italy 3G bid collapse

What's hatred among friends?

BT confirmed today that Italian mobile company Blu has withdrawn from the bidding for the third generation mobile licences in Italy. The collapse follows failure to agree with fellow shareholders on how to proceed with the bidding - reports suggest that other members thought BT should shoulder more responsibility, as it is a …

Data Networking 23 Oct 2000, 14:08
Telcos gang up on e-minister over LLU

Get a move on - or else

Six British telcos have reportedly issued Britain's e-commerce minister with an ultimatum over local loop unbundling(LLU). According to the Telegraph, the six outfits - Cable & Wireless, Colt Telecom, Energis, Kingston Communications, Thus and WorldCom (Worldcom have just called to say that they weren't there) - went toe-to-toe …

Data Networking 23 Oct 2000, 14:16
Netvest reports profits

Sheetmetal workers everywhere rejoice

Dotcom VC Netvest.com reported profits before tax of £233,800 for the year to May 31 2000. The company's assets were £6 million and it has £1.6 million stashed away in the bank. Netvest's portfolio includes Kelkoo, Meanfiddler and Sheetmetalworld.com. lastminute.com plc has completed the acquisition of the Degriftour Group, …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 14:32
Senator Hatch's Napster Epiphany

What irony?

A year ago, few would have predicted that a simple software application written by a college Freshman would capture the international media main-stage. Fewer still would have anticipated that this modest computer-science project would quickly swell to grotesque proportions, terrifying the mighty Titans of Hollywood's …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 15:08
Steve Case funds homophobes – by mistake

Tax-deductible after all

Steve Case faces losing the Pink Pound after giving more than $8 million to a school owned by a religious group determined to "cure" homosexuals. The AOL chairman and his wife Jean gave the cash to the Westminster Academy, a private Christian institution for elementary and high school students. The school in Fort Lauderdale, …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 15:17
Punters complain to BTOpenwoe

It had to happen

It was only a matter of time...but a frustrated Reg reader has set up a Web site to give punters the chance to recount tales of ineptitude and farce about BT Openworld. Called BTOpenwoe, the site's aim is to get people to share their experiences about the telco's ADSL service. "The reason I'm doing this is that every time a BT …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 15:17
Pink slips rain on dotcom parade

Christmas treats in store

Death by dotcom grew 18 per cent in the last month, with more than 5,000 jobs lost. A total of 5,677 people were laid off by bubble economy firms in the month ended October 20, according to Chicago outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. CEO John Challenger has followed the trend since December, when he recorded 301 …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 16:15
Boffin brainteaser book bonanza

Physicus comp too easy? Then analyse this!

Inspired by the impressive response to our Physicus competition, Reg Merchandising got straight on the blower to publisher Fourth Estate to secure 20 copies of The Code Book a bestseller and a very good read, to boot. Aficionados of the Enigma code and other such pieces of linguistic skullduggery will doubtless enjoy Simon …

Site News 23 Oct 2000, 17:21
Lexmark ditches 900 jobs

You don't have to be a dotcom to fire people

Printer giant Lexmark is to cut 900 jobs and move some of its operations abroad. The staff cuts represent around eight per cent of the total workforce, with most going from its HQ and factory in Kentucky. Some manufacturing, primarily for laser printers, will be moved to Mexico and China. The company expects the shift to save $ …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 20:34
Voteauction.com back in business

Decides 'not to wait' for US law

An American votes-for-sale Web site is back online just days after an Illinois judge ordered it to shut down. On Wednesday Judge Michael Murphy of the Cook County Circuit Court signed a restraining order for the Voteauction.com site, and any similar site affiliated with the same owners, to temporarily stop operations. However …

Music and Media 23 Oct 2000, 20:37
Pay reviews for Bastards

Episode 36 Bosses -who needs them?

BOFH 2000: Episode 36 So as his immediate senior, I get to give the PFY his performance appraisal review, and as my "senior" The New Boss - Release Version II - gets to give me one (although not in the biblical sense). All a bit of a problem for him really as he's so new he has to rely on the reports of his predecessor and other …

BOFH 23 Oct 2000, 21:32
BOFH goes to War

Episode 35 That's fighting talk

BOFH 2000: Episode 35 Couple of problems with the Firewall machine overnight," the PFY says as I wander through the door to Mission Control. "Looks like it stopped a denial of service attack by crashing." "Always good to know that there's a backup plan for kit if we need it," I respond. "Are we back up and running?" "Yep, looks …

BOFH 23 Oct 2000, 21:38
FrontPath stomps on pirate Transmeta BeOS webpad

Updated The mystery deepens

S3 spin-off Frontpath, the maker of the ProGear Web pad, says it has no connection with a company producing an identical product, but with a BeOS twist. The mysterious Envivid has announced details of what it calls the "eQ ProGear" GSM-ready wireless web appliance. The Envivid web site describes a device apparently identical to …

Business 23 Oct 2000, 21:45