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6th November 2000 Archive

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  • Ever killed a PC?

    Warning Cat lovers should not read this

    We've all done silly things. Sometimes we've done them with computers. Who hasn't blown up a joystick by plugging it into an ancient Ethernet card? (Maybe that was just me) Which of us can put our hands on our hearts and say we wish we hadn't been wearing nylon underwear whilst upgrading memory? Don't worry if you've done …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 10:53

  • 3Com squares class actions with $259m

    Admits no blame, but..

    3Com has settled two class actions lawsuits springing from the 1997 takeover of US Robotics with a whacking great big cash payout of $259 million. 3Com admits no wrongdoing, but it seems an awful lot to shell out just to get some dissident shareholders off its back. USR deal-related litigation is not over yet for 3Com- the …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 11:14

  • Microsoft hacked again

    Known security hole gives access to download software

    Just one week after Microsoft admitted to a major breach of its security, another hacker by the name of Dimitri claims to have gained access to several of its Web servers. Using a known security hole in M$' Internet Information Server software - which should have been fixed with its own patch - Dimitri hacked into the servers …

    Software 6 Nov 2000, 11:37

  • Dixons does downloads

    Braindock does the work

    Dixons is to offer software downloads for handhelds and other mobile devices through its Web site. The service is managed by Braindock.com which will keep a transaction fee for each download. Dixon is, among other things, the UK's biggest retailer of handhelds. It will promote the service in-store and on its Web site. ®

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 11:49

  • MS audit cripples city

    Piracy crackdown leaves local government with major headache

    A demand by Microsoft to run an audit on all its software has brought chaos to the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. A one-page letter demanded to see all software licences to prove the software wasn't counterfeit. The thinking is that since government departments tend to go for the lowest supplier quote, they may inadvertently …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 12:17

  • Cyberwarfare levels the playing field

    Hacktivists more imaginative than trad terrorists

    Old definitions of war and national security will be swept away in the online revolution. The old war paradigm defining security as physical protection is obsolete, according to James Adams, CEO of iDefense, and traditional government is too slow to deal with conflict in the virtual world. Adams was speaking at last week's …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 12:54

  • Xbox ‘blueprint’ leaked

    Sketch based on latest spec

    XBOX365.com, the community site for Microsoft's Xbox games platform, has published a blueprint' of the still-to-be released box. Actually, it's a sketch of the machine, based on the latest spec gleaned and leaked by XBOX365's'Inside Informant'. Important things first. The XBOX will come in chrome as standard, but will be …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 12:59

  • Police gag ‘corruption’ Web site

    Cybersquatting - a crime too far

    Surrey Police served a High Court injunction against one of its own officers late on Friday night forcing him to remove a Web site that was set to expose alleged police corruption within the force. The injunction was served just hours after The Register ran the story behind surreypolice.com. Inspector Andy Catlin is currently …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 13:01

  • Mobile phones getting cheaper

    And it's all down to us, says Oftel

    The cost of using a mobile phone has fallen dramatically this year, according to winged watchdog Oftel. If you use a pre-paid phone, you'll be coughing up a third less this year than last. Contract phones are 16 per cent cheaper overall. Ownership of a mobile is still on the increase - 54 per cent of UK adults now possess one. …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 13:04

  • Time and Tiny are bottom of Which? PC survey

    Dell, Apple and Dan do best

    Time and Tiny were named and shamed as bottom-of-the-barrel resellers in a Consumers Association survey in Which? Magazine. Meanwhile Dell, Apple and Dan scored well in just about every category - from reliability to support and customer satisfaction. Of the nearly 14,000 users surveyed, nearly three in five had had hardware or …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 13:37

  • Oftel publishes cost of LLU

    It's not cheap what rival telcos have to pay BT

    Oftel today published the proposed wholesale prices for BT's unbundled local loops and the internal tie cables that connect loops to operators' equipment. The costs determine how much cash telcos must hand over to BT as competition grabs hold of the broadband marketplace. The proposed charge for a loop is £118 annual rental …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 13:40

  • VC dry-out translates into VA loss

    Where da customers go?

    The drying up of VC money for dotcom start-ups has had a knock-on effect, on VA Linux, the wanna-own-everything to do with Linux company. It has issued a profit warning today, in which it blames the lack of new business from venture-funded dotcoms on lower than expected revenues for Q1. This will in turn lead to a cash loss for …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 13:50

  • Top Bertelsmann brass resign

    Wanadoo does OK

    Both the chairman and president/CEO of Bertelsmann subsidiary BMG Entertainment are to leave in the next few months. The announcement comes just days after the company announced it was to work with former enemy Napster. Chairman Michael Dornemann will leave the board in January and his job in June. President/CEO Strauss Zelnick …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 14:02

  • Amazon rips off regular customers. Again

    Pay more for Terry Pratchett's latest

    Amazon is taxing its regular customers again. Amazon.co.uk has targeted existing customers with a special direct email book offer for Terry Pratchett's latest book, but offered it at a price higher than it was charging on its site. Amazon.co.uk offered a 20 per cent discount on Terry Pratchett's latest novel 'The Truth' to its …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 14:58

  • BT wants Openwow not to Openwoe

    Then, we want world peace, an end to world poverty...

    BTOpenwoe has apologised for the hassles experienced by consumers looking to get ADSL installed claiming it is making every effort to put it right. In a bid to appease concerns BTOpenwoe claims it will improve communications with its customers and post regular updates on its site to keep people fully informed. It is to …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 15:40

  • Thin ‘n’ fast Alpha Linux servers coming RSN

    Dual Alpha 833 delivers 3.3 GFLOPS

    Alpha Processor Inc (API) has rebranded itself as API NetWorks, and expanded its product range to with two new high-density servers aimed at Web servers, render farms and the network infrastructure market. The first systems to appear under the new moniker are the UP2000+ mobo supporting dual Alpha 833 MHz processors, and the …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 15:55

  • Gates: PCs make you rich but won't feed the world

    Bill gets all touchy-feely

    Billy Boy Gates has surprised the IT world by saying that computers are next to useless when it comes to solving the world's worst problems. "The world's poorest two billion people desperately need healthcare, not laptops," he said. Which may seem startlingly obvious but then you wouldn't expect it to come from the mouth of a …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 16:24

  • Flame of the Week Our AMD DDR death wish

    You think we like Intel more than AMD

    [Andrew's AMD DDR coverage generated a very positive postbag Athlon DDR systems still not available AMD 760 DDR chipset delayed] IDIOT! Do some research you fukn retard! Maybe you'd see that DDR systems are available right now. I don't expect a retraction from your sorry ass. Integrity and unbiased reporting is way too much …

    Flame of the Week 6 Nov 2000, 16:53

  • HWRoundup Iwill in the VD clinic

    Hedgehog heatsink doesn't get run over

    The Iwill VD133 motherboard uses the new VIA Apollo Pro 133 chipset, we are told. It has most of the new features of the Intel 820, but more importantly, there is a review over at the Sharkster's. So get over there. See - I didn't make any crude jokes about the letters preceding the 133. And it would have been so easy. AMD …

    Hardware Roundup 6 Nov 2000, 17:14

  • Come on punk, spoil my day

    Intel and AMD piss on each other's chips

    Chip and Chimp Zilla aren't technology hothouses, they're global marketing operations that just happen to make chips. The ongoing megahertz™ wars between them involve large amounts of sneaky and reprehensible behaviour and backstabbing. The latest fine example is the launch of AMD's 760 chipset, which was timed for the 30th …

    Channel 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Minesweeper could explode hard maths problem

    And win $1m prize

    Minesweeper, the Windows OS game accused of wasting almost as much office time as Solitaire, could hold the key to one of the trickiest problems in mathematics research that has baffled all the brainiest boffins for about 30 years. A one million dollar prize has been offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute to anyone who can …

    Software 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Pentium 4 sprouts in Brussels

    Belgian dealer has 'em in stock, apparently

    Belgian dealer DPI looks to be the first European outlet to offer the upcoming Pentium 4, due on November 20. Its price list shows both the 1.4 and 1.5 GHz variants of the new chip at 59690BEF ($1269) and 71790BEF ($1526) respectively. This does seem a tad overpriced as if you wait until the 20th, you'll only need to pay $625 …

    Channel 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • BT's ADSL roll-out hits snags

    BT coffs up and come clean

    BT has admitted that the roll-out of ADSL is not up to scratch. At a review meeting with ISPs yesterday, execs at BT Broadband admitted that they had "capacity problems" at some 118 (of the 619 ADSL-enabled) exchanges which "caught us unawares". However, The Register understands that most of the capacity issues are not serious …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • HWRoundup Temp sucking cooler frenzy

    And we thought it was cold enough outside

    Anand's boys get their mitts on an ASUS V7700 Deluxe, based on the GeForce2 GTS. Does ASUS' reputation for excellence in the motherboard market carry over into their game card offerings? Clickhere to find out. On a cooler topic, Iamnotageek.com finally got hold of a Thermaltake Blue Orb. Following a fairly simple installation …

    Hardware Roundup 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Readers' Letters Hallucinogenic reindeer droppings, DDR flashbacks, and Tempest paranoia

    From the erudite to the downright rude. And that's just us.

    It's our last mailbag before President-elect Dubya officially takes the helm - and executing the mentally retarded goes from being a Texan pastime to becoming official US national policy. So move along now folks - don't dawdle on the crosswalk. Darwin Wars author Andrew Brown gives us the definitive answer on the psychoactive …

    Letters 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Pro wrestling & Green-Party FUD to decide election

    Washington Roundup Vote early, and vote often

    All signs point to a cliff-hanger presidential election Tuesday that very few people care about. Contenders Al Bore and George Dubya are undoubtedly biting their nails; but the populace is not so much excited as befuddled, chiefly from an inability to distinguish between the candidates, who have spent the past four months …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Datrontech calls in the receivers

    Distie belly-flops

    Datrontech, the venerable British distie, has called in the receivers, following "discussions with the company's principal' bank. In other words it is insolvent. Presumably, there are some franchises in the wreckage that other disties will want. But at what price? The vendors will have representation refusal rights in any …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Downloaded music sales to hit £300m in UK by 2005

    Analyst firm shares its vision

    Sales from downloadable music will hit £300 million in the UK by 2005. This will be driven by music repackagers - businesses which will bring together content from multiple labels and artists - according to research organisation Forrester. These repackagers will deal with the individual items of that make up the modern music …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 17:16

  • Yahoo! legally obliged to ban the French?

    The ole US of A gets a taste of its own medicine

    In a court case today in Paris, Yahoo! is expected to be told it must ban French users from those auction sites that sell Nazi memorabilia. Now, we're not going to get caught up in the hornet's nest that is the debate over Nazi items (we already did that when the situation arose in April). Instead, let's ignore what is on sale …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 17:35

  • Flood, pestilence and beef sarnies

    Enjoy yourselves - it's later than you think

    Being young and carefree whippersnappers, we at the Reg had never given much thought to our own mortality. Not until, that is, a humble pen reminded us of our own appointment with the grim reaper. The implement in question is a Microsoft freebie which flashes every time your mobile rings. We decided to take it down London's …

    Bootnotes 6 Nov 2000, 17:53

  • VNU can't tell difference between a cable and a computer

    That would explain a lot

    Each year Dutch IT publisher VNU holds a channel awards for the wheeler dealers and wideboys from the UK's distributor channel. This wonderful event is an opportunity for IT boys to get competitive, pissed and obnoxious to one another, and comes highly recommended. It is also an opportunity for VNU to make a shedload of …

    Bootnotes 6 Nov 2000, 17:55

  • MS Mobile Explorer will lose wireless war – Symbian CEO

    Microsoft espouses thin client at wrong time, apparently...

    By some bizarre coincidence (?) Microsoft wireless spinning seemed to go into overdrive on the morning of the Symbian Developer Expo in London today. The WSJ said that according to Microsoft executives, Symbian has lost two thirds of its 40 most senior staff this year, and Microsoft VP mobile devices Ben Waldman weeps: "The …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 20:23

  • Nokia, Psion, Intel demo next gen Symbian Quartz kit

    Not so (inaudible)...

    Unfazed by the number of recent high-level executive departures from Microsoft - Brad Silverberg, Paul Maritz, two Myrhvolds (Nathan and Cameron), Harel Kodesh, Win CE boss Jonathan Roberts, Rich Tong and almost anyone who was cc'd on billg's wireless strategy memo just a year ago - Symbian will plough ahead on the gamble that …

    Data Networking 6 Nov 2000, 20:23

  • Armed DRAM robbers caught after police chase

    Not a quiet day in the Torridon office

    Torridon, formerly Memory Corp, was hit by armed robbers today - in broad daylight. Three balaclava-clad men tried to force their way into the building via the back door at 1.30pm. Two had guns, according to Dave Flack, group marketing manager at the Swindon-based company. After trying to break in for a couple of minutes they …

    Business 6 Nov 2000, 21:15

  • Home surfers snub AOL for Microsoft

    82.9 million visitors worship Gates

    Microsoft stole AOL's crown as the most visited Website destination for home surfers in August. Microsoft's combined sites saw 82.9 million unique visitors in a multi-company survey of the top 50 sites visited in the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Australia and Japan by Media Metrix. It toppled ISP giant AOL, with 81.3 …

    Music and Media 6 Nov 2000, 21:16