28th November 2000 Archive

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MS: it's (nearly) illegal to buy PCs without Windows

Two Naked PC docs vaped from site, but here's another brace. Tell us if the Chinese version's good...

By a strange coincidence Microsoft's dire warnings against buying PCs without preinstalled operating systems (see MS: how PCs shipped without Windows will destroy your life) seem to have vanished from microsoft.com on the very day that Microsoft argued that it didn't have a monopoly of the OS market, and that "the market …

Software 28 Nov 2000, 10:22
Leningrad Penguin Goes America

Murdoch to publish Torvalds auto-biog

Cult Finnish movie director Aki Kaurismaki will direct a lavish bio-pic of the life of Linus Torvalds, it was announced yesterday. Tentatively titled Leningrad Penguins go America, Torvalds' life will be portrayed in a tableaux of musical numbers including 'Tanenbaum, Tanenbaum - Your Faith In Microkernels Is Misplaced!', ' …

Software 28 Nov 2000, 10:47
BT still chasing cash for hyperlink patent

Will they never give up?

BT is still trying to extract megabucks from US ISPs following the telco's patent claim to hypertext links - and it's prepared to taken legal action if those fingered don't cough up. The telco also refuses to discuss the cases of others who believe they created hypertext before BT patented its version in 1976, despite film …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 10:50
AMD dips on mobo market slowdown fears

Taiwan's motherboard makers rein in production expansion plans

Taiwanese mobo vendors have begun slimming down production expansion plans on fears of a major slow-down in the PC market - and that, in turn, is hitting chip makers' stock. Or rather chip maker, singular. While Chipzilla stayed still yesterday, AMD's shares dropped 8.7 per cent, down $1.81 to $19, after Robertson Stephens …

Channel 28 Nov 2000, 10:50
Email snooping row kicks off again

Data Protection Commissioner puts the boot in

The Data Protection Commissioner has come out the corner fighting in Round Two of the email snooping legal argument - caused by the introduction of the RIP Act. Despite heavy criticism by the government and CBI, Elizabeth France is standing by her proposed code of practice for monitoring employee email and phone conversations, …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 10:52
Germans lead Euro Xmas spending

Ho bloody ho

Europe will spend E2.6 billion ($2.22 billion) online this Christmas - equal to all online retail sales in Europe for 1999. Despite the optimistic tone, it's still way off the predicted $10 billion (E11.7 billion) that punters in the US are expected to spend this season. The latest research from Forrester claims that German …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 10:53
Elpida to expand DRAM production…

...as Korean Dramurai cut back theirs

Elpida, the chip maker formed from the merged semiconductor operations of NEC and Hitachi, has announced it will build a ¥180 billion fab to churn out 0.13 micron 256Mb DRAM chips. The company's plans emerged even as Korean chip vendors become increasingly worried that the chip market is slowing down. Elpida's new plant will …

Channel 28 Nov 2000, 11:39
Oftel investigates ‘anti-competitive’ BT

Telco bemused

BT will still launch its new unmetered voice and Net access tariffs on Friday as planned despite facing an investigation by winged watchdog Oftel. Oftel launched the investigation into alleged uncompetitive behaviour following a complaint. Oftel will not say who lodged the complaint. Details are still sketchy, and Oftel is …

Data Networking 28 Nov 2000, 12:07
MS denies everything in Trial II bid

MS on Trial They'll get it right with 3.0 - but we did that gag already...

Microsoft's brief to the Court of Appeals yesterday has too many unconvincing dimples, and not enough real chad. Even if Microsoft were entirely innocent, it has not made a sufficient case in the light of the evidence, Judge Jackson's findings of fact, and his conclusions of law. The technical parts of Microsoft's brief will …

Software 28 Nov 2000, 12:10
Install-less Linux distro to eliminate hard drives

My CD-ROM is my computer

We've seen various attempts to widen Linux's appeal among mainstream users by getting rid of as much of the open source's complex installation procedure as possible. The latest idea comes from French start-up Linbox and it essentially eliminates installation altogether. Linbox's DemoLinux distribution runs straight off an auto …

Software 28 Nov 2000, 12:30
We can make Napster pay – Bertelsmann

Touts subs service to major labels

Bertelsmann has figured out how it's going to make Napster's MP3 sharing service not only legitimate but work to the benefit of the music industry, the company claimed yesterday. Interviewed by Reuters, Andreas Schmidt, head of Bertelsmann E-commerce Group (BEG) and the guy who brokered the deal with Napster, said his company …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 13:06
Egg scrambles Internet-only focus

Wants to become a traditional High Street bank

Online bank Egg has ditched its Internet-only strategy and is looking into establishing a High Street presence. The bank said it was about expanding its reach, but it is the latest in a slew of online companies that have had to acknowledge the importance of face-to-face contact with customers. Mike Harris, the bank's chief …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 13:09
Compaq extends Linux on Alpha

Red Hat 7 goes a bundle

Compaq has bolstered the availability of Linux on its Alpha platform with the launch of Red Hat Alpha Deluxe on its Unix servers. Alpha Deluxe will be available on Compaq's AlphaServer DS and ES series and all Compaq AlphaStations. In addition, Red Hat Linux 7 will come bundled and pre-loaded on selected Compaq ProLiant Servers …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 13:32
Sony way off target on PS2 shipments

What's 300K units among friends?

Sony is failing to meet its own PlayStation 2 delivery targets in the US, investment analysts have claimed. The issue for the analysts is the ability of games companies to make money selling PlayStation 2 titles. And the fewer consoles Sony ships, the harder it will be for the likes of Electronic Arts to cash in on the new …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 13:35
Landis buys Datrontech arm

Channel Flannel

Landis has bought Data Connectivity, the networking equipment arm of bust distie Datrontech from the receivers, Microscope reports.Quoting unnamed sources, it says Data Connectivity boss James Morgan and eight other employees will join Landis. This will form the basis of public networks division to target the telecommunications …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 14:52
The curious case of Arthur C Clarke, MI5 and the runaway millionaire

Just because you're paranoid

The 27-year-old computer tycoon Joseph de Saram who reportedly fled to Sri Lanka after his computer business went bust has spoken to the Daily Mail at length over what has really happened. In words reminiscent of that other great entrepreneur Asil Nadir, Joseph proceeded to explain exactly why he had left the country. First of …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 14:59
BT in Oftel snitch hunt

Colonel Custard?

Register private dicks have been trying to find out who lodged an official complaint with Oftel about alleged anti-competitive behaviour by BT. In the current atmosphere of mistrust, heightened by the conflict over local loop unbundling, any of the telcos or ISPs could be in the frame for snitching on BT since they all have a …

Data Networking 28 Nov 2000, 15:03
Eidos losses up, shares down

Board is happy

Eidos, the UK's biggest computer games company, lost £60.2 million in its second quarter - compared with a £12.8 million loss for the same period last year. Turnover also dropped to £20.6 million from £27.3 million last year. Shares fell 11 per cent this morning, having already fallen 82 per cent from its peak this year. The …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 15:04
Reg has Bigbollocks.com

Well, we didn't like to brag, but now you come to mention it...

It's clear that the BBC and Microsoft don't have bigbollocks.com. We've receive a sack-full of email from readers who now say the well-endowed site is no longer linking to the BBC or M$ - but that it now points directly to Reg. Thanks for that. We're suitably swollen with pride - and that's without the aid of a knife and a …

Bootnotes 28 Nov 2000, 15:15
Intel cuts P4 pricing on Dec 10

While stocks last, apparently

Intel plans price cuts across its range in two weeks' time. Celeron, Pentium III and P4 parts are all affected, according to a posting on a hitherto secure Intel website. The posting reads as follows: "Boxed Processor Pricing Update - November 26, 2000. This is a notice to inform you of an upcoming price move for select Intel …

Channel 28 Nov 2000, 15:50
Snook is off

But didn't Orange say a month ago...

Hans Snook, the unique, leather-jacketed, enema-loving CEO of Orange is to leave the company that he steered to success and through two of the world's most powerful telecoms companies. Hans announced this morning that he will stand down from the board after the France Telecom/Orange group is floated on the Paris stock exchange …

Data Networking 28 Nov 2000, 15:59
Kingston in amoeba-like division

Concert gets new man

Kingston Communications is to cuddle up to other companies to create two new companies to help reduce the cost of its DSL roll-out. KitCo will manage its DSL infrastructure, while VisionCo will operate the retail service. The move could save the company £150 million over three years, the telco said today. Steve Maine, Kingston …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 16:01
Oracle hires former Clinton spin doctor

Ellison's reputation saved

Oracle has enlisted the help of a former White House spin doctor to spruce up its press machine. Joe Lockhart, who was the White House press secretary during Bill Clinton's impeachment tussle, joins the software outfit in a top communications post today. He will get the official title of Oracle senior vice president, reporting …

Software 28 Nov 2000, 16:02
HWRoundup Anand's got crystal balls

Mobos and more reviewed

Anand continues crystal ball gazing today. He's finished part two of the guide to 2001 where he looks at the plans of motherboard makers Gigabyte, Microstar, Shuttle and Transcend. Overall, Anand reckons it's going to be a good year for the buyer, with tough competition at both ends of the market. Then we have a review of the …

Hardware Roundup 28 Nov 2000, 16:06
Sex.com changes hands

Porn peddlar to loose control of domain after court fraud ruling

An internet businessman has been stripped of ownership of porn portal sex.com following a ruling by a Californian court. Ownership of the lucrative and lurid site, which gets as many as 25 million hits each day, was taken away from Stephen Cohen after a San Jose judge concluded he probably stole rights to the domain name from …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 16:14
Duron finally gets integrated graphics chipset

Set to fly off shelves?

AMD shipped 1.5 million Durons in Q3, despite the cheapo chip being hamstrung by the lack of an integrated chipset enabling system builders to produce value systems without the need for a separate graphics card. The new VIA ProSavage KM133 is based on the KT133 and uses the S3 Savage 4 3D graphics engine together with the …

Channel 28 Nov 2000, 16:42
S3 takes a graphics holiday

Not dead, just resting

Former graphics behemoth S3 is taking a sabbatical from the high end graphics arena and concentrating on the integrated graphics market instead. "We'll be resting on the discrete desktop graphics market for at least nine months," says corporate marketing veep Paul Ayscough. "But in 12 to 18 months we'll be back with something …

Channel 28 Nov 2000, 16:55
Dr Spinola's sad babe advice line

Things not to do in Denver if you don't want to be dead

Now how many times do I have to tell you - let's be careful out there? Ladies, it's terribly tempting to accept the offer of an evening out with your favourite local psycho, but you should bear in mind Dr Spinola's top ten tips. 1. If your hunky new boyfriend invites you to climb into an empty oil drum, just say 'no'. 2. …

Bootnotes 28 Nov 2000, 17:02
Topsoft: Top blokes.

suffering from serious block with this one - quite understand if it doesn't make it up! There is probably more to say.

Topsoft, the token based security specialist, says that the general public is still scared of encryption, despite its ubiquity in the business world. The company has added a couple of new names to its management team. Tom Parker, formerly of ICL where he headed up the Pathway project has joined the company as a non-executive …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 17:07
Yahoo! Nazi tech expert backtracks

Decision is 'half-assed and trivially avoidable'

One of the three Internet experts that decided it was technically possible to prevent French users from accessing parts of Yahoo! US' auction site has posted an apology on his own Web site, saying that the solution is "half-assed and trivially avoidable". A week ago, French judge Gomez enforced the decision against Yahoo! US …

Media 28 Nov 2000, 17:08
Stelios launches US cybercafé empire in New York

HP's Fiorina drops in to cut ribbon

London-based EasyEverything opened the doors to its first cybercafé outside Europe today. Entrepreneur and EasyEverything head honcho Stelios Haji-Ioannou flew to New York to launch the Internet café, which has 800 computer terminals open 24/7, and to kick off his US e-empire. Suited and booted Hewlett-Packard chairwoman and …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 18:51
TiVo rival axes box, loses head

ReplayTV plays it again

TiVo rival ReplayTV is scrapping its digital video recorder and has axed its CEO and chairman Kim LeMasters along with over 100 staff. The company is changing its business model too, and will now focus on licensing its technology to manufacturers and cable operators. In short, it's pulling-out of direct competition with TiVo. …

Business 28 Nov 2000, 21:17