8th December 2000 Archive

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Intel to miss Q4 targets

Cancelled orders and sluggish demand

Intel today warned sales in the fourth quarter would be lower than expected. The chip giant issued a statement after the market closed saying that due to slowing demand for PCs, it would not hit the expected four to eight per cent growth on Q3. "As a result of recent large cancellations by customers worldwide, the company now …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 09:21
Europeans text sex obsessed

Less messy than the real thing

Another day, another survey - this time it's the turn of SMS, with research claiming that a quarter of European mobile phone users have indulged in "text sex". And who are the continent's sauciest SMSers? Surprisingly, it's the Germans - 80 per cent of German males have used their mobile messaging system to chat someone up. …

Data Networking 8 Dec 2000, 09:23
MS lures Palm coders with free drink

Desperate for PocketPC apps

Microsoft intends to attempt to persuade Palm developers over to PocketPC next week with the promise of free food and booze. The software giant is hosting an invite-only developers' dinner just down the road from the Palm coders' conference, PalmSource, being held in Santa Clara on Wednesday, according to a Cnet report. MS' …

Software 8 Dec 2000, 09:26
Apple ‘screwed up in education’ – Jobs

New products will solve problems, staffers told

An embarrassed Steve Jobs confessed the company had cocked-up its efforts to sell to education when he addressed an insiders-only staff meeting this week. Apple moles have since passed on Jobs' comments to ZDNet US. "We screwed up in education," Jobs told employees. "Dell didn't earn the crown - we gave it to them." Jobs was …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 09:56
Seagate slashes drive returns

It's given users fault-checking software

Returns of perfectly healthy hard drives have fallen by 85 per cent among those using Seagate's diagnostic software, SeaTools. Before the software was made available almost half the hard drives returned to the company were found to be faultless. Multiply this by the average cost of an on site visit from an engineer - around $ …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 12:00
No one wants chips or PCs

Microsoft down, Motorola down, Intel, NatSemi, Apple, BATM...

The tech sector took another battering in the world's stock exchanges yesterday, sparking off a mild panic in markets, banks and overpaid analysts. It doesn't look good, demand for both chips and PCs are both said to be down, profit-warnings have become de rigeur and Rick Sherlund - Goldman Sachs' man - has lowered his estimates …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 12:06
Le Freeserve keeps l'Unlimited Time product

C'est la plume de ma tante

Soon-to-be French-owned Freeserve has given assurances that it has no plans to ditch its Unlimited Freeserve Time product - even though it's being run at a loss. The news should come as some relief to Net users (although maybe not to the ISPs new owners) who feared they would be forced to accept Freeserve's new - and more …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 12:14
Amazon.com drops link to Real IRA fund raiser

It was after commissions

A group linked to the Real IRA, the organisation responsible for the Omagh bombing which killed 29 people in 1998, has been using Internet booksellers Amazon.com in a fundraising scam. The 32 County Sovereignty Movement, regarded as the political wing of the Real IRA, had a link to Amazon.com at the bottom of its Web page. …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 12:27
Baby Pentium 4 materialises

1.3GHz part appears on secure Intel Web site

Intel's IPD Web site, the prime source of information for small system-builders, now lists a 1.3GHz Pentium 4 alongside the 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz parts launched last month. The new baby P4 is aimed at plugging the price/performance gap between the top of the Pentium III range and the existing P4s - a space briefly occupied by the …

Channel 8 Dec 2000, 13:00
Gates talks big on small IE6 cookie move

Stressing the importance of privacy is so much easier than coding...

Security is the big question, and the answer is... er, privacy policies and smart cards. These, at least, were the only obvious concrete suggestions Bill Gates had to put forward when he opened Microsoft's prestige Safenet 2000 conference in Redmond yesterday. And as he doesn't seem to have mentioned the cookie defender patch …

Software 8 Dec 2000, 13:08
Ask Jeeves when it will make a profit

Answer: Q4 2001, meanwhile greater losses for this Q4

Ask Jeeves, the Q&A-style Net search engine, is warning that its Q4 losses will be greater than expected. Blaming the online ad market, the California company said it expects to report a net loss of about $18 million on revenues of $25 million. If investors want to Ask Jeeves when it expects to be profitable, it will give the …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 13:12
Bluetooth range boosted to 50m

And IBM has loads of ideas - some of them sensible

The Bluetooth developers forum in San Jose has shown itself to be a breeding ground of ideas for things to do with the technology. TDK reckons it has found a way to boost the range of a Bluetooth signal to 50 meters, giving it a radius closer to that of the 802.11 wireless LAN standard*, but requiring much less power. The …

Data Networking 8 Dec 2000, 13:31
Quantum Corp lowers sights on HDD shortage

Now back on ramp

Oh, dear. The profit warnings from component makers are tumbling out thick and fast, with Quantum Corporation's HDD unit the latest despatch from the battlefield. However, Quantum is a profit warning with a twist - the company is not blaming sluggish demand for the shortfall, but a 'specific component availability issue which …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 13:50
Warner Brothers bullies girl over Harry Potter site

Huge conglomerate behaves disgracefully

Warner Brothers has threatened a 15-year-old fan of Harry Potter with legal action over her Web site. Claire Field is understandably upset at the bullying tactics and not much impressed by the conglomerate's offer of £9.99 in compensation for handing over the domain www.harrypotterguide.co.uk. This action really, really bothers …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 13:55
Chipmongers vie for chip of the year crown

It's a meat market, I tell you

Chipmakers are readying their tuxedos for January's big event - the announcement of the winners of Microprocessor Report's Analyst's Choice Awards. Awards are given in eight categories and are aimed at recognising excellence in semiconductor innovation, design, and implementation. To be selected for the shortlist, the product …

Channel 8 Dec 2000, 13:58
Major outage hits Cable & Wireless INS

Cisco routers to blame

Cable & Wireless INS, one of Britain's largest ISPs, is struggling to fix a major failure of its core network that has left most of its customers without service. A planned maintenance program last night involved taking down the ISP's primary LINX connection but disaster followed when the secondary link connection failed due to …

Data Networking 8 Dec 2000, 13:58
Universal sued for alleged copyright infringement

Sauce for the goose...

Litigious recording company Universal is itself being sued - for posting songs on the Internet, allegedly without the permission of the song writers and their publishers. Well, what's sauce for the goose... Universal looks like it could take a bashing as vigorous as the one it gave to MP3.com According to a report in the Wall …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 14:06
Microsoft's Y2K security holes – 93 and counting

A 30 per cent productivity increase year on year...

Microsoft is making substantial progress in the field of security, Giga Information Group reports, and has achieved a 30 per cent improvement in productivity in the last 12 months. That's production of security patches, unfortunately. According to Giga the two most recent security patches issued for Windows Media Player bring …

Software 8 Dec 2000, 14:43
Pirates, conmen target PlayStation 2 buyers

Even as buyers' bots bring vendor Web sites to their knees

Consumers are so desperate to own a PlayStation 2, they're risking log-jamming the Net and - worse - becoming victims of any of a multitude of online scams. With Sony's next-generation console still in hideously short supply, some would-be PlayStation 2 owners are using intelligent agent software to track down the best prices …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 14:48
BT sent ADSL enquiries to council helpline

Probably just as useful

BT is directing ADSL service enquiries to the North Lincolnshire Social and Housing Services' complaints department. A Reg reader made this discovery after dialling the number for BT service enquiries, 150, and dutifully going through menus until he was able eventually to speak to an attendant. He was told to contact the telco' …

Data Networking 8 Dec 2000, 15:36
MS and DoCoMo launch wireless system you can't switch off

Once it's got your credit cards too, you're expendable...

Microsoft Japan has developed software that allows your phone/CE combo to receive email even when it's switched off. But diligent research by The Register reveals that this isn't quite as pointless an exercise as might initially seem to be the case. The hardware the system applies to isn't exactly a mobile phone/PDA combination …

Data Networking 8 Dec 2000, 15:50
L&H told where to stick its bankruptcy protection request

Belgian court demands more financial info

A Belgian court today told Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products NV it cannot have bankruptcy protection. It said the speech technology outfit's application wasn't up to scratch as it had failed to submit full audited data, plus its restructuring proposal was insufficient. L&H also applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in …

Software 8 Dec 2000, 16:58
Flame of the week Reg pays for sex

Perfectly reasoned argument against reporter

Bigger tits for Lara Croft You are a twat. There you go today slagging off Lara Croft - I bet the only time you pull is when you pay for it, you sad hack. Rana Rahman

Flame of the Week 8 Dec 2000, 17:00
MS claims copyright on Windows bugs

Stops BugTraq republishing security notices

Microsoft is claiming copyright over its security notices and insisting that mailing lists can no longer publish the Beast of Redmond's dire security warnings. The lawyers at Microsoft have objected to the publication of its security notices by SecurityFocus.com, which runs the popular BugTraq security mailing list. Elias Levy …

Software 8 Dec 2000, 17:08
Time installs revolving job doors

Cuts employees, takes on staff

Time Group is going to cut jobs at Time Computers but take on more staff at its other businesses to help it ride out the slowdown in the PC market. There will be a net gain of 100 jobs at the company's Burnley HQ according to marketing director Mike Phillipson. The company says it will try and place the redundant Time Computer …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 17:09
Gateway untethers 1.4GHz P4 desktop

Nice stocking filler

Gateway has untethered a Pentium 4 desktop in the UK. The Performance 1400 PC is priced at £1369 ex VAT, and comes with an Intel 1.4GHz P4 chip, 128MB memory, 20GB hard drive, 32MB video card, SoundBlaster Live! sound card, Windows Millennium and Works Suite 2000, and a 17in monitor. The systems also come pre-configured with …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 17:13
The ongoing saga of Lara and her breasts

This story seemed to spark some interest. Funny that...

Bigger tits for Lara Croft Not to mention, Lara's bust size would probably result in a broken collar bone if she was real and tried any of those moves (honest, it happens). Rumour has it that scientists are trying to create bras so well endowed women stop causing bodily harm when doing exercises. Renota Schoepp My wife is …

Letters 8 Dec 2000, 17:28
Australian Web surfers sapped by con-man

Tricked into paying for free Net access

Be careful, be very careful who you buy Internet access from. Especially if you live in Australia. The Australian Federal Police have begun investigating an enterprising crook who has allegedly been hoodwinking unwary punters into coughing up AU$150 for access to ISP GlobalFreeway's service. Which is... er... free, paid for by …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 17:37
Rock ‘n’ roller RAID controllers

HWRoundup Plank spankingly splendid

Mini hardware happenings over at Tech-Report. If you have a PDA and the Graffiti input gets on your nerves, you need a visor and a fold out keyboard. So what if it fills your bag with loads of clutter? Its all good fun. Go here to get the lowdown on the kit that will make you feel like an extra from The Matrix. It is true of …

Hardware Roundup 8 Dec 2000, 17:38
Intel preps digital-audio player

First glimpse due in Las Vegas next month

Intel is prepping a new toy for music gadget freaks at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The chip giant will show off a portable digital-audio player amid a range of other goodies, according to a report on CNET which cites sources close to the company. Details on the player are sketchy, but Intel will likely …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 17:55
Catholic nostalgia goes hi-tech

Latin liturgy on the Web

Educated Roman Catholics embarrassed by the Church's trivial modern liturgy will be grateful to download a video clip of an entire Mass in Latin according to the Tridentine rite from the Catholic Traditionalist Movement (CTM) Web site. The .avi file is a whopper, however, at nearly 24MB, so only broadband users need apply; 56K- …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 17:59
Some anti-Warner humour from Groucho Marx

Very funny this - have a read

Warner Brothers bullies girl over Harry Potter site [The following letter comes courtesy of one Groucho Marx in 1948. Warner Brothers were trying to prevent the Marx Brothers from calling their movie A Night in Casablanca. The grounds? That it had produced a film called Casablanca - you may have heard of it - earlier. There's …

Letters 8 Dec 2000, 18:13
FTSE gets hacked

Easy peasy apparently

The FTSE web site at FT-SE.co.uk has been hacked by a group calling themselves "kat krew." The FTSE confirmed that the front page had been hacked in the early hours of this morning, at around four AM. A spokeswoman for FTSE said: "The home page is more of a marketing tool, and we don't have the same security in place so it …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 18:22
Best of the Rest: AMD, Palestinians and aliens

All of them with a unique perspective on life

Guns disguised as mobile phones I've got one. And the next fucker who starts yapping on his or her phone on the Waterloo to Brookwood train is going to bleed. Cheers, Spokey ShittyGift.com points to online crap merchants Sounds a bit like the idea dreamed up by Reginald Perrin in the old series "The Fall and Rise of …

Letters 8 Dec 2000, 18:28
Readers' Letters Guns, shitty gifts and breasts

Combine the three and you've got the Christmas experience

[Well, it's been a funny old week. Seeing as it's Christmas corporate piss-up season, we've breathed a collective sigh of relief (and drunk a fair few beers) as the PR bunnies spend more time polishing their nails and buffing their hair rather than writing rubbish press releases about useless products. Tis the season to be jolly …

Letters 8 Dec 2000, 18:30
Techie staff work longer but produce less

Hours up, productivity down, spending down, wages up!

Technical staff are working longer hours but are becoming less productive. A report by technology consultancy Meta Group, published this week, paints a picture of technicians struggling to keep up to date with the latest trends in the industry. It also warns that staff turnover is increasing as technicians become more willing …

Business 8 Dec 2000, 18:34
Default logins posted on porn-defaced security site

Updated Dripping with irony and other substances

The security specialist who named and shamed the titans of hardware manufacturing by posting easy default logins for networked devices on the nerdnet Web site had his work defaced this weekend by a detractor who either works for one of the companies mentioned or simply thinks the Webmaster is a lamer and wanted to prove it. The …

Music and Media 8 Dec 2000, 19:09