19th December 2000 Archive

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Intel discombobulates its customers

Roadmap Intel's chipsets like different earrings

Like 'em or loathe 'em, you got to admire the way Intel manages not only to cheese off PC manufacturers but its distributors and dealers too, and all at the same time. That, at least, is the message we must draw from two different slides, one for the channel and one for its original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) we saw over a …

Channel 19 Dec 2000, 09:47
Debian sets course for summer

That's GNU/Linux to you

White smoke from the most cherished of all Linux distros Debian today. Project maintainer Anthony Towns has posted a progress update with a roadmap into next year. Renowned for its silly names and the glacial pace of its development, Debian is nonetheless highly regarded for its flexibility and openness. If you can't do it with …

Software 19 Dec 2000, 10:28
British bank blows £15m on failed e-venture

Someone at A&L deserves a really good kicking

The Alliance & Leicester has become the latest casualty of the dotcom banking craze. Having spent £15 million on an online financial service for the "mass affluent", it's decided to ditch the scheme. The FT quotes A&L group MD, Peter McNamara, as saying that "we've learnt the lessons of others". Bloody expensive lesson, no? …

Business 19 Dec 2000, 10:29
No more Net red tape, pleads gov't taskforce

'You're on your own regarding dodgy transactions'

Confusion about regulations in the online world is holding e-commerce back, according to a report from the government's "Better Regulation" taskforce. The authors suggested that government not involve itself too heavily in the online world. Lord Christopher Haskins, the chairman of the taskforce, warns that further legislation …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 10:49
Vizzavi bungles upgrade

Leaves thousands without email

Vizzavi has botched its attempt to upgrade its platform leaving thousands of users without access to their email. The upgrade was expected to be started and completed yesterday. But it's clear Vizzavi's attempt at Euro-unification has failed. Miserably. Thousands of users have been left without access to their email - and it …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 11:33
24/7 Freecall refund pledge falls on deaf ears

This is not a festive story

There are serious doubts today about 24/7 Freecall's ability to settle refund disputes via email. The ISP kicked off 1000 Net users last week claiming they had abused the service. However, many readers have contacted The Register to say that 24/7 Freecall had taken money from their accounts - either just before or after they …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 11:34
Hark! The Herald PR agency spins

Glory to the AltaVista sins

Another heart-warming story from The Register Christmas Cracker files. We received an interesting phone call recently from a positively fluffy PR person asking for an update on the AltaVista/Free Internet Group (FIG) court case. "And why would that be?" we asked. "Well," said bunnykins, "we want to do a presentation on crisis …

Bootnotes 19 Dec 2000, 11:35
Another ISP pulls the plug

24-7 SpinolaVista axes remaining users

Unmetered ISP 24-7 SpinolaVista has thrown off all its remaining users, claiming they had been abusing the service's terms and conditions. Launched in August, the service broke new ground in value for money Web access by offering £2 million cashback with every £60 annual subscription. The company has now disconnected both users …

Bootnotes 19 Dec 2000, 11:50
Le Freeserve and Wanadoo shares suffer

Sacre Bleu! The Internet is unstable

Both le Freeserve and Wanadoo suffered at the stock exchange (London and Paris, respectively) yesterday. Freeswerve put a brave face on its results - highlighting that operating loss was lower than last quarter but glossing over the fact that pre-tax losses had rocketed - but shares still fell 3.6 per cent. Its parent Wanadoo …

Business 19 Dec 2000, 12:33
Nvidia nabbing 3dfx staff already

Cherry-picking 100 best engineers

Nvidia yesterday said it wants to give a hundred of 3dfx's top engineers jobs - part of the company's programme to pick the flesh from the technological bones of the moribund graphics chip maker. Speaking at an analyst conference yesterday, Nvidia CEO CEO Jen-Hsun Huang didn't go into detail about how his company will leverage …

Channel 19 Dec 2000, 12:49
Porn-filter disabler unleashed

Porn free, as free as the wind blows

An anti-censorship group Peacefire has released a program which disables porn-filtering programs. This software, which only works on personal computers, is being released in response to the passage of a bill by the US Congress that requires the use of blocking software in schools and libraries that receive federal funds. …

Software 19 Dec 2000, 12:57
Intel staff trial Wireless LAN

They'll work harder and faster

Chipzilla is putting its Wireless LAN technology to the test, to find out if it really does bring the "productivity gains" it has been trumpeting. It is planning a pilot scheme at its Swindon HQ involving three access points and one hundred LAN PC cards for staff. A cross-section of Chipzilla employees will be piloting the …

Data Networking 19 Dec 2000, 13:04
NEC exec disses Linux

Will never rival Windows, claims company VP

NEC senior VP Kazuhiko Kobayashi didn't win himself any friends in the open source community when he recently claimed that, to all intents and purposes, Linux hasn't a hope of catching up with Windows in key corporate-oriented applications. "Linux servers have become the focus of attention in the market, but they can't enter …

Software 19 Dec 2000, 14:37
EMusic sues MP3.com

Payoff settlements a go-go

MP3.com has received yet another lawsuit - this time it's the turn of EMusic, which has decided to sue the online music service over copyright infringement. EMusic has also dragged six of its independent record labels into the legal fracas, and said in a statement today that it expected more to jump on board later. The …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 15:48
Iraq buys 4000 PlayStation 2s in world conquest bid

Either that, or Saddam just wants the Ridge Racer IV high score...

Forget Jim Carrey - Saddam Hussein is the real Grinch who stole Christmas - at least according to one Web site. It claims the Iraqi dictator is buying up the world's supply - such as it is - of PlayStation 2 consoles to build military supercomputers. According to a WorldNetDaily report, US customs, the FBI and military …

Business 19 Dec 2000, 16:26
PR Week has got our number

Reg full of bitter old IT hacks

Vulture Central has been rumbled. It all began when we mistakenly had a go at go-ahead PR bunny Robert Metcalfe. Bob had changed his domain name to rob@PRPersonWhoBelievesInTheProduct.com as a nod to his clients Dotcoms for Christmas. Our light-hearted piece poked fun at this piece of corporate malarkey. We were shocked …

Bootnotes 19 Dec 2000, 16:41
Virus writers and cracker love-in

Beware their spawn

Crackers are using viruses to get their malicious code into corporate Intranets, according to Marc Blanchard, technical director at Trend Micro. This means antivirus companies will have to start working on ways to combat this code, as well as the viruses they are used to tackling. This is part of a general trend of convergence …

Software 19 Dec 2000, 17:01
Dell hit by Christmas shipment delays

Empty stockings wait to be filled

While computer makers fight to flog their stock this Christmas, Dell has been hit with shipment delays. The direct PC selling giant yesterday admitted there were delays concerning two of its top consumer systems, the Dimension 8100 PC and Inspiron 8000 notebook. Five per cent of orders for the Dimension 8100 have been affected …

Business 19 Dec 2000, 17:13
Tesco grabs 2500 PlayStation 2s in daring commando raid

Sainsbury's retaliates with mass guava assault

British grocer Tesco claimed today it has 2500 PlayStation 2s in store and ready to sell tomorrow - unlike almost every other retailer. The UK's main retailers are still believed to be fighting over what's left of the 165,000 units Sony shipped into the country on the console's launch late last month. Tesco, on the other hand …

Business 19 Dec 2000, 17:22
Top copper cooler fun

HWRoundup Too much monkey business going on

OC Workbench has shivered its way through a review of two copper coolers from Attech - the CM21 and the CM25. The CM25 gets the nod for being a decent piece of kit for not very much money. We take a glimpse into the financial world over at TechReview, who've posted their CPU price lists. Things are cheaper than last week, but …

Hardware Roundup 19 Dec 2000, 17:54
Warner Brothers shoots at more innocents

Harry Potter domains - expect lawyers on your case

Warner Brothers' intimidation of the owners of Harry Potter-named Web sites continues. Not only is the harrypotterguide.co.uk situation still going on but several other owners have been in touch to relay their anger over how they've been treated. We've been talking to Claire Field's dad, Les (she owns the www.harrypotterguide. …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 17:58
Another child's Christmas ruined by Warner Brothers

No you can't like Harry Potter and be interested in computers

We've covered Claire Field's legal troubles with the domain www.harrypotterguide.co.uk but were equally appalled by the self-same situation involving a ten-year-old girl. Scotsman Steve McDonald registered www.harry-potter-magic.co.uk for his daughter, but was shocked to find legal letters and bolshy lawyers breathing down his …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 18:01
How Carnivore works

Not nice....not at all nice

The FBI's notorious Internet traffic sniffer Carnivore includes a handy, idiot-proof GUI interface enabling nosey Feds to capture and examine a broad range of what passes through, from headers alone to full-bore content retrieval, which is pictured in the Justice Department's final assessment from the IIT Research Institute and …

Music and Media 19 Dec 2000, 20:07
American teenage cellphone rampage

Half will have one by 2004

Half of American teenagers and young adults will own a mobile phone by 2004. Just 11 million Americans aged 10 to 24 currently have one of the gadgets, but this number is expected to rise to 43 million in the next four years, according to Arizona-based research company Cahners In-Stat Group. The growth will likely be in pre- …

Data Networking 19 Dec 2000, 23:27