The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

15th February 2001 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • OpenSSH: the five-year trademark itch

    Let the community decide

    Tatu Ylönen, chairman and CTO of SSH Communications Security, sent a letter to the OpenSSH developers list today (Feb 14) demanding OpenSSH stop using the SSH part of its name. "I developed SSH (Secure Shell)," he wrote, "started using the name for it, established a company using the name, all of our products are marketed using …

    Software 15 Feb 2001, 00:02

  • AMD's Sanders to stand down next April

    Ruiz waits in wings

    AMD's silver-haired leader Jerry Sanders is to finally stand down next spring. Flamboyant chip chief WJ Sanders III will continue as CEO until the annual shareholders' meeting in April 2002, AMD said today. This is ever so slightly earlier than the last time the date for his retirement was announced - in September last year, …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 00:34

  • Nvidia fires on all cylinders

    And Xbox is still to come

    Nvidia topped expectations for the fourth quarter, attributing growth to markets beyond the PC. The graphics chip firm today reported net income of $31.1 million, or $0.38 per share, for the quarter ended January 28 2001. Analysts were expecting $215 million, and this figure compared to $14.6 million, or $0.19 per share, for …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 00:38

  • Readers Letters My Google Usenet – wrong or right?

    Blindsided Reg readers strike back

    Google - what's there not to like? Until about lunchtime on Monday, very little. While general relief was expressed at the start-up's acquisition of Deja's Usenet archive, our readers were amazed to discover that they couldn't use the familiar Deja interface. Google had hurriedly knocked up a front-end, CEO Larry Page explained …

    Letters 15 Feb 2001, 09:36

  • Congress to examine ICANN constitutional breaches

    Mr Auerbach and Mr Froomkin go to Washington

    Two of ICANN's most formidable shin kickers got their chance to testify before Congress yesterday, and further hearings into the constitutional legality of the Internet quango may result from the hearing. Although ICANN CEO Mike Roberts for the most part triangulated his way out of trouble yesterday, the critics left their mark …

    Music and Media 15 Feb 2001, 10:42

  • Steve Jobs' Tokyo keynote beamed to… Croydon

    PC World opens late for night of Japan-inspired frolics... and maybe some new iMacs

    UK computer superstore chain PC World will be opening later to stream Apple CEO Steve Jobs' MacWorld Expo Tokyo keynote onto the big screen in its store in... er... Croydon. Why this southern suburb of London - incidentally, the former home of London's international airport - should be chosen, we're not entirely sure, but PC …

    Mac Channel 15 Feb 2001, 10:50

  • Winged watchdog Oftel blesses Net users

    But will pilgrims flock to ST FRIACO?

    Oftel has canonised the principle of wholesale unmetered Net access in Britain with the introduction of a new product called ST FRIACO. This saintly service will be available from February 26 and enables operators to offer consumers unmetered Net access by connecting with BT's network at its main regional exchanges for a flat …

    Music and Media 15 Feb 2001, 11:02

  • Woundup WinXP to include pirate music ‘terminator’

    Think about it - an OS that's designed to destroy data...

    You're not going to believe this: Microsoft wants to stop music piracy by "eliminating" the file. According to the Wired News article, this feature is currently implemented in Windows Me, and will be "bundled" (shurely "integrated"? - Ed) in Windows XP. "The Secure Audio Path (SAP) adds "static" interference to media files that …

    Software 15 Feb 2001, 11:04

  • Dad and son nicked on PlayStation 2 auction fraud charge

    Online bidders beware

    US police yesterday arrested a father and his son, and charged the pair with selling PlayStation 2 consoles online - consoles that later turned out not to exist. Elias Garay, 54, and Alejandro Garay, 18, his son, were officially charged with wire fraud. It is alleged that they set up online auctions on Yahoo!, Amazon.com and …

    Music and Media 15 Feb 2001, 11:55

  • ‘Internet Villain’ loser gets flower consolation

    Forget Me Nots?

    Staff at search engine WebTop are all heart. Disappointed to hear that their new boss - former Alta Vista UK MD Andy Mitchell - had failed to win the "Internet Villain" award at Britain's Net "Oscars" last week, they clubbed together to buy him a bouquet of flowers. The spray was delivered on Tuesday and the message read: " …

    Bootnotes 15 Feb 2001, 11:59

  • SMS in action: road killer and life saver

    Trucker sentenced and Bali boat girl rescued

    Paul Browning was sentenced to five years imprisonment yesterday after a judge ruled that he had been using his mobile to send a text message while driving a truck at over 50mph. Browning veered into a lay by, hitting and killing Paul Hammond. Hammond was there to collect his glasses from his mother. The judge took the unusual …

    Data Networking 15 Feb 2001, 12:10

  • Govt scraps £80m computer system

    Yet another high-profile cock-up

    The government has scrapped a £77 million computer system for its immigration service, embarrassing ministers and adding to the catalogue of IT disasters in recent years. The decision had to be deciphered from a written Parliamentary answer given by Home Secretary Jack Straw. He said the programme would not become fully …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 12:13

  • Technical hitch hits World Cup web sales

    Register bid to blag tickets starts here

    Technical problems have delayed the launch of tickets sales over the Internet for the 2002 World Cup to fans in the host countries Japan and Korea. Football fans in Korea and Japan are unable to buy tickets online after Fifa closed down the Web site, FifaWorldCup.com, while technicians work to fix unspecified technical problems …

    Music and Media 15 Feb 2001, 12:27

  • US Congress needs to be reminded it doesn't own the Web

    Canadian professor says he named the Web, so back off

    While ICANN is being hauled over the coals for, er, being flawed, secretive, power-crazed and corrupt, one of our readers would like to remind everyone again that neither ICANN nor the US Congress own the Web. In fact, our esteemed reader is one Dr Raymond Rodgers, who wrote a manuscript back in 1971 predicting the Web and its …

    Bootnotes 15 Feb 2001, 12:36

  • NTL: Relocated to Mercury?

    T&Cs good for a giggle

    While flicking through New Scientist today, we found a little gem in their opinion page. In its User Policy section of the terms of use of the cable modem service, NTL has issued a fairly stern warning about abuse of the service. We recommend that if you need a little bit of light hearted relief, you click on this link and …

    Bootnotes 15 Feb 2001, 12:37

  • Sega takes UK Dreamcast to under £100

    Please, please buy one, company pleads

    Sega has cut the price of Dreamcast consoles in the UK. This morning, it knocked 50 quid off the current price, bringing the RRP down to £99.99. The cut follows moves by Sega to slash prices in the US and Japan as the company attempts to sell-off all its unsold consoles while it runs down production. The company will stop …

    Games Industry 15 Feb 2001, 13:07

  • eUniverse kills off affiliate site scheme

    Another one bites the dust

    The latest casualty in the gaming network meltdown is eUniverse, whose affiliate program includes a number of gaming fan sites such as Loose Cannon Zone, DungeonSiege.org, 3DGPU and The Croft Times. In an e-mail to affiliate sites, the company said that "it is with deep regret that I inform you that eUniverse.com will end its …

    Games Industry 15 Feb 2001, 14:01

  • Planet picks up Nintendo

    THE Games' distie successor signed

    Nintendo's UK distribution operation is to be taken over by Planet, after Menzies subsidiary THE Games dropped the contract recently. The distribution deal will ensure that Nintendo's distribution to retail will remain constant and that the Eastleigh premises formerly occupied by THE Games will be retained. A number of the THE …

    Games Industry 15 Feb 2001, 14:01

  • Recruitment freeze at networking giant Cisco

    But Borg like acquisitions will continue

    Cisco has implemented a recruitment freeze to cope with a weakening in demand for its products slowing down the networking giant's pace of growth. John Chambers, Cisco's chief executive, told the BBC that a temporary recruitment freeze has been in place since the beginning of this year, after the networking giant realised that …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 15:14

  • Govt, trade union, telecoms firm aim to solve skills shortage

    Four thousand jobs in two years, they reckon

    The DTi, AEEU* and EXi Telecoms (that's the government, a trade union and a telecoms company) have set up a joint plan to tackle the skills shortage in the telecommunications industry and reckons it will create up to 4,000 jobs in the next two years. How will it do it? By retraining employees in manufacturing industries that …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 15:20

  • Blue Men back again for Intel

    P4 gets the push

    Previously on The Reg, we have said rude things about Intel's Blue Man Group campaign, in particular suggesting that the person responsible for the idea may have consumed a quantity of banned substances. However, the top brass at Chipzilla HQ clearly love the BMG, because they are back in a new series of TV ads. Starting on 19 …

    Channel 15 Feb 2001, 15:41

  • Thinkpad space drama hots up

    Dave, Dave I'm losing my mind

    Readers will no doubt be relieved to learn that the International Space Station Thinkpad boot problem will shortly be solved. Space aficionado Jeff Ligon has just forwarded us this revealing report: Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 6:00 a.m. CST MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT #16 On the last full day of docked operations …

    Bootnotes 15 Feb 2001, 16:00

  • Hardware and chip links

    Sites we like

    Tom's Hardware Guide The doc gets under Intel's skin Anand's Technical Page Reviews of latest hardware platforms here Sysopt Get your screwdrivers out... Sharky Extreme Chip stuff with a games twist Ars Technica More good information, benchmarks, and reviews Ace's Hardware Hardcore HardOCPTruly an overclocker's paradise …

    Register Links 15 Feb 2001, 16:12

  • Software links

    The sites we like

    Linux Today Probably the most thoughtful Linux news site around SoftWindows 98 Central News, views, reviews and downloads WinDrivers The "No.1 Resource for Windows/Drivers". Who are we to disagree? ActiveWindows Well informed, broadly pro-Microsoft but very independent site IT-analysis.com Analysts who know what they're …

    Register Links 15 Feb 2001, 16:16

  • News and discussion links

    The sites we like

    Geek Boys Select your personal preferences from more than 60 IT sites Ugeek The Great Satan of Geeks Shannon knows Compaq This fortnightly title, is available for a one-year, minimum-24-issue and costs $450 outside of the United States. Multiple-copy discounts, electronic distribution, and site licenses are available. …

    Register Links 15 Feb 2001, 16:18

  • AMD plans plant in Brazil

    Updated But it's for testing, not fabbing

    AMD will build its next chip fab in Brazil, where the nuts come from. That, at least, is what local paper Valor Economico has claimed. Its report, relayed by Bloomberg, says that AMD executives have held negotiations with the Brazilian government to discuss what kind of tax breaks and other incentives the company will get for …

    Channel 15 Feb 2001, 16:24

  • 3G crypto a go-go

    Check out the latest algorithms

    We came across an interesting web page today, full of details on the new 3G encryption algorithms. A researcher at AT&T Labs thought it would be a good idea if information about the new encryption algorithms or development processes was available to anyone who wanted it. So, he collated as much as he could find, and posted it …

    Security 15 Feb 2001, 16:58

  • ISP fears RIP breach in quashing Anna bug

    'Badly drafted' snooping charter leaves ISPs puzzled

    One of the UK's largest independent ISPs has said that it may well have ran foul of the RIP Act in protecting its customers from the Anna Kournikova virus. Claranet introduced a mail filter to ensure that the virus did not reach its 450,000 users, but by doing so, it believes it may have breached the controversial "charter for …

    Security 15 Feb 2001, 17:07

  • Dr Tom tests Transmeta Sony Vaio

    HWRoundup Plus an altogether different kind of mouse

    What do you get if you put an Alpha PEP66 with the KT7 mod, the GlobalWin FOP38, the OCZ Monster 2 and the OCZ Qua cooler in the same room? If you are at the HQ of Overclockers Online, you get a socket A cooler roundup, and you stick on the web. Just like they did here. The ever-adamant I-am-not-a-geek crew has posted a peek …

    Hardware Roundup 15 Feb 2001, 17:27

  • Dell ditches 1700 staff

    Updated Job cuts hit Texas - other sites safe for now

    Dell is making 1700 employees at its Texas HQ redundant in a bid to cut costs. The cuts mark the first terminations the company has made in its long history. The announcement of the move comes just hours ahead of the company's Q4 2001 results, which suggests the job cuts are as much about boosting investor confidence as …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 17:31

  • Deja geeks leave amusing sub-domains for new Google master

    Obviously they were not so impressed

    Thanks to reader Chris James for forwarding the results of a DNS query on Deja.com. Deja and all its archives, if you remember, have just been bought by Google. This has caused some consternation, especially since searching the archives effectively is now nigh on impossible. It would seem that the Deja techies were not too …

    Bootnotes 15 Feb 2001, 18:02

  • Welcome to .NET – how MS plans to dominate digital music sales

    It's a lot more complex than the air supply stuff, too...

    Once upon a time Microsoft discovered the Internet, and the browser wars ensued. More recently it's become apparent that the company sees music sales as the Next Big Thing, but so far, the extent, intricacy and all-encompassing nature of its plans for Digital Rights Management and secure content distribution haven't been widely …

    Software 15 Feb 2001, 19:13

  • Child crusaders triumph in AltaVista service cutback

    Not so fast....

    A pious arm of the Better Business Bureau called the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) implies that it successfully bullied AltaVista into shutting down its 'community services' like free e-mail and chat rooms on concerns that children might be led astray by viewing porn or chatting with adults. The good Samaritans at …

    Music and Media 15 Feb 2001, 19:51

  • After Java and Jini, Bill Joy unveils the Third J

    Peer to Peer infrastructure under an Apache license

    Bill Joy unveiled an open source Peer to Peer initiative that he described as the third part of the J trilogy. Project Juxtapose will unveil rudimentary tools and protocols for transferring information between nodes, for grouping nodes "so it's not all one flat space", for monitoring traffic, and for security. "Juxta is what …

    Software 15 Feb 2001, 19:55

  • Whistleblowers take 3Com to court over unsafe kit claim

    Allegations of false police charges and kit that can catch fire

    3Com is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit from former employees claiming it knowingly sold unsafe products and conspired to file false police reports against them when they reported problems with its kit. "Whistleblowers" Robert Bellville and W Ronald Shilale have filed a lawsuit in a Massachusetts court that seeks $10 …

    Business 15 Feb 2001, 20:01

  • DRAM prices in the Micron dumps – allegedly

    Sounds like fighting talk

    For years, Micron Technology , America's last significant memory maker, harried its Asian rivals with accusations of dumping stock below cost. It found a willing listener in the US government, which was happy to slap punitive tariffs on miscreants, real or imagined. Lately, Micron has been quiet with the accusations. Maybe, …

    Channel 15 Feb 2001, 23:13