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16th February 2001 Archive

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  • Senator Hatch rides to Napster's rescue

    Threatens RIAA with new legislation -- ouch

    On Monday and Tuesday, while everyone and his dog were going on the record with their largely self-serving interpretations of the Ninth Circuit ruling on a stay of injunction which Napster has been enjoying while awaiting its day in court, one important voice remained curiously silent. US Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah …

    Data Networking 16 Feb 2001, 07:47

  • New York Times Web site sm0ked

    Microsoft IIS so easy to hack....

    Computer enthusiasts known as Sm0ked Crew whacked the 'Business' page of the venerable New York Times early Friday morning, escalating a spate of defacements with which they plagued minor servers belonging to Intel and Compaq yesterday. In each attack one of several known weaknesses in Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 08:40

  • HP's Superdome is slow seller

    And its sales team has been pinching reseller business

    Hewlett-Packard has reported net profits of $727 million for its Q1, a 12 per cent fall from the $825 million it made for the period a year earlier. The results matched the lowered expectations HP warned of in January. The company has also said it will only achieve single digit sales growth this year. Sales for the quarter …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 09:32

  • Dell expects 8% sales decline in Q1

    Meets lowered expectations for Q4 2000

    Dell has reported profits of $508 million for its Q4. It made $436 million for the same period a year earlier. Sales were $8.7 billion for the quarter, compared with $6.8 billion a year earlier. For the full year, turnover reached $31.9 billion, up from $25.3 billion in 1999 a year earlier - an increase of 26 percent. For Q1 …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 09:44

  • E-minister knows her technology…

    ...when it comes to TVs

    Britain's E-minister - Patricia Hewitt - paraded her grasp of technology and the ability to sniff out a bargain in front of a select committee hearing on Wednesday when she outlined how she recently bought a new television. Unfortunately for Britain's fledgling e-conomy, it appears that Ms Hewitt went to a shop to make the …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 11:10

  • Intel tweaks P4 core voltage

    Making room for shift to 1.7GHz? Will it have to do it again for 2GHz?

    Intel is upping the voltage of the Pentium 4 in a bid to up the 0.18 micron part's clock speed. The modified P4s will have a core voltage of 1.75V, an increase of fraction under three per cent from the current voltage of 1.70V. The change, which involves a change from the current B-2 core to a new revision, C-1, will "enable …

    Channel 16 Feb 2001, 11:48

  • Future slashes 90 jobs in UK

    Tech mags get a pasting - Business 2.0 up for sale

    Bath-based Future Network Ltd has slashed 90 jobs from its publishing operation in Britain and a further 240 in the US and Europe. In all some 350 jobs are to be lost from a total workforce of around 2000. Twenty magazines are to be scrapped and the outfit is to prune its online activities as well. Staff were told about the …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 12:13

  • E-m@iler costs Amstrad £3.9m

    But Jack Straw likes it, so that's OK

    Amstrad's interim results are evidence of the failure of the e-m@iler to capture the imagination of the public. The company announced that profits were down 82 per cent from £8.2 million to £1.51 million for the six months ending December 31. Turnover was also down. It fell 27 per cent to £44.1 million. Previously the company …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 12:17

  • Belgian fuzz raid music downloaders

    No Napster users targeted - yet

    If you think you're safe because no one else knows about your collection of downloaded MP3s, think again - especially if you live in Belgium. Belgian police have been raiding computer users' homes searching for copyright infringing music files downloaded from the Net. The raids - one in December, followed by two more last month …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 12:23

  • Tories say they will repeal IR35 legislation

    Hague finds another bandwagon to jump on

    The Conservative Party has said it will repeal the IR35 tax legislation - which causes IT specialists to pay much more in tax - if they're voted in. Forgive us for being rude but IR35 protestors - specifically the Professional Contractors Group - have been fighting tooth and nail since 1999 to get their case heard, have heavily …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 12:30

  • Nortel slashes more jobs

    Demand for fibre-optic kit flat as the Canadian plains

    Nortel Networks has issued a profits warning and announced it plans to slash 10,000 jobs from its workforce. The old US economy slowdown is reducing demand for its products. The Canadian firm said it expects growth in revenues in its first quarter this year to be 15 per cent compared to last year, this compares to previous …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 12:44

  • Woundup Redmond to vet Windows skins

    Some slim skinny

    The Preview Program for the widespread beta of Windows XP is opening for entries, as we reported the other day. To be considered, you have to sign up with Microsoft's XP newsletter, which will then notify you when the program will be in action. It seems you have to actually order a release candidate which will ship once …

    Software 16 Feb 2001, 12:45

  • PC upgrade board makes mobos ‘obsolete’

    If you've got a lot of systems to do

    Hypertec's Phoenix 370/S system-upgrade board is set to launch next week at the Computer Trade Show. It is cheaper than replacing a whole PC base unit, but more expensive than simply replacing the motherboard. However, it upgrades the processor, the video, sound and graphics capabilities of any machine. It doesn't need to be …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 13:08

  • Pedants on parade

    Some mothers do 'ave 'em

    The road of humour can be a hard and lonely one. No-one knows that better than our very own misunderstood Kieren McCarthy. When the poor lad wrote the recent Woman gets mobile phone stuck up back orifice, little did he know that within eight hours he'd be reduced to a jibbering wreck. The reason? Read on... The first mistake …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 13:13

  • Mail pinches more content off the Net

    Has it never heard of copyright?

    The Daily Mail's blatant plagiarism of one of our articles is not a one-off. Just three days after the national newspaper passed off our piece of Labour's Internet dirty tricks as its own, sister paper the Mail on Sunday reprinted a funny piece on couples' arguments despite being told by its author that it couldn't. The Mail …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 13:20

  • Yahoo! Europe MD resigns

    But no-one has a clue why

    Fabiola Arredondo's decision to quit as MD of Yahoo! Europe has left many industry watchers scratching their heads in bemusement and asking "why?". The FT highlights that only last month Ms Arredondo was plastered on the front cover of the European edition of Newsweek and held up as an example of a woman of the "new century". …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 13:21

  • We built it, we own it

    Ownership of web set firmly in US hands

    US congress needs to be reminded it doesn't own the web It was a bad mistake to infer that we Brits had anything to do with the birth of the web. According to Stephen Galluccio, Congress doesn't need to be reminded of anything at all: We built it, we own it. If we don't own it why are you still kissing our web ass cheeks. Cry …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 14:37

  • IT workers expect Big Brother-style snooping at work

    Not so happy when personal emails are read out

    IT workers are fairly relaxed about the prospect of their employers monitoring their online activity at work but jealously guard their privacy at home. That's the conclusion of a survey of 1,100 workers by online technology recruitment site techies.com, which discovered many technology staff would take legal action if their …

    Business 16 Feb 2001, 14:43

  • Q: Wtf is a moot?

    A: It's a 3-legged turkey used for measuring bridges

    Flame of the week MOOT wtf is a MOOT? On the matter of this week's flame, Dave Parsons of Nashville was good enough to offer an apology for his fellow countryman. In reality, we don't know if the flamer's from the US or not. Nevertheless, we accept your apology: On behalf of Americans with a brain cell or two and an actual …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 14:45

  • NTL in a spin

    Rotational period stumps cable modem service

    NTL: Relocated to Mercury? NTL was asking for trouble when it restricted internet sessions in its Terms and Conditions: You must not disclose your password or user ID to anyone else. Your account can only be used for a single internet session at any one time and for no more than 24 hours in any one day. You may only use the …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 14:49

  • Reg ‘way too soft on assholes’

    Anything you can do ICANN do better

    ICANN explains 'thinking' behind top domain decisions Scott AC Smith reckons we're going soft in our old age: Kieren, my only comment on your article is that you are way too soft on these assholes, after reading the testimony, I can only conclude that the board consists of a bunch of overpaid lawyers who will do anything to …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 15:37

  • Open Source ‘stifles’ innovation

    Thanks for the warning, Microsoft

    A Microsoft bigwig has gone on record today claiming that open source code will stifle innovation. He said that the threat from open source needs to be taken on board by legislators. Can this possibly be right? It sounds like he just got hold of the oppositions' script and changed a few words around. Isn't this what Linux fans …

    Software 16 Feb 2001, 15:48

  • Games mags in difficulty

    And Emap ships out

    The most recent ABC circulation figures for games magazines demonstrate what we all knew - that readership is going down. We know this because they're getting lighter - thanks to fewer ads which means advertisers see fewer people or better alternatives. There's irony a-plenty with the figures too. Dreamcast mags have actually …

    Games Industry 16 Feb 2001, 16:02

  • VIA seeks US, European investment opportunities

    Issuing new shares to pay for it

    VIA is looking overseas for strategic alliances to extend its chipset and microprocessor business. To that end, the company will issue some 60 million shares next month to raise around $625 million - based on yesterday's closing price of NT$334 ($10.44) a share - to fund investment in technology companies. The shares will be …

    Channel 16 Feb 2001, 16:03

  • Get your knickers in a silicon twist

    Science goes bonkers

    From the sublime to the ridiculous. Yesterday's New Scientist detailed what must surely be the strangest technological advance since the networked bra. The intelligent panty liner. Really. Some boffins, obviously with nothing better to do, have worked all the sanitary towel manufacturers into a frenzy with their ideas. A …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 16:07

  • Electronics firm named as Leicester City shirt sponsors

    Lineker 'sick as a parrot' at end of Walkers Crisps tie-in

    Consumer electronics manufacturer LG Electronics will displace Walkers Crisps as shirt sponsors of football club Leicester City from next season. The English premiership outfit, who are dropping towards mid-table after an promising start to the season, will take over from Walkers in a deal worth a minimum of £2.5m over the …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 16:17

  • Top British ISP run from pub

    Updated agen We salute you

    Searching Whois can often turn up some unexpected gems. And once such eye-opener was sent to us by Totally Fish - although we suspect that's a pseudonym. Do a search on one of the UK's biggest ISPs, LineOne, he suggested. Of course, LineOne is owned by Springboard Internet Services. And just for good measure, it has given some …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 16:23

  • BT Ignite interview gets 'em talking

    Reg readers have their say

    The Register has received some interesting feedback to the interview published yesterday with the president of BT Ignite, Steve Andrews. Here's what some of you had to say: Peter Galbavy wrote: "Interesting article. As usual, a senior BT manager has talked rubbish. I remember, working for Demon, how much crap they spouted in …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 16:50

  • ATi Radeon and Iwill KA266 tie the knot

    HWRoundup Fancy flying a space ship?

    Sometimes it seems like two pieces of hardware are just not meant to be together, like the ATi Radeon and the KA266 from Iwill. But, where most would have given up and taken them to the silicon equivalent of the divorce court, Lost Circuits persevered. After some brainstorming [That always sounds so painful -Ed] they bring you …

    Hardware Roundup 16 Feb 2001, 16:59

  • Lone flamer takes on Britain's IT news Web sites

    Joe Farmer is a true hero - to us all

    Every couple of years a unique individual is born - a man (or woman) who knows they have a destiny to fulfil, a crusade to launch, a world to tackle and through sheer force of personality change the way we all view the world. One such man is Joe Farmer. In the modern world, the media has become all powerful. Capitalism is …

    Bootnotes 16 Feb 2001, 17:04

  • Dotcom hacks do it ‘Their Way’

    And now, the end is near...

    It's Friday, the popular day in the week when job cuts are announced in this crazy, mixed-up dotcom world. And British music portal - music3w.com - is no exception. A month ago execs told around 19 of their staff that due to the current climate they had better sling their hooks. However, a fair wedge of the cuts were in …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 17:26

  • Readers' letters Houston, we have a problem

    A white-knuckle tale of MS-DOS, coax and chewing gum

    In space no-one can hear you boot Thinkpad space drama hots up We've been following the saga of the International Space Station Thinkpad pretty closely over the past few days. First we discovered that the thing's hard drive had gone titsup. Then came the revelation that a new drive was duly being delivered by space shuttle. …

    Letters 16 Feb 2001, 17:29

  • BT to trial rate adaptive modems

    Lower bandwidth, larger catchment

    BTIgnite tells us that it is planning to trial rate adaptive modem this year. The idea is that people who currently live too far from an exchange to get ADSL services will be able to get a slightly hobbled* version. Currently, BT's IPStream 500 service has the ADSL line fixed to work at 576kbps downstream and 288kbps upstream. …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 17:57

  • Masseuse tries to sue newsgroup poster pester

    But doesn't know who sent round the dirty old men

    Professional massage therapist Kristine - Krissy to her friends - Jackson has filed a lawsuit against a newsgroup poster that has disrupted her business. The only trouble is she doesn't know who to sue. Ms Jackson is keen to track down "Auslandur" and "The Mayor", the Cincinnati Post reports. They have posted messages on a …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 18:11

  • Senator Hatch rides again: Napster hearings

    Round two, letter to Dubya

    US Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) is wasting no time in mounting a challenge to the recording industry, which recently scored a technical knockout over Napster in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling paves the way for the recording industry to shut Napster down before the case is heard. Hatch hinted in a …

    Music and Media 16 Feb 2001, 18:36

  • Cisco pulls proposed 20% stake in Gameplay

    Loose talk costs investment

    Cisco has pulled out of a deal that would have seen it take a 20 per cent stake in the troubled British dotcom Gameplay. Cisco's interest in Gameplay lay in its Jive multiplaying games platform - a way to play games on anything from mobile phones, through to computers and TVs. Even though negotiations were reportedly at an " …

    Games Industry 16 Feb 2001, 18:39

  • Compatibility woes derail Windows XP Visual Styles

    The curse of the Appearance tab

    While complaining loudly about how Luna was supposedly aping Mac OS X's Aqua look this week, Apple advocates have missed an unwitting homage to Cupertino from Redmond. Microsoft appears to be mirroring the same tactical retreat from opening the Windows platform for theming, much as Apple made with its Appearance Manager four …

    Software 16 Feb 2001, 19:41

  • Intel hacker talks to The Reg

    Sm0ked Crew to continue defacing prestige sites

    A computer enthusiast who defaced Intel's Web site twice this week told The Register about the techniques he uses to break into prestige Web sites and what motivates him to tweak the nose of system administrators in the IT industry. The-Rev, of cracker group sm0ked crew, has contributed to the defacement of sub-domains on Web …

    Security 16 Feb 2001, 20:11