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21st May 2001 Archive

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  • Am I electable or not.com?

    You decide whether Yoda should enter the Commons

    An election special version of the hugely popular AmIhotornot.com site, where you get to rate the electability of a random selection of candidates. The idea of AmIelectableornot.com is that you post pictures to the site and others decide on a scale of 1 to 10 how electable they are. Then, once you've decided, the average of all …

    Business 21 May 2001, 08:29

  • Bruiser Prescott v. The Egg

    More election-based online fun

    John Prescott's pugilistic prowess has been the toast of the nation and inspired a fair few games. One of the best has to be this one from Rancon.co.uk. You control Two Jabs as he strolls purposefully past voters. Voters pass either side of Prezza and you need to hit the left or right button to shoot out a fist and make contact …

    Business 21 May 2001, 08:30

  • RM rides on soaring school IT budgets

    Unusually low PC margins

    RM, the UK's biggest IT supplier for schools, produced half year sales of £113.7 million up 46 per cent(2000: £78.1m) and PBT up 36 per cent to £2.1m (before amortisation of goodwill). The company expects a return to normal seasonal trading patterns, after experiencing 'unusually low PC hardware margins in the six months to …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 08:59

  • Vivendi buys MP3.com for $375m

    Didn't it sue it just last year?

    The French media giant Vivendi Universal will pay $372 million (£259 million) for online music site MP3.com. Which is kinda ironic, seeing as it was the only one of five record companies that refused to settle with the company last year over copyright violation. It got $53.4 million. To the victor goes the spoils. Vivendi - …

    e-Business 21 May 2001, 09:55

  • TSMC preps rapid 300mm, 0.10 micron roll-outs

    How we'll dominate chip production

    By 2010 more than half of the world's chip production will be handled through semiconductor foundries as more and more fab-less designers contract out manufacture to designer-less fabs. That, at least, is what leading foundry TSMC reckons, and it's counting on a rapid roll-out of next-generation chip fabrication technology to …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 10:01

  • What Labour pledges on IT and the Internet

    Not very much. It can't arf talk though

    The Labour party has finally unveiled its manifesto - the last of the three main parties to do so. And ehat does "Ambitions for Britain" have to say about the IT industry and the Internet? The launch didn't exactly run smoothly - it was held in Birmingham and so Labour provided a Webcast for the event. Following the tradition …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 10:14

  • What the LibDems pledge on IT and the Net

    Freedom, Justice, Honesty, No Chance

    We've finally got onto the LibDems Web site and read its manifesto (13 chapters - unlucky for some) titled Freedom, Justice, Honesty. The title is just slightly more accurate than the Tories "Common Sense" manifesto. However, these are all the points in which the LibDems have mentioned IT and/or the Internet. Improve …

    Business 21 May 2001, 10:17

  • Broadband should be election issue

    Says Mayor of London's e-advisor

    The e-business advisor to the Mayor of London has called on the major political parties to make broadband an election issue. Speaking to The Register Colin Jenkins, who is on secondment to the Mayor's office from Energis, said that the future of broadband in Britain was in a parlous state. "We're in dire trouble," he said. "We …

    Telecoms 21 May 2001, 10:17

  • LibDems Web site dies a death

    Politicians love affair with the Net continues

    Somewhat ironically, our attempts to find out what, if anything, the LibDems have put in their manifesto to do with IT and the Internet have been thwarted by the fact that the site is inaccessible. Not exactly comforting is it? It doesn't take a genius to realise that during an election campaign and on the morning of releasing …

    Bootnotes 21 May 2001, 10:17

  • LibDems cybersquat on Plaid Cymru

    Updated And give the Welsh nationalist party a good ticking off

    The LibDems in Wales have cybersquatted on two domains of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. Visit www.plaid-cymru.co.uk and you'll find this entertaining disclaimer: "This site and the domains www.plaid-cymru.co.uk and www.plaid.co.uk are not connected in any way with Plaid Cymru." So what is it doing with the sites? Why …

    Music and Media 21 May 2001, 10:17

  • Rambus, Micron SDRAM patent trial delayed

    Rambus vs Micron Awaiting Infineon trial ruling

    Rambus' legal tussle with Micron has been put back to late October while the memory technology developer's case against Infineon drags on. Trial judge Robert Payne has to decide whether Rambus' SDRAM patents can be enforced now that the patent infringement allegations Rambus made against Infineon have been thrown out of court. …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 10:42

  • Miniature Bull for sale

    Integris = Not Pig

    What exactly is the point of Groupe Bull, the French government-backed computer business? If the company were to disappear tomorrow, who, apart from the employees would notice. On the computer systems side it is little more than a rebadger for IBM RS/6000 businesses. And on the services side, it has such little confidence in …

    Business 21 May 2001, 10:48

  • Archdeacon suspended in child porn probe

    Pics found in PC repair

    A Church of England Archdeacon has been suspended following his arrest on suspicion of possession of child pornography. Police questioned the Venerable John Marsh, Archdeacon of Blackburn, after indecent pictures were allegedly discovered on his PC, when he took it in for repairs. Staff at the shop, which hasn't been named in …

    Music and Media 21 May 2001, 10:50

  • Infineon damages slashed

    Rambus vs Infineon Virginia state law cist $3.5m to $350k

    Infineon will get a mere ten per cent of the punitive damages granted it by the jury in the case brought against the manufacturer by Rambus. Instead of $3.5 million, the chip maker will receive just $350,000. Having heard the trial judge, Robert Payne, throw out all of Rambus' 57 allegations that Infineon infringed the memory …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 11:02

  • IBM skips through HDD Land with pixie dust

    Density Intensity

    IBM boffins have unlocked a way of quadrupling data density on hard disk drives. The technology is called "antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) media,"; it's pretty damn clever, and the first product incorporating AFC ships in volume today. By sandwiching a "three-atom-thick layer of the element ruthenium", between two magnetic …

    Business 21 May 2001, 11:40

  • Compaq unveils Evo line

    Armada and Deskpro replacement

    Compaq today unveiled the Evo range, a set of business computers designed to replacing its Armada and Deskpro brands. Big Q is kicking off the new line with two laptops, the Evo N400c and N150, two workstations, the W6000 and W8000, and a legacy-free platform, the Evo Thin Client T20. All models come in trendy black and silver …

    Business 21 May 2001, 11:45

  • Intel unwraps very-low-voltage mobile CPUs

    And don't forget: price cuts next weekend

    Intel today rolled out the latest incarnations of its mini- and sub-notebook oriented Mobile Pentium III processors and their Celeron siblings, as we predicted earlier this year. So, will you welcome please, the 600MHz Ultra-low Voltage Mobile PIII, a snip (apparently) at $209, the $316 750MHz Low Voltage Mobile PIII, a 600MHz …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 11:47

  • Aladdin eSafe Gateway ‘unsafe’

    Silly and trivial error

    A flaw with a content security product means it could be easily compromised by a maliciously constructed Web page. By using specially crafted HTML files, an attacker can easily bypass the script-filtering mechanism of eSafe Gateway, which is marketed by Aladdin Knowledge Systems. The flaw was discovered by security firm eDvice …

    Security 21 May 2001, 11:55

  • Web site seeks election

    Be Aware - and be be very afraid

    The organisers behind a spoof election Web site are hoping that at least one of their candidates can stand in the forthcoming UK general election. The Be Aware Party calls itself the "first major political movement for the 21st century" and seeks to warn people about the dangers of "fascism by stealth". It claims to be " …

    Business 21 May 2001, 11:57

  • Labour in anti-Tory flame war

    Virtual punches fly

    There are fears today that the election could descend into a flame war after Labour Party activists allegedly sent offensive emails personally attacking Tory politicians. The offensive and abusive emails have been condemned by both major political parties but it's still too early to say whether Tory extremists will retaliate …

    Business 21 May 2001, 12:36

  • AOL wins rights to Aimster domain name

    Appalling decision

    America Online has won an arbitration battle against Aimster, and the music software company must now hand over aimster.com, aimstertv.com and aimstertv.net to the online giant. The National Arbitration Forum decided that the "Aim" at the start of Aimster's name infringed AOL's trademark - standing for AOL Instant Messenger. …

    Music and Media 21 May 2001, 12:42

  • Intel launches 1.7GHz Xeon

    Actually happening this time

    Intel finally unveiled its Xeon server processor - codenamed Foster - today, two weeks after it canned the chip's launch at the last minute. The Xeon is based on the Pentium 4, though Intel has dropped the P4 reference from the name, presumably to help differentiate it from previous, Pentium III-based versions of the chip. The …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 12:57

  • Psion shutsTrivanti wireless biz

    Million quid down toilet

    Psion has decided to shut Trivanti - its joint wireless venture with United Business Media - after just a year and with the loss of sixteen staff. The company was set up in July last year and planned to develop data services for next generation phones and the likes. However, the failure of WAP and the delay in GPRS and 3G …

    Data Networking 21 May 2001, 13:00

  • WinXP protection: it's the .NET, stupid

    And the latest leak is calling itself 'RC1'...

    In the past few days another WinXP build, 2474, has leaked out onto IRC, and this time it's acquired an "RC1" tag. Numerous claims have been made that Microsoft's latest protection for product activation has been cracked. According to The Register's sources, however, this is not true - they insist that the current alleged cracks …

    Software 21 May 2001, 13:01

  • Punters scare the BeJaysus out of ASUS

    Clean Cheat Sheet

    omponent manufacturer ASUS will not include controversial cheat options in future releases of its video card drivers, according to Belgian news site deCURSOR. Current drivers, which have been available for several months, offered game players the much-hyped, but limited ability to see through walls, giving users of ASUS cards …

    Games Industry 21 May 2001, 13:17

  • Sage snaffles Platinum for Windows

    Beefing up US

    Sage is plumping up its US product portfolio with Platinum for Windows, a 'mid-market' accountancy software package. The company is buying the Platinum software biz from Epicor Software Corporation for an undisclosed sum. Platinum for Windows has 5,600 customers and 200 resellers. ®

    Channel 21 May 2001, 13:39

  • Kewill buys Alliance

    Big ERP vendor for little companies

    Kewill Systems, the UK ERP vendor, has bought Alliance Manufacturing Software International - or to be more precise, its assets. Alliance is a California-based developer of MRP-II software for small and medium-sized manufacturers. It riuns international sales out of Leicester. The enlarged group will become one of the world's …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 13:47

  • Young voters recognise Lara Croft more than Robin Cook

    Another guff election survey

    Britain's first-time voters know more about computer game characters such as Lara Croft and Sonic the Hedgehog than they do about politicians, according to a survey conducted by High Street electrical retailer Dixons. Well you don't say. Isn't this just the most insightful and compelling election-based research you've ever …

    Business 21 May 2001, 13:55

  • Met to start SMS bombardment on mobile phone thieves

    Amsterdam inspiration

    Mobile phone thieves in London may soon be under text message bombardment from the police. In a scheme similar to one currently being tested in Amsterdam, the Met is considering sending SMS messages round the clock to stolen handsets in the hope of rendering the phones useless. According to police, the idea has been bandied …

    Data Networking 21 May 2001, 13:55

  • Dell intros Xeon box

    Borrows a few ideas from Apple in the process

    Dell has hopped on Intel's Xeon bandwagon and announced a workstation based on the chip giant's latest CPU. The Precision Workstation 530 supports all three Xeons - 1.4, 1.5 and 1.7GHz - in single or dual-processor configurations. As per other systems based on Intel's Xeon-oriented 860 chipset, the 530 supports up to 4GB of …

    Business 21 May 2001, 14:39

  • LibDems pull illegal Plaid Cymru Web site

    Bit naughty really

    The LibDems in Wales have been forced to close an anti-Plaid Cymru Web site because of election rules. The site - www.plaid-cymru.co.uk - took off the Welsh nationalist party's name, and listed four particularly lame reasons as to why people shouldn't vote it. However, an election campaign is in progress and there are some …

    e-Business 21 May 2001, 15:28

  • HP recyles PCs – for a price

    Will take any vendor's kit

    Hewlett Packard today kicks off a fee-based recycling scheme in the US that offers to take unwanted computers from any manufacturer. The service, available via HP's Website, is part of the US vendor's Planet Partners Program. The recycling scheme includes pickup and transportation for products such as PCs, printers, servers, …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 15:31

  • Microsoft posts warning over Easy CD Creator

    Only a matter of time

    Microsoft has posted a warning for Win2K users regarding Roxio's Easy CD Creator which is causing PCs to crash and the dreaded blue screen of death to appear. "Immediately after you install Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.0 Platinum, you may receive an error message on a blue screen and the computer may stop responding (hang), or the …

    Software 21 May 2001, 15:32

  • Microsoft touts for Car Vars

    Pass the test

    Microsoft has launched a channel accreditation just for Car Vars. Automotive Solution Providers will supply consulting and integration services around the Windows CE for Automotive (WCEfA) platform. The first clutch of Car Vars to pass the MS test are 3SOFT, AutoPCWare, BSQUARE, EDS, InfoGation, Mecel and Zandiant. They all …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 15:49

  • Alan Sugar gives Labour £200k

    Puts money where mouth is

    Alan Sugar has given £200,000 to the Labour party's election campaign. The donation from the Amstrad chairman, formerly a staunch Tory supporter, was announced by Labour HQ today. "As a businessman at election time, it is essential to me to support a party whose proposed economic policies are most beneficial for the country as …

    Business 21 May 2001, 15:50

  • Vietnam crowned as top software pirate nation

    Wonder why

    Vietnam remained the top country for counterfeit software last year, with a 97 per cent piracy rate. It was followed by China (94 per cent) and Indonesia (89 per cent), according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Next on the list of worst offenders were the Ukraine and other CIS countries (89 per cent) and Russia (88 per …

    Channel 21 May 2001, 16:25

  • Register trademarks ‘ster’

    Napster, AOLster, we're comin'at ya

    When you see the word "aimster", do you think that it's a daft word for someone aiming at something or do you think "America Online Instant Messenger-ster"? What about the "ster"? We think that we have as much a right to the name because The Register ends in "ster" and we're a well-known brand. From now on, anyone caught using …

    Music and Media 21 May 2001, 16:33

  • Win2K SP2 and broken Exchange2K servers

    Error, error, error.....

    We've received anecdotal reports from Exchange2K users having no alternative but remove Win2K SP2 to make Exchange work again. One source speaks of dealing with eleven such cases in ten hours, and another says Exchange can't even be installed on his machine with SP2 in place. In the latter case the install was completely clean …

    Software 21 May 2001, 16:52

  • Labour pledges on Net pedo problem

    We promise stupid, unworkable legislation

    The Home Secretary Jack Straw has decided to make Internet paedophiles an election issue by announcing government plans for Internet banning orders on people who falsely portray themselves as teenagers. The announcement was well trailed. We reported it two weeks ago. However in the meantime, no politicians have managed to find …

    Data Networking 21 May 2001, 17:25

  • Innovation in gaming – where did it go?

    Stick to the game play

    Games developers need to rethink their programming strategies and focus more on originality than fancy technology. That's the message from outspoken 3D Realms programmer Brandon Reinhart, writing about his experience at this year's E3 trade show. Innovation in gameplay seemed to be sorely lacking all over E3," he observed. "On …

    Games Industry 21 May 2001, 20:11

  • How many CPU coolers does a man need?

    HWRoundup 46ÿ

    How many CPU coolers does a man need? In Thomas Pabst's case the answer is 46. Which seems a bit greedy to us. But the good doctor puts them to good use in what he describes as the "most extensive comparative test of all time". You can see how he got on here. Anandtech reviews the P4 Xeon 1.7Ghz, a good-looking CPU. But yet …

    Hardware Roundup 21 May 2001, 21:39

  • Attrition abandons defacement mirrors

    Onward and upward

    Popular Internet security site attrition.org has reluctantly decided to cease maintaining its defaced Web-page mirrors because the burden of keeping up with all the busy crackers out there has finally become intolerable. "In the last month, we have experienced single days of mirroring over one hundred defaced Web sites, over …

    Music and Media 21 May 2001, 21:48

  • Nintendo strikes Gamecube price at $199.95

    What's the rush?

    Nintendo didn't get to where it is today - "History's most successful video game manufacturer today" (yes, but what about tomorrow?) - without knowing a trick or ten about marketing. Today's ploy, announced hard on the heels of E3, the world's most important games show, was to strike the US retail price for the GameCube, …

    Games Industry 21 May 2001, 23:06