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30th May 2001 Archive

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  • Borland sweetens Kylix discount with new offer

    BEGIN FeelYrPain(); END

    Borland today sweetened a huge price cut in Kylix, its Delphi development environment for Linux by giving away a server edition away free to anyone who's narrowly missed out on the offer. The Desktop Edition previously listed at $999 will be priced at $199 until August 23. The dramatic price cut has brought unconfined joy to …

    Software 30 May 2001, 01:23

  • Microsoft torches RMS, RMS torches Caldera

    Those pre-rebuttals in full

    Microsoft's cancelbots were racing after Richard Stallman even before he took the stage in New York this morning to defend free software's cornerstone, the General Public License. The Free Software Foundation had a new GPL FAQ to promote, but journalists attending the event - and many who weren't - were primed with questions …

    Software 30 May 2001, 08:20

  • Europe catching US economy's cold, says Sun

    Atchoo

    Sun reported lower than expected demand for Sun's new UltraSPARC III systems in its mid-quarter update yesterday, pushing revenue estimates slightly down into the $3.8 billion to $4.0 billion range for the quarter. It's the third time Sun has issued downwards revisions to its estimates. CFO Mike Lehman said the US market has …

    Business 30 May 2001, 08:24

  • Apple refutes colour iBook claims

    So did the leak refer to new PowerBooks or iMacs?

    Apple has denied claims made by Taiwanese notebook maker AlphaTop that it is working on new, colour iBooks equipped with wider displays. AlphaTop said that's what Apple was up to last week when it reported to local press that it had won a significant contract to supply Apple with notebooks. AlphaTop is one of a handful of …

    Mac Channel 30 May 2001, 08:38

  • VIA unveils 750MHz C3 processor

    But is the price right?

    VIA yesterday released its latest C3 processor. The new part runs at 750MHz, and offers the standard C3 features: 0.15 micron fabrication, 128KB L1 cache, 64KB on-die L2 cache, support for 100MHz and 133MHz frontside bus speeds, and compatibility with Intel's MMX instructions and AMD's 3DNow! technology. The 750MHz C3 costs $ …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 08:56

  • IR35 becomes a political hot potato

    Opposition finally finds something to beat Labour with

    Having exhausted all other opportunities and still seeing Labour maintain its lead in the polls, the Conservatives and LibDems have started making noises about IR35. The Tories have said for a while that they will "revisit" the legislation that causes large numbers of IT consultants to pay an extra lump of tax because they are …

    Business 30 May 2001, 09:28

  • ATI confirms Radeon 2 to ship late summer

    R200 set for September launch?

    ATI has confirmed a "late summer" as the release date for its upcoming R200 chip - likely to be called the Radeon 2. The admission was made during an announcement that the graphics chip maker expects to sign between 13 and 18 contracts with PC makers to pre-install its chips in desktop and notebook machines. This OEM market …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 09:39

  • Avnet's Euro VP gets a leg up

    Boot boosted to global VP

    Avnet Applied Computing has boosted Rien Boot to the position of VP, global operations. Boot was previously VP of European operations. He will report to Ed Kamins, president of Avnet Applied Computing. Boot joined Avnet Applied Computing from Raab Karcher Electronics (RKE). Prior to joining the Raab Karcher group, he was …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 10:05

  • Next gen colour displays comin' at ya

    Tosh says it's sorted OLED mass production problems

    Toshiba has developed the world's first full colour polymer OLED (organic light emitting display). The prototype is a 2.85-inch display supporting 260,000 colours and a 64-level (6-bit) gray scale. Tosh expects its OLEDs to go commercial in April 2002. There are colour OLEDs about - mono-colour or area-colour - but Tosh says …

    Business 30 May 2001, 10:43

  • VIA Socket 370 chipsets to support Intel Tualatin

    0.13 Pentium III gathers pre-launch momentum

    VIA today confirmed its support for Intel's 0.13 micron die-shrink Pentium III - aka Tualatin - across its Socket 370 chipset family. The Apollo Pro266T, the Apollo Pro133T, the Apollo PL133T and the Apollo PLE133T are all ready to go onto Tualatin-targeted mobos, the company said. The chipsets allow Tualatin - which is …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 10:52

  • I've got the first 3G network. No, I have! No, I have!

    Mobile operators go all pantomime on us

    The mobile industry is continuing its Monte Carlo or bust race to get the first 3G network up and running and now we have two companies claiming they have won. Following its delayed roll-out in Japan (and BT's delayed roll-out on the Isle of Man), NTT DoCoMo now reckons it has in fact launched the world's first 3G network. …

    Data Networking 30 May 2001, 10:57

  • Gameplay puts the For Sale sign out again as losses soar

    £54.4m in red for 6 months to 31 Jan

    Gameplay said today it was up for sale again after admitting it did not have enough cash to see it through to profitability. The London-based video-game seller issued the statement along with its results for the six months ended January 31 2001. Losses grew to £54.4 million for the period, compared to £10.4 million the …

    Games Industry 30 May 2001, 11:09

  • MPs forced to shut down their Web sites

    Updated But sadly they'll be back up and running in eight days

    Several MPs, including Mad Annie Widdecombe and Gavin Strang, have had to shut down their Web sites for breaking electoral rules. It stems from their sites' URLs. Each ends with the suffix "MP". But, seeing as Parliament has been dissolved, that is not true. And they won't be MPs until they are re-elected. Hence, visit …

    Business 30 May 2001, 11:10

  • Nintendo won't do Net games, says president

    Oh, and the console is going to happen...

    Nintendo's GameCube was well received at E3 t'other week, attracting many passing eyes. A lucky thing, really, because if it had not, company president Hiroshi Yamauchi was threatening to shut it down indefinitely, according to one of his characteristically understated E3 interviews. Not content with that, he's back again, with …

    Games Industry 30 May 2001, 11:27

  • Games market will be worth $86bn by 2006

    Seventy-one per cent growth over next five years

    The size of the games market could jump by a massive 71 per cent over the next five years, making it an $86 billion industry by 2006, according to a new study from London's Informa Media Group. This will mostly be down to a wave of new console systems - Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 - as well as the the way games will spread …

    Games Industry 30 May 2001, 11:27

  • The future of SMS texting – EMS!

    Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens all in on the act

    The biggest names in mobile manufacture have announced they are working on a next-generation version of SMS text messaging - EMS, or Enhanced Messaging Service. According to a joint press release put out by Alacatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens, EMS will enable you send images, tunes and animations of the phone. The standard …

    Data Networking 30 May 2001, 11:37

  • Crouching Tony, Hidden Hague

    The latest online political punch-up

    And still the games keep coming. This one is called Crouching Tony, Hidden Hague - based of course on the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's a good old arcade punch-up. Tony Blair wears a dashing red karate suit and William Hague a cut-down boiler suit. They fight in front of the Houses of Parliament and each have …

    Business 30 May 2001, 11:54

  • ATI to license chips to other board makers

    Taking a leaf from arch-rival Nvidia's book

    ATI is opening its entire range of graphics chips to third-party add-in card makers, the company has announced. In essence, ATI, which has always produced its own boards using its own chip technology, is adopting Nvidia's strategy of selling chips and board reference designs to third-parties. Unlike Nvidia, it will continue to …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 12:01

  • OpenPGP Alliance omits PGP Security

    Network Associates not included in secure email standards group

    An organisation formed to promote compatibility between different implementations of OpenPGP standard does not include Network Associates, which is the main supplier of PGP-based encryption products for business. The OpenPGP Alliance, which was founded by PGP creator Phil Zimmermann, doesn't include Network Associates, whose …

    Security 30 May 2001, 12:14

  • Apple signs Demon as exclusive UK ISP

    Mirrors US deal with EarthLink

    Apple has signed UK telco Thus' ISP, Demon, as the exclusive Net access provider for British Mac users. The deal mirrors a similar deal struck between Apple and US ISP EarthLink early last year. Under the terms of that agreement, EarthLink got a $200 million investment and Apple got a cut from the subscription of each Mac user …

    Mac Channel 30 May 2001, 12:27

  • Clipserver severs dotcom name

    But the future for ebiz is bright

    A British press clippings service has turned its back on the "new economy" and discarded its dotcom moniker. From today Clipserver.com is to be known as plain old Clipserver plc or just "Clipserver". Funny, really when you think that Clipserver only changed its name to Clipserver.com last year. Before that it was known as …

    e-Business 30 May 2001, 13:14

  • Echelon isn't a threat – but scramble your emails anyway

    Just because you're paranoid...

    A draft European Parliament report on the Echelon spy network has sent out conflicting messages to the public about the threat posed to privacy by the system. On the one hand legislators said there was no solid evidence that the US-led network was involved in commercial espionage, but a draft report still encouraged Internet …

    Media 30 May 2001, 13:54

  • MD of Cisco's partner of the year goes down for six months

    Judge decides on fraud case

    The managing director of NSC Technology, Muhammed Yaseem, has been given a six-month jail sentence for his part in a computer parts fraud. He will also have to pay £10,000 in prosecution costs. Co-defendant Jonathan Palmer (not of NSC) was also given six months and a £5,000 fine. Charles Warner Allen was found not guilty. Mr …

    Channel 30 May 2001, 13:58

  • LetsBuyIt.com posts Q1 loss

    Be thankful for small mercies

    Lazarus-like e-tailer, LetsBuyIt.com, has survived long enough to publish its Q1 results. Although this in itself is a miracle, John Palmer, CEO and founder of LetsBuyIt.com reckons it's only time before the outfit starts making cash. Said Palmer: "I feel sure that going forward, as a result of the successful restructuring and …

    Business 30 May 2001, 14:34

  • Dotcom job deaths drop in May

    But don't get too comfortable

    The number of US dotcom job deaths dropped in May following a record month of cuts in April This month 13,419 people got the bullet compared with 17,554 in April, a drop of 24 per cent. The figures come from US recruitment firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas which has calculated that the number of job cuts is already 60 per …

    e-Business 30 May 2001, 14:35

  • IBM, NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi co-operate on corporate Linux code

    Let engineer speek unto engineer

    IBM, NEC, Fujitsu and Hitachi are to pool their enterprise-oriented Linux software development resources, according to NEC. There's no formal arrangement here, it seems. Rather the four - or their Japanese operations, at least - will do the corporate equivalent of swapping notes and making sure their own development work isn't …

    Software 30 May 2001, 14:54

  • Sony to stick Pioneer's DVD-R in Vaios

    Pioneer to make 1m DVD-R drives this year

    Pioneer is now supplying its DVR-103 combination DVD-R recordable drives to Sony for its Vaio line of computers. Pioneer has been supplying the drive to Apple, Compaq and NEC/Packard Bell since Q1 2001. UK retailer PC World is punting out a £1,499 Packard-Bell machine containing the drive. NEC has a machine with a slightly …

    Business 30 May 2001, 15:14

  • Le Freeswerve U-turns on Unlimited Time promise

    Pah!

    Britain's biggest French ISP is to ditch its unmetered Net access product, Freeserve Unlimited Time, in August despite giving assurances that it would not can the service. In January Le Freeswerve announced it was offering a new unmetered service based on the wholesale unmetered Net access product, FRIACO. At the time Le …

    Media 30 May 2001, 15:15

  • Gates strip joint secret out?

    MS billionaire named in Gold Club trial

    A strip club allegedly frequented by Bill Gates is under scrutiny by the US Government over links to pimps, the Mafia and fraud. On trial in Atlanta is the owner of The Gold Club, Steve Kaplan. He says his strip joint, which has a $10 entrance fee and scantily clad waitresses serving up $5 beers, is merely an upmarket hostess …

    Bootnotes 30 May 2001, 15:29

  • So why isn't Nokia part of the EMS standard?

    Comings and goings

    We reported earlier today that Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens had all signed up to a new enhanced SMS standard, called EMS, that would allow for pictures, tunes and animations to be sent to phones. They hope that EMS will become the common standard and will act as a step-stone to the upcoming MMS standard that will …

    Data Networking 30 May 2001, 15:54

  • Brookdale pic posted

    P4 partner porn

    OCWorkbench.com has posted a sneak preview of Intel's upcoming Brookdale chipset on its Website. Chip voyeurs should click herefor a peek at the prospective P4 partner. ® Related Stories Intel samples Brookdale DDR chipset prices slump

    Channel 30 May 2001, 15:57

  • Congress lets spam out of the can

    Anti-spam bill has its nads chopped off

    An anti-spam bill has been substantially weakened by a congressional committee, which has pulled measures that would allow consumers to sue junk emailers. The Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 was originally drafted to allow Federal Trade Commission investigation and lawsuits from ISPs or consumers against …

    Media 30 May 2001, 16:18

  • Blair savaged over Microsoft visit

    'Unhealthy relationship' with business?

    The Labour Party was yesterday accused of having an unhealthy relationship with business after a visit to Microsoft UK. Tony Blair spent about an hour at the software giant's Reading HQ, where his party chose to launch its business manifesto. Tony and Cherie were given a ten-minute demonstration of Windows XP surrounded by …

    Business 30 May 2001, 16:19

  • Sun refutes Internet ‘ban’ slur

    Net restrictions on staff aren't about cost-savings

    Our story about Sun asking its staff to restrict use of the Internet has produced a furious backlash from company insiders. It seems the email is sent out by Sun's IT department every year and is designed to raise awareness about the need to conserve WAN bandwidth. The company does not do this to cut costs, apparently. At the …

    Media 30 May 2001, 16:28

  • Online Scientology critic jailed in Canada

    SWAT team tackles nuke-wielding maniac

    Computer engineer Keith Henson has been arrested in Canada, where he had planned to file for status as a political refugee after being convicted by a California court of posting to Usenet rude things about the Church of Scientology, and joking that CoS members should be nuked. He was convicted of interfering with a religion. …

    Media 30 May 2001, 21:25