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4th July 2001 Archive

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  • Web-myth debunker's life threatened by Steve Gibson Groupie

    Better him than us....

    Techno-myth debunker Rob Rosenberger has received a death threat as a reward for his efforts to expose GRC.com founder Steve Gibson's recent rants on the Win-XP raw-socket terror for the rubbish that they are. Rosenberger's GRC.com spoof page compares, tongue-in-cheek, the devastating spamming potential of the e-mail attachment …

    Security 4 Jul 2001, 04:07

  • Stratus preps high availability Linux port

    Something for the partners

    Development work is getting underway to port Linux to fault-tolerant hardware architecture developed by high-end server manufacturer Stratus. Boston-based recruitment consultant Hollister Associates is looking a technical project leader, to lead a team of four engineers "to design and develop a fault tolerant version of Linux …

    Data Center 4 Jul 2001, 07:55

  • Porn VirtuaGirl is the best Net innovation we've seen for a year

    Updated No, seriously

    Okay, you're gonna laugh but a bit of software produced by VirtuaGirl which consists of an two-inch-high woman stripping in the corner of your PC screen is the best thing we've seen for ages. No, not in that sense. We came across the company when checking out "easy" sites. Easypic.com is a porn site and was flagging up the …

    Media 4 Jul 2001, 07:58

  • Ever-shrinking Merisel flogs Canadian sub

    SYNNEX new owner

    Merisel is to sell its Canadian sub to Synnex, the US distie-cum-computer assembler, for CAN$30m cash. This is subject to adjustments for "changes in working capital since March 31, 2001". And the deal needs the blessing of the lenders of both parties. Merisel will spend the money on developing its US software licensing and …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 08:59

  • Siemens Business Services wants to fire 1,600 workers

    Subject to German union approval

    Siemens Business Services (SBS), the corporate IT reseller arm of engineering giant Siemens AG, wants to fire 1,600 workers in its German heartland. This is a statement of intent, or desire, as the company has to square the proposal with its workers council. The proposed job cuts represent 11 per cent of SBS's current German …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 09:37

  • Microsoft to start selling WinXP Advanced Server now

    Early experience carrot dangled in front of customers

    Microsoft is pushing hard to achieve early adoption of the Advanced Server version of Windows XP. A pre-release version of the product will go on sale imminently, under the tag Advanced Server LE (Limited Edition); buyers will get full support on the product until 90 days after RTM, plus a free upgrade to the shipping version at …

    Software 4 Jul 2001, 10:09

  • Dixons posts 5% rise in profits

    Good laptop sales balance weak PC business

    Dixons today reported a five per cent rise in profits for the year ended April 28, 2001. Excluding exceptional items and losses from ISP Freeserve, the retailer saw pre-tax profit of £277.8 million, compared to £263.7 million the previous year. Pretax profit before exceptionals rose 37 per cent to £647.1 million, while sales …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 10:29

  • Intel to make ‘significant’ roadmap changes next week

    Leaked email hinting at the death of the desktop Pentium III?

    Something "of great significance" to PC system builders is going down at Intel - and the company is preparing to tell its customers about it in just under two weeks' time, The Register has learned. As yet, we don't know what said companies will be told, but an Intel email leaked to us today talks about "the changes" which, the …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 10:46

  • T-Online to shut three call centres

    200 jobs at risk

    T-Online is to close three call centres in Germany prompting fears of job losses at the ISP. In a statement yesterday T-Online said it intends to cut the number of call centres it operates from five to just two by the end of the year. T-Online stressed that the restructuring - which will also include outsourcing part of its …

    Business 4 Jul 2001, 10:51

  • ISP help desk operator culls 120 staff

    LineOne and Virgin users could be put on hold

    iDesk plc - which provides call centre services for UK ISPs including LineOne and Virgin - is slashing 120 staff in a bid to reduce losses. Most of the job cuts will come from front line staff who deal directly with customers, prompting fears that the service received by Net users could deteriorate. Around half the job losses …

    Business 4 Jul 2001, 11:04

  • NTT DoCoMo pays $217m to put spam back into the can

    i-Mode users deluged with junk e-mail

    Japanese telecoms giant NTT DoCoMo will have to spend a staggering ¥27 billion ($217 million) to placate users of its popular i-Mode mobile phones who are been deluged by junk mail. When i-Mode launched in 1999 it seemed like a cunning plan to automatically generate email addresses for i-Mode customers, based on the number of …

    Data Networking 4 Jul 2001, 11:34

  • GUS boss bags £1.61m bonus

    Jungle.com owner doles out exec rewards

    The chief exec of Great Universal Stores (GUS) earned £1.61 million last year. John Peace got a £683,000 long-term incentive super bonus to boost his pay packet from the basic £564,000 salary, £344,000 regular bonus, and tax benefits of £17,000. Peace's fat super bonus was due to the performance of Experian, the GUS-owned …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 11:37

  • Futurelink Europe up for sale

    Company formerly known as KNS

    Futurelink, a US Application Server Provider, is exploring offers for its UK subsidiary. But it has entered some strong caveats - expressions of interest are non-binding, the amount such a sale would raise is unknown etc. etc. FutureLink Europe was formerly known as KNS Distribution, a networking equipment distributor based in …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 11:39

  • AMD updates roadmap, delays desktop Athlon 4

    Adds server Durons too

    AMD has updated its processor roadmap, adding new chip lines and delaying the introduction of some existing parts. The most obvious delay is the upcoming desktop Athlon based on the new Palomino core. Previously scheduled for early in the second half of 2001, it now appears to be pegged for a mid-2H launch, say late September …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 12:45

  • MSN stunts sex life

    Update Wot! No romance and sweet nothings?

    MSN's instant messenger service has gone tits up - again - bringing an abrupt stop to romantic online relationships for the day. The situation is so bad El Reg believes it could lead to the break-up of relationships - and even divorce. One reader contacted Vulture Central said: "The MSN Messenger Service seems to have …

    Media 4 Jul 2001, 14:13

  • CRN news editor in human torch drama

    Shirt ignited by candle in freak accident

    ICL's summer drinks party for journos nearly came to an an abrupt - and unplanned - end yesterday when a leading IT journalist's shirt was ignited by a candle. Pete Branton, news editor of VNU's Computer Reseller News, is reported to have suffered second-degree burns in the incident. It's unclear exactly how Branton's shirt …

    Bootnotes 4 Jul 2001, 14:26

  • Nokia 3330

    Review Mobile phone

    Nokia announced three new phones at the IT tradeshow CeBit this year, of which the 3330 is the first to hit the streets. Building on the 3310's design, the 3330 adds WAP support, the ability to download games, and a couple of other enhancements. The 3330 is aimed at the mass market and features all the things you would expect …

    Personal 4 Jul 2001, 14:41

  • Netcraft posts June 2001 Web survey

    More Web numbers than you can shake a stick at

    The Netcraft Web Server Survey is a survey of Web Server software usage on Internet connected computers. We collect and collate as many hostnames providing an http service as we can find, and systematically poll each one with an HTTP request for the server name. Top Servers Server May 2001 (%) June 2001 (%) Change …

    Media 4 Jul 2001, 14:44

  • Isle of Man 3G network off and running

    But only with one phone in a small room at Manx Telecom headquarters

    Manx Telecom - the Isle of Man's telco - has been lauding its 3G phone service with a demo at its headquarters. Terrific, you say. Well, no and no. The service was supposed to go live in May in time for the TT races but collapsed under a series of problems. A big PR announcement had to be scrapped but was saved by the fact that …

    Data Networking 4 Jul 2001, 15:17

  • WinXP RC1 leaks on web as fast MS download

    Door left open at Conxion again...

    The instant Microsoft releases a new build of the WinXP beta it gets warezed all over the web - this is well-known, and has been well-documented. But RC1 code available to all and sundry on a high-speed Microsoft download partner connection? That's original, isn't it? At time of writing (afternoon UK time, 4th July) WinXP RC1 …

    Software 4 Jul 2001, 15:19

  • Government, military scramble for encryption technology

    Spend will grow more than 150% by 2007

    The government and military are investing more heavily in encryption technology as a defence against hackers who are beginning to deploy more sophisticated cracking techniques. That's the conclusion of a study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan who said sales of encryption technologies to military and government agencies, …

    Security 4 Jul 2001, 15:32

  • HP prompts staff to take unpaid summer holidays

    Asked to 'rally on behalf of HP'

    Hewlett Packard is encouraging its staff in the UK to take more days off this summer. But this is not part of some perk cooked up for the workforce. The eight days of holiday will be unpaid, and will be part of a package where staff take less salary "to rally on behalf of HP" in an effort to trim costs. The ten per cent wage …

    Business 4 Jul 2001, 16:01

  • 20,000 World Online punters could be phoneless

    It's a 'shambles' says punter

    Time is running out for 20,000 World Online customers following the ISPs decision to can its discount telephone service in the UK. The service is officially pulled on 12 July and if customers haven't made provisions for a new telecoms supplier they could be left without a phone service. According to the latest figures some 40, …

    Business 4 Jul 2001, 16:05

  • Canadian Tire loses fight to call itself ‘crap’

    But everyone thinks we're crap, company tells WIPO

    In what must be one of the weirdest ever domain dispute cases, Canadian Tire has lost the battle to extend its trademark to the words "crappy tire". While "crap" would be taken by most people to denote a negative feeling, Canadian Tire is having none of it and wanted WIPO to hand over www.crappytire.com to it. Canadian Tire …

    Media 4 Jul 2001, 16:46

  • Money tracking by micro chip

    Mew processor raises privacy concerns

    Hitachi has developed a silicon chip for security applications so small that it can even be embedded in money. Originally developed to thwart counterfeiting of bank bills, Hitachi said the minute integrated circuit could equally be embedded in consumer products to track them in case of theft. The chip, which is just 0.4mm long …

    Channel 4 Jul 2001, 17:05

  • Magistr continues three month reign as top virus

    June's Top Ten

    The Magistr worm is still the world's most frequently occurring computer virus. The worm topped the list of viruses that were found in June and accounted for 22.2 per cent of all report calls according to anti-virus company Sophos. It was followed by BadTrans (10.9 per cent) and Homepage (9.6 per cent). June also saw the …

    Security 4 Jul 2001, 17:20