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31st August 2001 Archive

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  • Intel lays out network stall

    Intel Developer Forum Cash-strapped telcos need clever kit

    Equipment manufacturers should not expect a recovery in the telecommunications market even in the medium term. Instead they should concentrate on developing kit which helps hard-pressed telcos save money. That's the view of Sean Maloney, general manager of Intel's communications group, who said today that profits for telcos are …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 07:44

  • AMD and Intel kiss and make up on next-gen I/O

    Working to unite HyperTransport and 3GIO

    AMD's next-generation PC I/O technology, HyperTransport, will almost certainly become a part of Intel's next-generation PC I/O technology, 3GIO, just as we predicted it would. Staffers at both companies have said they are indeed working to bring the two, rival specifications together, EBN reports today. As we reported …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 09:54

  • Onstar beams with broadband satellite launch

    It's available now if you've got deep pockets

    Onstar Europe - the information, entertainment and communications arm of General Motors Europe - has launched a two-way broadband satellite service in the UK and Ireland. Aimed at business users "Beam" is available for single and multiple users and provides an always on, hi-speed connection to the Net. Scottish-based Strategic …

    Telecoms 31 Aug 2001, 10:30

  • 15,000 jobs for the chop at Hitachi

    Losses of $1.2 billion forecast

    Around 15,000 jobs are for the chop at Hitachi after the Japanese manufacturer warned losses for the financial year would top $1 billion. The company said today it would axe 10,200 jobs in Japan, and 4,500 overseas by March 2002. The cuts, which represent around 4.5 per cent of Hitachi's global workforce, will mainly effect …

    Business 31 Aug 2001, 10:32

  • Sony kills off eVilla Net appliance

    Nothing to do with Palm's Be buyout, apparently

    Sony has effectively canned its eVilla Internet appliance but it denies the move is anything to do with Palm's acquisition of Be, the OS developer that built eVilla's system software. Instead, it puts the decision down to issues of "stability and usability", which puzzles us given these are both Be USPs. "The product did not …

    Personal 31 Aug 2001, 10:40

  • Freeserve tackles AOL UK over '£2.5 million in unpaid VAT'

    Oi ref - foul

    Freeserve has stepped up its "VATometer" campaign against AOL UK claiming that in the last month the "American company has amassed £2.5 million in unpaid VAT". In its latest statement Britain's biggest French ISP said: "AOL could be paying at least £30 million a year in VAT to the UK Treasury, but is exempt because of a 1997 …

    Music and Media 31 Aug 2001, 11:03

  • Letsbuyit cans 60 staff, shuts offices

    Stiffed on funding, sales way down

    Lazarus style Internet retailer Letsbuyit.com is laying off 60 staff and shutting its offices in the UK and France. Sales are down by more than 50 per cent in the first half of 2001, compared with 2000, but that is not surprising. The company shut up shop for two months to get protection from its creditors and to raise funding …

    e-Business 31 Aug 2001, 11:05

  • QXL: the epitome of ongoing confusion in the Internet economy

    Shares up, then down; good model, poor model

    Online auction house QXL has released its Q1 results and in so doing demonstrated that even now no one has any idea of how business models will work on the Internet. The troubled company, which has seen shares collapse from a high of 800p to 5.25p currently, released both good and bad news in its results. It appears as though …

    e-Business 31 Aug 2001, 11:08

  • Virgin breaks mobile ring peace

    World record attempt for the biggest ring

    Virgin Mobile is hoping to create a new World Record next Wednesday for the most mobile phones ringing in unison. The attempt - to be adjudicated by boffins from Guinness World Records - is expected to attract a couple of hundred people to London's Leicester Square next Wednesday at midday. However, since there is no existing …

    Bootnotes 31 Aug 2001, 11:36

  • Mystery chipset maker set to launch Rambus, Pentium 4 part

    Rival coming for Intel's i850

    An unnamed chipset company has, as near as damn it, licensed Rambus' RDRAM technology in order to offer an alternative to Intel's i850 chipset, which it hopes to announce in less than two weeks' time. So claim industry sources, according to a report on CNET, which wonders if the deal - which said sources suggest is pretty a …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 11:39

  • 62,000 mobiles lost in London's black cabs

    Diamonds, cash and goldfish also mislaid

    Around 62,000 mobile phones were left in London taxis during the last six months. That's an average three phones per taxi, according to a survey of licensed London cabbies by the Taxi Newspaper and Pointsec Mobile Technologies. Absent minded and drunken travellers also forgot 2,900 laptops and 1,300 PDAs when exiting cabs. …

    Personal 31 Aug 2001, 11:43

  • Dell to ship Nvidia nForce-based PC, claims Web site

    Which means it has an AMD Athlon. Yes, we're sceptical too...

    Yes, it's Dell-goes-AMD rumour time again, this time courtesy of a story over at Tom's Hardware. Said story notes that Nvidia has completed its nForce integrated chipset. That sounds reasonable to us, as does the suggestion that mobo makers Asus, Gigabyte and Abit will start selling boards based on the part next month. But …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 12:09

  • Dell's co-presidente steps back

    Vanderslice prepares for the golf course

    Dell is having a rejig of its top managers with co-president/COO Jim Vanderslice easing into impending retirement by stepping back from his role. This leaves Kevin Rollins as sole president/COO and Vanderslice is moving to a senior advisory role as vice chairman. He'll advise Rollins and CEO Michael Dell. Vanderslice retires …

    Business 31 Aug 2001, 12:21

  • Vivendi names new CEO of MP3.com

    Updated Kicks out critical Robertson

    Less than a week after it acquired MP3.com, new owners Vivendi Universal have kicked out the outspoken CEO Michael Robertson and replaced him with the far more corporate-friendly Robin Richards, who was previously president. The move, which sees Robertson become an "advisor" to the CEO of Vivendi Jean-Marie Messier, was …

    e-Business 31 Aug 2001, 12:25

  • Security software: blind lead blind

    Commentary by Elias Levy

    It's incredible that in this day and age some of the most popular security products, products that are marketed as protecting you from the evils of computers, are so badly designed. Case in point: The many antivirus products that failed to detect and stop the highly effective SirCam worm, even when updated with the latest …

    Software 31 Aug 2001, 12:36

  • Sklyarov boss exhibits cojones

    Thank you....

    Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov stood in the dock (so to speak) Thursday and pleaded not guilty to five charges that he violated the (purely American) Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by trafficking in and committing conspiracy to traffic in a copyright circumvention device. The device in question is the Advanced …

    Security 31 Aug 2001, 13:52

  • Richardson's ring peace causes a stir

    Readers Letters Drooling moron'?

    Virgin breaks mobile ring peace Did Tim Richardson's attempt to write a funny headline really deserve this treatment from reader 'Heckle Morons'? Dear Tim I feel I need to write to you regarding your Virgin Ring Piece story, Hahahaha, jeesus you are soo fucking funny!!! Ringpiece jokes!!! Hahahahahahaha, Mabey tomorrow you …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 13:56

  • FOTW 'Should I call you Yeti Thunderfoot, Queen of the Yapping Nancy's?'

    Stile challenge

    Cat eating video causes mayhem This week's Flame comes courtesy of Michael Strobert. Enjoy. "For Biderman to suddenly become a crusader for self-reflection in society is pushing things a little too far." That's the most off-course, outrageous piece of journalistic commentary I have ever.. EVER seen. Do you even READ the …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 14:09

  • Tiscali bids adieu to LineOne, LibertySurf and WorldOnline

    Lest we forget. Not

    LineOne, LibertySurf and WorldOnline are to be buried next week as Britain's biggest Italian ISP attempts to unite its disparate parts under the Tiscali brand. An announcement confirming the final demise of these ISP brands is due either later today or the beginning of next week, according to a Tiscali spokeswoman. It's been …

    Music and Media 31 Aug 2001, 14:13

  • Ericsson creates new company for 3G phones

    All part of the restructure

    Ericsson is continuing with its company restructure with the creation of a new company - Ericsson Mobile Platforms - that will focus entirely on next-generation phones. The new company will speed up the wireless industry, the company claims, by offering its technology on a licence to other manufacturers. This means 2.5 and 3G …

    Data Networking 31 Aug 2001, 14:17

  • Islam for beginners

    Anti-Taliban song dissected

    Roll up for the Regovisionsong contest The following lengthy email from Rick Gungadoo came in response to our article on a song questioning the merits of the Taliban. Dear Sir, I was dismayed that The Register judged it appropriate to publish such inaccurate, stereotypical and hurtful material in the following article and …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 14:44

  • Strange objects in stranger orifices

    'Caveat Poopicatus' shows us how

    Woman gets mobile phone stuck up back orifice Ah, the old ones are still the best. Who could have guessed in February where this gem of a story would lead us? Thanks to 'Caveat Poopicatus' for pointing out this educational Web site. heyo kieren: can you tell me the source of your information you mentioned "According to a …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 14:52

  • What really turns on Bush and Blair

    Friday fun! Don't you nose

    Here's a bit of Friday humour for you. Check out what really entices George W Bush and Tony Blair on this Freeserve homepage. You'll need Flash to see it. Then simply click here and move the cursor about to demonstrate Mr Bush's baser instincts. Click on the Blair link at the bottom to see what gets our Tony going. There's …

    Bootnotes 31 Aug 2001, 15:03

  • Internet Explorer 6 – reader opinion

    One satisfied user

    Internet Explorer 6 - one man's odyssey A couple of readers saw fit to add their comments to Kieren McCarthy's article of IE6. The first comes from Steve Carter: I generally would agree with your rather sceptical approach to this and all things MS. However, I am rather pleased I downloaded IE6. I would normally wait for a …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 15:14

  • CIPA – not as stupid as it sounds

    But should the FBI be able to hide behind it?

    FBI let off cyber snooping hook The FBI this week managed to wriggle out of explaining exactly how it gained evidence that mobster Nicodemo Scarfo was involved in illegal gambling and loan sharking. The fact that the FBI got away with installing key logging software onto Scarfo's computer despite not having a bugging warrant …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 16:04

  • Curtain falls on Reg corporate anthem competition

    Thank you London! Goodnight! We love you!

    Well, the deadline has passed for our Register corporate anthem competition. And what a bulging sack of lyrical excellence we have received. From emotive power-chord driven anthems to rousing martial themes - you name it, we've got it. The results will have to wait until next week while we dust off our twelve-string guitars and …

    Bootnotes 31 Aug 2001, 16:09

  • Richardson's ring piece causes a stir

    Readers' Letters 'Drooling moron'?

    Virgin breaks mobile ring peace Did Tim Richardson's attempt to write a funny headline really deserve this treatment from reader 'Heckle Morons'? Dear Tim I feel I need to write to you regarding your Virgin Ring Piece story, Hahahaha, jeesus you are soo fucking funny!!! Ringpiece jokes!!! Hahahahahahaha, Mabey tomorrow you …

    Letters 31 Aug 2001, 16:11

  • Cisco Borgs are super frugal

    Tight as two coats of paint

    Cisco, when not on its Borg like mission to colonise all other networking companies, likes to keep its housekeeping budget in order. 'Don't waste it' is the motto, and the zeal with which it enforces its tight wad approach to business has been spoofed on this Cysco Frugality Program site. It's apparently a big favourite with …

    Bootnotes 31 Aug 2001, 16:14

  • The truth about the DivX revolution

    Will videos really become as easily tradeable as MP3s?

    When we poo-pooed the announcement by Hollywood's big studios a fortnight ago that they were launching a video-on-demand system to deliver movies over the Internet, we had a number of emails arguing that we'd got it all wrong and were behind the times. DivX is already here, it's already being used and, most importantly, it's …

    Music and Media 31 Aug 2001, 16:53

  • Mesh appoints MD

    Fresh blood from Dennis Publishing

    Mesh Computers has enticed Mick Thornburn from Dennis Publishing to be its MD. Thornburn will take over the role at the London-based PC builder from Max Sherafati and Peter Ramiz, who will change their job title to joint CEO of the company. He will also take on the responsibilities of general manager - Sherafati and Ramiz have …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 16:59

  • Nvidia GeForce 3 Titanium just a hoax?

    'Leaks' and links seem to point that way

    Is there any truth to the rumours of Nvidia's alleged upcoming next-generation GeForce 3 chips, the GeForce 3 Titanium 500 and the GeForce 3 Titanium 200? News of the new Nvidia parts - plus a third, the GeForce 2 Titanium, and an as yet unnamed Windows XP-oriented part - broke earlier this week on Web site M3D Zone through …

    Channel 31 Aug 2001, 17:33

  • Jean Louis Gassée on the antitrust dog that never barked

    Why desktop Linux is doomed

    Columnist and author of The BeOS Bible Scot Hacker has published a valedictory for BeOS here at Byte which has some intriguing input from Be founder Jean Louis Gassée. One of the reasons for the failure of BeOS, Hacker identifies, was the inability to induce OEMs to provide true dual-boot machines. Be adopted a non- …

    Software 31 Aug 2001, 20:12

  • Bastard Security Troubleshooter

    Episode 21 Taking the pIIS

    So the PFY and I rock on into work after lunch one day, pausing only to drop the pint glasses off with Security, noticing as we pass T%he Boss hobnobbing with the Head Security bloke. I don't like it. In fact it's high on the list of things that I don't like, nestled between slave traders and the Austin Princess as a mode of …

    BOFH 31 Aug 2001, 21:23