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24th July 2002 Archive

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  • Sir Dystic steps up, clears air

    Microserf? - Somebody jokin'

    I've been hanging on to several excellent flames relating to an article called Security industry's hacker-pimping slammed and another called 'Hacker' security biz built on FBI snitches, in hopes that Sir Dystic, slammed in a speech at H2K2 by Gweeds (and covered in both), would contact me. He's done so and he denies flatly any …

    Security 24 Jul 2002, 01:34

  • European handheld shipments plummet

    Taken another whack

    Handheld device shipments continue to plummet according to research released yesterday by both IDC and Gartner Inc's Dataquest unit. IDC's figure of 449,740 PDA shipments to Western Europe compares relatively closely with Dataquest's estimate of 462,572 units, down 21% and 18% respectively on the same period in 2001. A …

    Mobile 24 Jul 2002, 07:56

  • Cable horrors slice $13.1bn out of AT&T

    There goes another one...

    AT&T Corp has swallowed a huge $13.1bn charge for the write-down in the value of its cable operations, and the New York-based carrier expects the revenue shortfall in the third quarter to be greater than the 6.1% slide recorded in the previous three months. In the second quarter to June 30, the loss was $12.7bn, down from …

    Business 24 Jul 2002, 07:59

  • There's certs and certs – VeriSign badmouths rivals

    Do we hear something about a price rise?

    Apparently refusing to be drawn into a digital certificate price war, VeriSign Inc is said to be on the verge of raising the price of some certs by up to 60%, and is mounting a marketing and education campaign saying its authentication services are more trustworthy than those of some of its rivals. The company announced a …

    Music and Media 24 Jul 2002, 08:02

  • DoCoMo chief fights his 3G corner

    Trust me, it'll happen...

    Keiji Tachikawa, the president of NTT DoCoMo Inc, yesterday hit back at criticisms of his company's FOMA 3G network service, and claimed that despite its sluggish start, FOMA is destined to be a platform for mobile applications for the next 20 years. Under Tachikawa's leadership, DoCoMo's pioneering approach to mobile data …

    Mobile 24 Jul 2002, 08:04

  • MS takes .NET to Oracle

    Insert plot here

    Microsoft Corp is looking towards an unexpected source to further .NET uptake - database adversary Oracle Corp, writes Gavin Clarke. The Redmond, Washington-based company yesterday launched enhanced support for Oracle database products, with the .NET Framework Data Provider for Oracle. Data Provider for Oracle is …

    Software 24 Jul 2002, 08:07

  • ‘Technical challenges’ spike AOL IM interoperability

    Worrasurprise

    The prospect of AOL Time Warner Inc offering interoperable instant messaging or IM-based video services retreated further into the future this week, with the publication of a regulatory filing in which it said it has put interoperability work on the back burner, writes Kevin Murphy. In a filing July 16 with the US Federal …

    Music and Media 24 Jul 2002, 08:11

  • IBM talks Big Biz with Palm

    Enterprise connectivity

    IBM and Palm are cosying up, with Big Blue agreeing to again resell the PDA maker's kit and, more importantly, the pair agreeing to develop Palm devices which can access enterprise applications and information using IBM's WebSphere. WebSphere Everyplace Access, will be used to enable the device and server to communicate. Both …

    Hardware 24 Jul 2002, 08:28

  • HP tears up Dell printer contract

    Hostilities declared

    HP is ending its printer reseller agreement with Dell. The company says that Dell is to sell own-brand printers and that no purpose is served by dealing direct with its arch-rival. Of course, Dell can go source HP kit for its corporate accounts through distribution channels. But we can assume that it will lose access to very …

    Personal 24 Jul 2002, 08:51

  • French break with 802.11 standard

    This boulevard's not for chalking

    Rightly suspicious of an Anglo-Saxon conspiracy, French Wi-Fi enthusiasts have broken with an emerging wireless standard. Actually, it's not any technical standard they object to, but the emerging "warchalking" terminology, by which enthusiasts alert the public to open access 802.11 networks. The French prefer not to use the …

    Mobile 24 Jul 2002, 14:43

  • Seven charged in VAT fraud investigation

    Operation Capri

    Seven people have been charged with VAT and money laundering offences following raids by Customs and Excise officers investigating an alleged computer component fraud earlier this week. Neil Dawe, 37, of Newquay, Cornwall and Dean Simons, 34, of Hinckley, Leicester were charged with VAT offences. Darren Cleveley, 35, and David …

    Business 24 Jul 2002, 14:44

  • Shader wars: NVidia goes open source

    Well, sort of...

    John Carmack has welcomed NVidia's decision to open its source compiler technology - but not the actual compiler - for its high-level Cg language. With competition heating up in the shader wars, NVidia wants to build momentum for Cg, and just in case we miss the point, an accompanying press release tells us that "momentum is …

    Software 24 Jul 2002, 14:47

  • We're paying too much for mobile calls – official

    Competition Commissioner says termination charges need to be cut

    The Competition Commissioner has told mobile operators they are charging to much for connecting calls from other networks, recommending that prices be capped. The rebuke comes in a letter from the Commissioner to the UK's four existing mobile operators (Vodafone, Orange, O2 and T-Mobile) concerning termination charges. …

    Mobile 24 Jul 2002, 14:49

  • ThrustWorld beats off site IP swipe

    And all without actually talking to anybody...

    UK online gaming site ThrustWorld yesterday emerged victorious from a bizarre spat with online radio operation CyberKastRadio.com, which seemed somehow inadvertently to have ripped off Thrustworld's design, right down to the company logo. The strange similarity between the two prompted some comment, this thread at CyberKastRadio …

    Music and Media 24 Jul 2002, 15:23

  • Cloning machines go on sale on the web

    Just copying your bottom at office parties is so old...

    DiY cloning is with us at last, and you can buy it on the web. Well, sort of. If you look here, you will find that for the bargain price of $9,199 ex shipping you can buy an RMX2010 Clonaid direct fusion, umm, thingummy. It is, apparently, a device used for embryonic cell fusion, and we get the impression that it is more …

    Personal 24 Jul 2002, 16:06

  • Congress to turn hacks into hackers

    Thanks guys!

    If House Hollywood sock puppet Howard Berman (Democrat, California) gets his way, it will become legal to hack a network in efforts to impede the on-line illicit trade in copyrighted works. He's preparing legislation, apparently forced on him by the Hollywood fat cats he represents and who have lavishly bribed him into docile, …

    Security 24 Jul 2002, 18:17

  • WebTV 911 exploit causes confusion

    It's not a virus just some very naughty boys, apparently

    A flaw in Microsoft's WebTV units might allow malicious hackers to force the unit's modem into dialling the emergency services, at least according to US reports. An ABC news report suggests an email virus is spreading which can shut a WebTV (or in its rebranded form, MSNTV) unit down, reboot it and call 911. Several people have …

    Security 24 Jul 2002, 19:29