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29th July 2002 Archive

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  • Cisco's Linux project a marriage of gluttonous execs

    Exclusive Borg rank and file frosted

    Many rank-and-file Cisco employees are questioning the ethics of a sweetheart deal in which senior Borg enjoying a leave of absence have sold a skunk-works company, AYR Networks, back to the Collective for a cool $113 million stock swap. Under the deal, Cisco common stock will be exchanged for all shares and options of AYR …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 02:59

  • Sun considers messaging and database move

    Evaluation

    A new messaging and databases competitor is preparing to join battle with IBM, Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp - and it's no start-up, Gavin Clarke writes Sun Microsystems Inc told ComputerWire last week it is evaluating launching an e-mail client to rival Microsoft's Outlook, and a separate database for deployment on the …

    Data Center 29 Jul 2002, 07:12

  • Microsoft welcomes UK govt open source policy

    Yes, really

    Microsoft Corp has given a warm welcome to the UK government's recent open source software policy statement, indicating a further softening of the company's approach to its open source rivals. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft appears to have a growing respect for the competitive threat posed by open source software, and …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 07:13

  • Delay may harm small .org bidders, firm says

    Fierce contest

    Delay in the process of selecting a new company to run the .org internet top-level domain may count against some of the smaller, less well-funded bidders, one of the bidding companies believes, Kevin Murphy writes. Last week, a decision from industry manager ICANN, the Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers, was …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 07:14

  • IBM to keep AIX releases rolling

    More or less annually

    As we reported back in March, IBM Corp is said to be readying the next release of its Unix operating system, AIX 5L V5.2, to get it into the market by October of this year, Timothy Prickett Morgan writes. It is expected to deliver the kicker to this release sometime in the second half of 2003. IBM is timing AIX 5L 5.2 to …

    Servers 29 Jul 2002, 07:15

  • Freeserve Anytime moves to Madeira

    Cheap VAT for all

    Freeserve is moving tax domicile for its Anytime unmetered ISP service to Madeira, taking advantage of the island's cheapo VAT regime. The company reckons it will make annual savings of around £4.5m, paying £13m into the EU, against £17.5m today. Of course, it's the exchequer of Portugal, Madeira's owner, what gets the money, …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 07:48

  • Easynet buys Dutch ISP

    Merges into sub

    Easynet is beefing up its Dutch ops by buying Wirehub!, a B2B ISP for up to €6m in cash. The acquisition will make its Netherland sub become profitable more quickly, Easynet says. Based in Rotterdam, Wirehub! employs 24 people, and in its last financial year it generated an operating profit of €753,000 on sales of € 5.3m, …

    Business 29 Jul 2002, 08:10

  • Xpertise snaps up John Bryce Training

    What about the customers?

    Xpertise, the UK IT training firm, has snapped up assets of John Bryce Training from the receivers. It's paying £190,254 for the "goodwill, intellectual property rights, customer contracts and some fixtures, fittings and other assets from John Bryce, free of all debt and liabilities". However, Xpertise CEO Bob Bradley says the …

    Channel 29 Jul 2002, 08:29

  • Freeserve punters to get Wanadoo email addys

    We're all French now

    Freeserve, the UK's biggest ISP, is to change its name to Wanadoo, bringing it into line with its French parent, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Nicolas Dufourcq, Wanadoo chief executive, is backing the move, which will see Freeserve rebrand as Wanadoo as early as next year, the paper reports. Around 2.5 million Freeserve …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 09:12

  • UK vendor's blooper offers £70 Sony Vaio for sale

    Possibly one of the biggest pricing screwups so far

    UK online technology vendor Foris has committed what seems to be a fairly widespread and comprehensive implementation of the classic 'wrong price' blooper. At some time on Friday evening the site began offering a broad range of products at stupid prices, and word quickly spread on the net telegraph. Despite the presumably large …

    Personal 29 Jul 2002, 11:09

  • Microsoft man seeks US Net Radio reprieve

    Bid to save microcasters

    A bill to protect grassroots Internet radio has been offered before Congress. The Internet Radio Fairness Act would exempt webcasters with less than $6 million in annual revenues from the additional RIAA royalty and from future royalty requirements. The webcasters already pay performance fees to ASCAP, the BMI and the European …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 11:41

  • MS' Mr WPA says no new corp keys for SP1

    But plans to describe changes RSN

    Microsoft licensing technologies lead product manager Allen Nieman (Mr WPA) has denounced last week's WinXP product activation revamp story as FUD, a rumour that is "entirely untrue," and that has been "parroted by some folks without validating with us" (by which we fear he means us). As it turns out, the tests on which the " …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 12:14

  • iPAQ revolt gathers pace

    But let's not forget the PDA supporters

    More than a 1,000 people, many representing small and medium businesses have signed the iPAQ Petition, a grass-roots campaign to shame HP into repairing or refunding defective models. Not bad for a week's work. But let's not forget the iPAQ's legion of supporters. This letter spells it out in no uncertain terms Tell these …

    Personal 29 Jul 2002, 13:03

  • The Bastard Guide to Overclocking

    Episode 13 Play with fire, you get burnt

    BOFH 2002: Episode 13 So The CEO's been away visiting his kids up north somewhere, which means he'll be back with a couple of 'useful' suggestions from his pride-and-joy grandkid who's a junior furry tooth. (And has a solar emitting backside, if The CEO is to be believed). Sure enough, he's in the Boss's office within 1/2 an …

    BOFH 29 Jul 2002, 13:56

  • The Bastard goes email snooping

    Episode 12 Easy if you try

    BOFH 2002: Episode 12 "But how do we KNOW that they're not reading our email?" a geeky type from payments asks The Boss over an evening beverage at the company bar. "Because the software doesn't let them" The Boss replies, dipping a tentative toe in technology for a second. "Yes, but how do we know that they don't change that …

    BOFH 29 Jul 2002, 13:56

  • Not really an episode but No. 10 The BOFH Desidoreplicator

    BOFH 2002: Not really an Episode but 10 Desidoreplicator The following text was found carved into the back of a Commodore CBM Business machine, dated 1-Sep-1970 Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in pressing the UPS SHUTDOWN button. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good …

    BOFH 29 Jul 2002, 13:58

  • Don't dump MS for free software, ambassador begs Peru

    More coincidences...

    The prospect of Peru's legislators mandating free software for government departments continues to move mountains. First we had Bill Gates' shock donation to the Peruvian president, and now the US ambassador to Peru has written a letter to the president of the Peruvian congress opposing the move, according to Wired. The text of …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 14:19

  • Malays in software piracy malaise

    Govt turns blind eye to filching by schools

    A Malaysian trade minister has risked the ire of the software industry by suggesting the country would turn a blind eye to the use of pirated software in schools. While stressing that the authorities in Malaysia take a firm line against piracy in the commercial sector, Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told the >Sunday Star …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 14:39

  • The meaning of spam

    Users divided over definition

    Businesses in the US and UK agree that spam is a problem, but according to MessageLabs many users cannot reach a consensus on its definition. According to MessageLabs' recent survey, an average of 15 percent of e-mails received by businesses contain spam. One third of the respondents to the UK survey said that spam was …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 15:05

  • Veritas strengthens Linux position

    Tier 1 OS

    VERITAS, one of the largest software companies specialising in Storage Management, has released details of its support for Linux over the next year or so. The importance that the company now attaches to Linux can be perceived in the decision to treat Linux as a Tier 1 operating system placing it on a par with Solaris, AIX, HPUX …

    Data Center 29 Jul 2002, 15:10

  • Hutchison kicks off UK, Italy 3G trials in October

    Confirms handset problems

    Hutchison will begin commercial trials of its 3G service in the UK and Italy, enlisting at least 10,000 guinea pigs, in October. The company expects to extend 3G network coverage to 80 per cent of the UK by 2003, Canning Fok, MD of parent company Hutchison Whampoa, told the press in a phone conference. At launch date, both UK …

    Mobile 29 Jul 2002, 15:41

  • The Greatness of Robot Wisdom

    Site of the Day Technicolour Jorn

    Critics who like to complain about the dearth of good writing on the Internet in general, and in blogland in particular might be missing the point. Perhaps we just need better readers, and there's no better reader on the Internet than Jorn Barger. The AI veteran, Joyce fanatic and Usenet legend lays claim to have started the …

    Bootnotes 29 Jul 2002, 16:18

  • Tinker with your MP3 player, get 5 years in jail

    Congressional TCPA stooges Hollings, Biden at it again

    We were suspicious a few months back when US Senator Joseph Biden (Democrat, Delaware) introduced proposed legislation with Senator Fritz "Hollywood" Hollings (Democrat, South Carolina) to protect emblems of authenticity for digital media, such as holograms, with the same tough laws that criminalize bogus labels on designer-wear …

    Software 29 Jul 2002, 17:23

  • Low-end server sales pick up (in US)

    Small comfort for big-Iron box shifters

    The last three months saw flat growth for server vendors with shipments of 1.08 million for Q2 2002, up 0.5 per cent on the same period last year, according to analysts Gartner Dataquest. Sales in the US made a strong contribution to this figure with server shipments up 10 per cent over the quarter to 482,647 units, up from 439 …

    Servers 29 Jul 2002, 17:23

  • VeriSign lied in ICANN race case

    "Patently false"

    A Virginia court has ordered a retrial in the case of VeriSign's ICANN point man, who was dismissed by VeriSign in February 2001. In January a Virginia court ruled in favor of VeriSign in an unfair dismissal case brought by the former Network Solutions employee, Michael Johnson, who served as Director of Internet Relations. …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 18:14

  • Carry on Shopping: Chipzilla to appeal Xircom ban

    Please proceed to checkout

    Intel subsidiary Xircom says it will appeal a ruling preventing it from selling 26 products in the United States. Intel acquired the lawsuit in 2001. 3Com claimed that Xircom infringed this patent, and since Thursday's ruling, can't stop crowing about its victory. "very well reasoned and comprehensive," it smarmed, and …

    Data Networking 29 Jul 2002, 19:45

  • A Bill declaring war on media-giant exploitation

    Letters You've got our vote, Bud

    I read your article earlier today about the push in the US to legalize DoS attacks by corporations against peer-to-peer networking. Now there's a shining example of democracy in action, no? Since the public is probably getting really bored and cynical with all of the one-sidedness in politics lately, here's a little bill I …

    Media 29 Jul 2002, 20:47