The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

28th May 2003 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Ballmer shoots for a billion in Microsoft share sale

    Only 421 million shares to go

    Don't mind the $1.2 billion Steve Ballmer sold in Microsoft stock. He really is very committed to the software maker's future. Recent SEC filings show that Microsoft's CEO dumped 49 million shares between May 21 and May 23 to the tune of $1.19 billion. Twelve years have passed since Ballmer last sold off Microsoft stock, but …

    Business 28 May 2003, 07:34

  • Wi-Fi hotspots mean some burnt fingers

    That funny smell is business plans going up in smoke...

    Wi-Fi hotspots are hot indeed, but they could end up being too hot to hold, for the network operators at least. Although companies are piling on board, the latest two to announce packaged wireless hotspots for sale being Toshiba and Evesham Micro, the business and revenue models still haven't come together. Now a report from US …

    Wireless 28 May 2003, 07:41

  • KaZaA is download king

    Overtakes ICQ

    Sharman Networks, the company behind the KaZaA file-swapping service, said its software has been downloaded a staggering 230.3 million times. In an announcement this week, the company said that the KaZaA Media Desktop has become the most downloaded software, with 230,309,616 downloads worldwide. This means that the company's …

    Music and Media 28 May 2003, 07:59

  • Apple halts iTunes' Internet sharing ability

    Version 4.0.1 released

    Apple has knocked on the head iTunes 4's ability to stream music over the Internet. The modification comes in iTunes 4.0.1, released yesterday and downloadable from Apple's Web site and via Mac OS X's Software Update system. iTunes' music sharing facility was launched alongside Apple's online Music Store as a sign of the …

    Mac Channel 28 May 2003, 09:55

  • Frankie Says… broadband should not be a fad

    Warning to government

    The UK Government is being warned not to regard broadband as some "fad" - wot, like Deely Boppers and "Frankie Says..." T-shirts? - and is being urged instead to take a longer-term view about the benefits of high-speed Net access. In particular, boffins at Brunel University reckon that "a cohesive, far-sighted strategy for …

    Telecoms 28 May 2003, 10:23

  • Seagate denies Taiwan hard drive recall claims

    Update Hitachi too

    Seagate today damned as "inaccurate" a report that the company has begun taking dodgy 40GB and 80GB hard drives off Taiwanese distributors' shelves - a move alleged to be taking place by local channel sources. The report, published by DigiTimes yesterday, alleges that 12,000-15,000 defective drives, produced in mainland China, …

    Personal 28 May 2003, 10:39

  • Retail consumer PDA sales drove 34.6% growth in April

    European market research

    April has proved a bumper month for PDA vendors selling into the UK, France and Germany, the latest data from European market researcher Context shows. Retail sales drove the rebound as consumers snapped up low-end devices from Palm Sony. No wonder Palm was able to announce yesterday that it has shipped over one million …

    Mobile 28 May 2003, 11:53

  • The Number creates 300 jobs in Plymouth

    Hello, caller

    Some 300 new jobs are to be created in Plymouth following the decision by directory enquiries (DQ) outfit, The Number 118 118, to open up a second centre to handle calls. The Number - part of the global DQ outfit InfoNXX - was enticed to the area with the help of a grant from the South West Regional Development Agency. The …

    Small Biz 28 May 2003, 14:38

  • Office XP – when is a price cut not a price cut?

    When nobody buys full retail?

    When is a price cut not a price cut? Microsoft has garnered a certain amount of positive publicity thanks to yesterday's estimated 15 per cent cut on Office XP, and alongside this cut it announced it would be bundling some support services with its volume Software Assurance licensing scheme. Or should we perhaps call it the …

    Software 28 May 2003, 15:33

  • Sony unveils the PSX

    Integrated console, media system

    The PlayStation 2 hardware is to be integrated into a new home media device from Sony's consumer electronics department, codenamed the PSX, as the Japanese giant struggles to extend the success of its games division to other operations. The new device will feature a TV tuner, hard disc drive and a DVD recorder alongside the …

    Personal 28 May 2003, 15:41

  • Crucial offers own-brand USB Flash drive

    Reg Kit Watch Hitachi expands mobile HDD line

    USB Drive Memory specialist Crucial has launched Gizmo, the latest addition to the long list of USB-based Flash drives. Available in 64, 128 and 256MB flavours, each chewing gum pack-sized Gizmo comes with a three-foot USB extension cable, a wrist strap, lifetime guarantee and free shipping. Prices (including UK sales tax) are …

    Personal 28 May 2003, 15:42

  • ASA raps UK Internet Registry

    'Misleadingly implied [letter] was an invoice'

    The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered domain sales outfit UK Internet Registry to stop sending out letters that look like invoices. The ASA's tough line followed a complaint that UK Internet Registry's direct mailing, which urged people to register the .com domain of their registered .co.uk domain, "misleadingly …

    Music and Media 28 May 2003, 15:43

  • Network security tailored to Small.biz

    Simple enough?

    The security demands that their larger supply chain partners place on small and medium businesses (SMBs) means that they will soon be burdened with organising and managing security for themselves to a greater extent and financial cost than they currently do. For some, outsourcing is the solution. For others, keeping it in-house …

    Small Biz 28 May 2003, 16:01

  • Tiscali's debt collectors demand cash from ‘PC Plod’

    Round 2

    Following yesterday's story Tiscali's debt collectors demand cash from 'PC Plod', Tiscali UK queried Greg Palmer's claim that he had never been a Tiscali punter. They did not, however, deny the fact that a letter demanding cash had been sent to "PC Plod". So we asked Mr Palmer to clarify. He told us: "I was talking last night …

    Music and Media 28 May 2003, 16:04

  • MS withdraws XP security update

    Conflicting reports

    Microsoft has withdrawn a security-related update for XP after conflicts between it and third party firewall products left some users unable to connect to the Net. The update, released last Friday (May 21), was designed to improve Microsoft's VPN client software for Windows 2000 and XP. However a software glitch meant that a …

    Security 28 May 2003, 16:07

  • First Sony Ericsson T610s appear – and then disappear

    Hissing noise

    Rotten news for eager geeks awaiting Sony Ericsson's super camera-phone, the T610, with Bluetooth. No, you can't even read a review of the thing; they're being recalled. It's not a problem, though, says S-E. According to Michael Oryl, editor of Mobile Burn, he's been unable to write his review, because the phone produces an …

    Mobile 28 May 2003, 16:25

  • Survey: Do punters really want TV on their PC?

    Have your say... and win fabulous prizes

    Market research organisation Jon Peddie Research is seeking real users' opinions about the convergence of PCs and TV - and is offering a heap of goodies from ATI, Nvidia and Pinnacle to tempt users to tell the company what they think. Interested readers can express their opinions by filling in JPR's online survey form …

    Personal 28 May 2003, 16:28

  • Microsoft down and out in Munich

    Penguins overrun Bavaria

    Linux zealots all over Munich have strapped on their lederhosen and knocked back a few liters of beer after the open source operating system beat out Microsoft's Windows for a major city contract. Munich will dump 14,000 PCs running Windows and install Linux instead in what is one of the biggest moves away from Redmond to date …

    Software 28 May 2003, 19:28

  • Red Hat, Linux, consumers, money – do they mix?

    Maybe, sort of, but it's a tricky one...

    Earlier this year Red Hat split its range into two segments - effectively, business and everything else. It did this in the wrong order, as The Register remarked at the time, but subsequently the company has padded out its Enterprise range to consist of Advanced Server, Enterprise Server and Workstation, so here at least it has …

    Software 28 May 2003, 21:35

  • Vulture Capitalist ISP still providing service

    Business as usual during alterations

    Dear VCISP Punters, As you are all probably aware, our Virtual ISP provider, Affinity Internet, recently went tits-up (see Affinity Internet Holdings calls in adminstrators). We are currently in negotiations with service providers to ensure that the service to existing punters is maintained. During these negotiations - and …

    Site News 28 May 2003, 21:40

  • Cisco looks for WLAN boost

    Can we manage your access point?

    Two successive quarters of flat sales of wireless LAN kit in the enterprise market have prompted Cisco Systems to look to the consumer and small office market for growth in the immediate future. Misplaced security concerns and fears about confusion about standards have left enterprise sales flat while consumer sales are going …

    Data Networking 28 May 2003, 21:43

  • Exclusive: HP's printer team in espionage drama

    Spies seek ink secrets

    Hewlett-Packard's top secret printer labs are under attack from an audacious rival using the art of deception to gather confidential information. A group of engineers working on HP's next-generation network laser printer have come under siege from a competitor, The Register has learned. Employees have received calls at work and …

    Channel 28 May 2003, 22:14

  • Novell torpedoes SCO's Unix IP claim

    Canopy Family Robinson

    In the latest installment of "The Canopy Family" - a drama to rival the The Magnificent Ambersons - Novell has rebuffed SCO's claim to hold Unix copyrights and patents. SCO recently filed a billion dollar suit against IBM, claiming that Big Blue had violated SCO's intellectual property by incorporating elements of UnixWare into …

    Software 28 May 2003, 22:18

  • Letters End the tyranny of bomb-happy RIAA

    Re: RIAA attacking our culture, the American Mind The RIAA's continuing war on the USA's culture and heritage - and in particular its latest efforts to bomb our computers - provoked these brave and true words from a former combat Marine. Subject: Semper Fi Hello Andrew : It is very upsetting indeed . I thought the …

    Letters 28 May 2003, 22:30